Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Shadows of Ganderosa
by MasterKnight2142
Summary: Today, our hero finds himself in a strange new world with no memories to call his own. He will find the world contains the brightest lights of hope, but also the darkest shadows of despair. Here, only the hero and his friends will show support. Will it be enough to hold up the path of hope and light? Or will all collapse and plunge the world into the shadows? Action/Mystery/Drama
1. The First Step

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 1

The First Step

* * *

Hey guys! MasterKnight2142 (the author) here! Before we get started, I just want to warn you that I am going to call the main character 'He'/'Him' until he is named (Capitalized and apostrophe'd :p ). That's his name for now! Thank you!

* * *

"Why am I here?"

...

"Yes, but why?"

...

"You can't be serious."

...

"I can't accept that. There must be another way! There must be..."

* * *

When he came to, his head felt as though it had been hit by a brick. He tried to look onwards, yet to his surprise, all he could see was a black void that, no atter where he turned, forced itself on his eyes. He couldn't feel much due to the migraine. However, he could feel the pressure from gravity pulling him onto his left side. The ground beneath his arm was like compacted dirt.

He began moving his hands underneath him when... He found his arms were constricted behind his back by what felt like a rough rope. He tried to force the rope apart. It moved an inch at best before completely constricting him. 'He' then tried to bring his feet around to get into a sitting position. Suddenly,

"Ah!" 'He' screamed. His ankle felt like it had been run over several times by a random biker. It felt as though it had been pulled out of its socket. The pain continued to radiated through his body in unceasing waves. It lasted for a few minutes before it began to die.

 _What's going on?!Where am I?! Why is my-_

His thoughts were interrupted by footsteps thudding against the dirt floor. They weren't very loud, yet close.

"Hello?" 'He' called. His cracking voice echoed through the chambers. "Is anyone there?"

The footsteps stopped for a few seconds. Then they started again. The noise grew louder until finally, he felt the cloth being dragged against his face as the world presented itself to 'Him' in a flash of light.

He could see everything now. The crystals in the ceiling, the rocky walls, the corridor in front of him, even the strange creature standing feet from 'His' body, holding what looked like a sack.

The creature's skin had the color of an acorn. It was a bipedal creature with a green leaf protruding from his head. His bulging legs became thin at the knees and led down to some feet. He had hands, yet they looked like gloves in the sense that the only finger that showed was it's thumb. Its face was shaped like a watermelon. It also owned a long nose that was pointed like a spike.

"So, you're awake." the nuzleaf said. It had a sneer on it's face. Seeing this creature standing before him made his shoulders tense up.

"Who are you?" 'He' asked the creature as 'his' body began to shake. " _What_ are you? What's going on? Why am I tied up?"

"Who cares?" It asked. "Where your going, it won't matter!"

"Kieth!" A voice called out from the corridor. "What are you doing over there?"

"Just having a chat with the prisoner!" Kieth shouted back.

"Well, stop talking and knock him out!" the voice commanded. Kieth gave a sigh.

"Well," Kieth said with an irritated in his tone. "Guess you'll have to sleep!"

'His' eyes grew wider. "Wait!" He yelled. "What's-" He was cut off by the knuckles of the nuzleaf's hand colliding into his jaw. The last thing 'He' felt was the cold ground meeting the right side of his head.

* * *

When he woke up, his head felt even worse than before. He was being dragged backwards like a sack of potatoes along the gravel path by his right leg. The small stones on the road were being dragged against his stomach and his chin, making both burn. He slowly opened his eye lids to see the world around him.

He would have enjoyed the white-tipped mountains that pierced the sky like spires jutting from the ground. He would have also enjoyed seeing the trees that grew on the side of the mountain, covering it in patches of green. The grassy plains that surrounded the gravel path would have also been evry nice. But he didn't because of all the pain he felt from his head to his ankle. He tried to move his head around to get a look at who was dragging him without moving too much so he didn't alert the very thing that he was trying to view.

All logic and reasoning left 'His' brain as his eyes set upon something truly disturbing. 'He' let out a yell. He saw about twenty creatures that looked like the creature called "Kieth". He couldn't distinguish one from the other. They all had brown, thick ropes tied around their hands that attached them to more creatures big and small. They were of many different colors ranging from hazel to violet. All of them had ropes tied to their necks. They were prisoner's just like 'He' was. Even though 'He' was surrounded by so many strange creatures, it isn't what freaked him out. It was himself.

His hands _Can I even call them hands anymore?_ were still bound together. The issue was that they didn't look like his hands. They were more like claws with fins jutting out to the side of his arms. His feet weren't any better. They were like paws with talons for nails. They had three toes each. He also found a lone fin jutting out from his back. He had a tail that had another fin on the tip. The worst part was that he had blue scales, _Scales!_ covering his entire body like a dragon's coat of armor. _What's happening to me?!_

The one that dragged him turned to face its captive. 'His' eyes widened upon seeing Kieth scowling coldly at him.

"Sir Arlon!" Kieth called out. "My gabite is awake."

"Company halt!" A dark, gruff voice called out from the head of the group.

The group stopped in their tracks. A good majority of the creatures that were roped fell to the ground in unison. They were all panting and sweaty from what Dillan guessed was a long walk. Some of the Nuzleaf that were tied to the other creatures either sat down or were pulled to the ground by their prisoner's weight. Those that were pulled started kicking their victims in an unrelenting fashion. The prisoners that were being beaten apologized and pleaded for mercy. None of their captors seemed to care about their pleas. A creature came striding through the group towards 'Him'.

The creature looked stubby, yet was five-feet tall. He had a mane of white hair spouting from his head coming down his forehead and ending at the eyes in the front, while flowing down to his waist at the back. He looked as though a tree was carved and came to life on the spot. He had three leaves instead of fingers. His black and yellow eyes peered through his white hair. They looked as though they were piercing through the gabite's very soul, trying to find a weakness in his captive. He also had a long nose like the nuzleaf.

"So he's awake." The shiftry said as he examined the gabite. 'He' shifted his body. Being referred to by a talking tree was bad enough without it looking at your body. Arlon threw a rope to Kieth. "Tie him up and make him walk!" he ordered with a sneer. Arlon then walked back to the front of the group.

Kieth bent down and tied the rope around 'His' neck. He then proceeded to knot the rope to his hand.

"Everyone get up!" Arlon shouted from the front.

Kieth stood up and yanked on the rope. It started choking the Gabite. 'He' stood quickly so he could breath, trying to avoid putting his weight on his ankle.

"Move!" Arlon shouted. The whole group started marching. Kieth yanked on the rope again, forcing 'Him' to move. The Gabite took a step forward and heard a "Schrak" sound from below. His ankle buckled and folded on its side.

'He' fell to the ground and started yelling from the pain that surged through his leg. When he fell, he yanked Kieth down with him. Some of the Nuzleaf stopped to see the commotion.

Kieth turned to face 'Him'. He yanked on the rope. 'He' saw Kieth had a look of fear and hate in his eyes as he yelled, "Get up you idiotic pokemon!" though 'He' didn't care. His ankle felt as though someone had taken the blunt side of a hammer and slammed it against a lone point several times. On top of that, he was focused on the questions that bombarded his mind.

 _Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this?_ Confusion struck at his insides. _What_ have _I done to deserve this?_ He tried to recall what had happened before meeting the Nuzleaf. He couldn't remember. He then tried to recall anything. He couldn't. A look of terror came to his face. _What about where I live?_ He couldn't remember. _How about what I am?_ He couldn't recall. _My family?_ Nothing as well. _M-My name?!_ He thought for what seemed like minutes, sifting through the black void of his mind. _What's my name?!_

"What's my name?!" 'He' shouted. His body tensed up from all of the emotions that seemed to overload him.

"Get up," Kieth shouted. "Before I make sure you'll never get up again!"

"What's going on back here?!" Arlon shouted as he tore through the crowd that had formed around Kieth. His hate-filled eyes met Kieth's and a malicious smile widenned unnaturally across his face. "Why am I not surprised that _you_ are the one holding us up?"

"S-Sir Arlon!" Kieth shuddered. "The Gabite won't walk! He just fell and-"

"Did anyone hear me ask for an excuse?" Arlon asked the group. He waited for a few seconds before saying, "No? Well then, Kieth! Stop giving me them! If you won't make him walk, then you WILL drag his useless body!"

"Why don't we just kill him now!" Kieth questioned. "Wouldn't it be easier to kill all of them?"

The prisoners gave gasps. Some nuzleaf bobbed their heads in agreement while others questioned amongst themselves whether it was a good idea. Arlon's grin turned into a sneer. "You know why! You all do!" Arlon paused for a few seconds before turning to Kieth and adding, "Forget it! You don't get the luxury of making him walk! You get to drag him! Am I clear?"

"Yes sir..." Kieth complied through gritted his teeth. Arlon scowled at him one more time before his foot met the gabite's face.

'He' fell to the floor, thinking about how he could have forgotten his identity. He then sunk into the darkness that flooded his thoughts.

* * *

"Dillan..." A radiant voice echoed in his mind. "Wake up, Dillan. There's too much work to be done for you to rest right now."

"What?" 'He' asked. "Who are you?"

A splash of icy water washed over Gabite's scales. He inhaled sharply due to the freezing agony that had engulfed his body, taking water into his lungs. The gabite coughed sharply.

"I said wake up!" Kieth ordered as he stood over the pokemon. 'He' realized he was no longer attached to Kieth's arm. Instead, the rope went over his arms and waist and tied him to the bark of a tree.

The gabite looked around for a brief moment to see his surroundings. Other than the grass that was illuminated by the camp-fires, it was dark. 'He' counted twenty camp-fires and groups of four creatures sitting by each of them. There were also trees like his that other creatures were tied to. In fact, there was one animal tied to his tree on his left.

"Why'd you wake him?" A nuzleaf called out to Kieth. He was sitting next to the nearest campfire with two of his companions.

"Because I want him to feel as bad as I did while carrying his lazy tail here." Kieth replied. "You would want him to pay as well if it was you, Darren. I'm gonna make him suffer."

'He' didn't like the sound of that. Thankfully, his migraine was gone at this point; yet his ankle was still bothering him. The fin on his back also hurt from being squeezed into the bark of his tree. On top of that, his stomach and chin burned due to the gravel from earlier. He didn't want to feel anymore pain then he was already in.

"You can rough him up tomorrow." Darren said. "We don't want him to scream and wake the others."

Kieth gave a sigh of annoyance. "Fine." He scowled sharply at 'Him' in his eyes and said, "But if he does anything I don't like, I'm gonna make him wish he was dead."

Kieth turned to the group at the fire and sat down with them. The gabite took this opportunity to gather his thoughts.

 _I can't remember anything at all, not even my..._ Gabite stopped his train of thought. He looked back on that strange dream he had. _There was a voice... It was talking to me. It said a name. Could it have been my name? It sounded so familiar. What did it say?_ He thought for a few minutes until his migraine came back. _Why can't I remember?!_ He scolded himself. _That voice just said my name!_ _What did it say?! It started with a D, right? D... D... Dean?_ That didn't feel right. _Darl? Dan? Donald?_ Those weren't right either. _Come on! Think! This isn't working! I need another approach. D... Du...De...Do...Di...Di. That sounds... good. Di. Dib. Dif. Dil... Dil!_ He was smiling now! He felt like he was getting somewhere. _Focus! Dila... Close, but no. Dilla. Dilla. I can feel it. I'm making progress. Dillar. Dillam. Dillan..._ He stopped. _Dillan... Dillan. Dillan! My name is Dillan!_ He was so excited he could yell! He remembered something of his past - something of himself. A smile widened across his face. He was so giddy that he felt unstoppable.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" a depressed, male voice to Dillan's left asked.

Dillan jumped from the scare. He was so excited by learning his name that he forgot about the pokemon that was next to him. "What did you say?" Dillan asked, trying not to sound accusatory.

The creature to his left was a three-foot tall, white squirrel. His white fur was stained with dirt from the trek. He had a blue stripe going from the top of his head, to the end of his long, fluffy tail. His normally-yellow cheeks were orange from the campfire.

"Why are you smiling?" the pachirisu questioned. Considering his size, his voice was a little deep. "You're in the same boat as the rest of us. Why be happy?"

 _What should I say? I don't know this guy. Why would I tell him I had forgotten my own name? Even if I_ were _to say "I have amnesia and I remembered my name", would he believe me, or think I'm crazy?_

"If you don't want to talk, then fine by me." the pachirisu said in an irritated way.

Dillan realized he had been so lost in thought, he didn't even answer the pachirisu's question. "I was just thinking about... home." he said.

"Why? It's not like we're gonna be able to get back. Not with those pokemon watching us."

There was that word once again; "Pokemon" _._ What did it mean? Was it some kind of insult?

"What do you mean by "Pokemon"?" Dillan he saw the irritated look on the pachirisu's face, he immediately regretted asking the question. The gabite shrunk down a little.

"What are you, mental?" The Pachirisu asked with a look of disgust. "Why are you joking at a time like this?! We're being taken to Arceus knows where and you want to ask stupid questions like, 'Duh, what'sa pokemon?'" He spoke the last part in a mocking way.

"You don't have to be rude." Dillan said with a defensive tone. "I have amnesia, you kn-" Dillan stopped himself. _What did you just do?! The one thing you didn't want to, that's what!_ he scolded.

The pachirisu looked onwards with a tightened brow-line. "Why are you lying? Isn't this bad enough without-"

Pachirisu was stopped mid-sentence by an apple that smashed into his head, leaving a red mark. If his arms weren't constricted, he would have pressed them to the red, swelling mark on his head. To Dillan's horror, Kieth was standing over them.

The Nuzleaf leaned down to Dillan's face and said, "I warned you about doing anything I didn't like!"

Kieth lowered his foot on top of Dillan's hurt ankle. Dillan let out a yell and started struggling to get his leg free. When Dillan realized it only made it hurt more, he stopped. Kieth let out a laugh.

"Kieth!" one of the Nuzleaf called out to him. "Stop it! He'll wake up Arlon! You know what he'll do to you!"

Kieth wasn't listening. His head-leaf began spinning like a buzz saw, ripping at the gabite's chest. At first, it didn't do much. After awhile, though, it started cutting through his scales. Blood started trickling down the ropes. Dillan wanted it to stop. He wanted to run, but he could only yell in horror as the onslaught continued.

"Kieth! Stop!" The nuzleaf warned. Now, the whole camp-fire group looked on as Kieth lashed out at Dillan.

"Leave him alone, you coward!" The Pachirisu shouted. "Fight him like a mon!"

Kieth stopped lashing at Dillan and stepped in front of the pachirisu. "What are you gonna do about it, pipsqueak?" Kieth said with malice in his voice. The pachirisu obviously took offense in that comment. His fist began to shake.

"Kieth!" A deep voice called out from behind the camp-fire group.

Kieth turned and looked at the campfire. His head drew back as his jaw dropped open. His eyes widened upon seeing that Arlon was standing in front of the camp-fire. The light casted shadows across his face that made him look full of malicious joy. His face contorted into a grin that was too wide to be natural.

"Kieth, come with me!" Arlon said with a voice of evil intent.

"B-But, sir-" Kieth began to protest.

"Now!" Arlon ordered.

Kieth slowly followed Arlon into the middle of the camp, which was about fifty paces or so away. The other nuzleaf followed in horror of what might happen to their friend.

"Hey!" the pachirisu called out to Dillan. "You doing alright?"

Dillan looked at his chest. It didn't feel too bad. It was full of shallow scratches and blood that ran down to the ground. but there wasn't muck pan. It's his ankle that made him grimace.

"Yeah... Yeah I'm ok." Dillan said as he tried not to let the pain taint his voice with worry.

"Good. Now, start running!" the pachirisu said in a whisper.

Dillan was confused. _Run? How? I'm tied up to this tree?_ He looked at the rope that bounded him. To his shock, there were dips and grooves etched into the rope, making it all frilly. They were almost cut. _How did..._

"It was the nuzleaf!" the pachirisu said as a response to Dillan's open jaw. "He cut them while he cut you. Now break free and run before they come back!"

It didn't take much strength for Dillan to break free of the rope. There was a low "Snap" sound and Dillan became free. He was about to make break for it but...

"What about you?" Dillan asked.

"What about me?"

"I can't leave you here!"

"And what about everyone else, huh? You gonna save them, too?" Dillan was speechless. "Why should my life be valued over another's?" He waited a few seconds before continuing with, "You know what? It doesn't matter! Just run while you still can!"

Dillan wanted the pachirisu to come. He might seem a bit judgey, but he's the only one he can remember that he could relate to. _If I cut the rope using my-_

His mind was drowned out by the screams of a creature coming from the direction of the group that now huddled close to the shiftry. It went on for five more seconds before it stopped. It disturbed him greatly to think what had happened out there at the group.

"Just go!" the pachirisu insisted, his breathing becoming faster. "Now!"

Dillan was about to get up when his ankle began hurting from moving. He looked down at his foot. _Dang it! Even if I were to leave, I won't get very far. My ankle might buckle further down the road. If that happens, I won't be going anywhere. I would need..._ _Wait a minute._ Dillan looked towards the pachirisu. He smiled at the white squirrel.

"You're coming with me whether you like it or not." Dillan told the Pachirisu as he stood up. He grimaced from the pain in his ankle, but was determined not to yelp.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Pachirisu questioned.

"I'm injured." Dillan said. "I need some help to move around. If I can't move, I need you to go on without me and get help. I need _you_."

The pachirisu's eyes darted between Dillan and the camp-fire group around Arlon. He then looked towards the floor for three seconds before he sighed; a small smile spreading across his face. "Fine." He said as he looked at Dillan. "Use your fin as a blade."

Dillan nodded, took a painful step back, and flung his arm-fin at the ropes binding the pachirisu. The ropes snapped and the squirrel jumped from the spot and immediately started running in the opposite direction of the massive group of nuzleaf. He then looked back at Dillan. He waved his hand for Dillan to follow.

Dillan smiled at him as he limped as fast as he could to meet the furry creature.

 _Things are starting to look up. I may now be on the run from a group of psychos, but at least I'm not on my own._

He and the pachirisu ran as a group as fast as they could. Dillan knew that trouble was behind them, but things were about to change in this strange world. For the better? He couldn't say. He only knew he needed to take it one step at a time. This was the first.

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Just some really quick words to the fans of this story. I am going to try to use this bottom "Author's notes" section to answer your questions, depending on when I get them. As of this point in time, the only question is "What is a Mystery Dungeon?". This is a valid question, though I am not going to answer it. If you want to play along and find things out with Dillan, questions like these will be answered best by the story. If you would rather find out ASAP, you could always look it up. A wise man once told me, "The Truth is Out There..." ;).

For the first chapter only, I am going to go over the format for the story. When you see something like this, _I wonder what the author is gonna make me think about?_ You can assume it is Dillan's thoughts (or the central character of that chapter). This will be the case **unless** it is specifically stated otherwise. For instance: ) _Why am I thinking about cat's?_ Ryan thought.) Get the picture? Other than that, I'll be using basic grammar.

I have a DeviantArt account with a map of Ganderosa (as well as some other pictures of the characters) for you guys to enjoy/see how the characters look if my writing has failed you (Please note that the map WILL be missing some places of importance).

Other than that, thanks for reading! Hope you liked the first chapter, because Chapter Two is right around the corner!

(Please note that I am currently updating the chapters for grammar and general descriptions. The chapters ahead may or may not be at my best writing. I am trying to make it better for you guys! Thanks again!)

(Revised as of 4/24/2018)


	2. Howling Winds

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 2

Howling Winds

* * *

"We have to keep moving!" the pachirisu said quickly. Based only on how long they've been running for, and how the pachirisu kept his right paw on his forehead where the apple had collided, Dillan was surprised the little guy still seemed to have the energy. "By now, they'll have noticed that we escaped. We need to keep moving!"

"I know, I know." Dillan said through shallow breaths. "But, it's been hours since we escaped. On top of that, I don't know how much more my ankle can take..." Dillan looked at his foot. It was tilted just a little to the left. He felt his stomach churn from the sight. _It's too noticeable._ "Just five minutes."

The pachirisu looked at Dillan's ankle with a slight frown present on his face. Dillan wondered what his new companion was more worried about; Dillan's ankle or the possibility of a hoard of monsters that was in pursuit.

"All right." the squirrel said with a sigh. "You wait here and I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" Dillan asked, concern and worry contaminating his voice. _Is he going to leave me?_

"Not far." the pachirisu said with a rushed speed. "I need to find a tree."

Dillan frowned at the idea of splitting up, but he doubted he had much of a choice. "Alright. Just try to hurry back."

The pachirisu nodded and ran off into the darkness.

Dillan tried to look around, but there wasn't much to see. It was almost pitch black. The only source of light was the moon and stars, which only helped for about five feet infront of him. It did, however, show him the occasional siloughet of a rock or tree, but how did that help when trying to see if you're being followed?

Dillan felt his heart beating at a million miles an hour. So much had happened in such a short time. On top of that, he had no clue what was going on. Sweat dripped down the back of his neck as he thought about what might happen next.

 _No, stop._ Dillan told himself as he shook his head. _You're just freaking yourself out. Calm down. You're doing fine. Besides, you can hardly see. What's the chance that those.. creatures... are going to find you out here?_

Dillan, trying to get his mind off of what was happenning, focused on the soft grass below his feet felt nice enough. The dew present in the air collected on the blades of grass making his feet slightly moist. He decided to lay down. With pain and difficulty, he got into a sitting position. He began lowering himself onto his back when he stopped. He felt something that wasn't quit on his back, yet still connected to his body keep him from descending any further. He looked behind him and found he had a fin jutting from his back. It began to bend more with the pressure he put on it, sending a dull pain into his spine. To avoid further pain, he decided it was best to lay on his side.

He wanted to keep his mind off ofwhat had happened, but he couldn't help it. He started to think about how they escaped the Nuzleaf. He then thought about how they had strayed away from the path in the hopes that they might lose their pursuers in the dark.

 _Are they following us?_ He wondered. _Would they come after us and leave the rest of their captives?_ Dillan felt a weight fill his chest. His eyebrows knitted together. _The other captives... Why didn't I try to save anyone else?_ He mentally kicked himself. _I could have saved one or two others. Why did I leave? If I tried hard enough, I could have done more._ He felt ashamed. _I'm here complainning about my ankle while those other poor captives are tied next to a tree for the night. I have the ability to hope while they can't because they're being taken to some uknown place for some uknown reason._

It was then that he felt a paw on his arm. Dillan jumped from the scare. He whiped around and swung his arm. The pachirisu ducked under the attack and held his paws up. As he did that, Dillan saw the sticks he was carrying clattered to the ground.

"Easy." the pachirisu said with a scowl. "I'm not them." Dillan relaxed his muscles.

"Sorry." Dillan appoogized.

"Jeez." the pachirisu said as he rolled his eyes. "Try to help a guy.

"On another note, Sit up and stick your bad leg out."

"Alright." Dillan obeyed. "What's with the sticks?"

"Ever heard of a splint?"

"No... Maybe?"

"What?" Pachirisu questioned with annoyance. "Yes or no."

"I've heard the word, I just don't remember what it means." It was true. His amnesia didn't seem to affect names of objects. However, when it came to himself, he had to rely on feelings; like how he figured out his name. When he said it, it felt right.

"So a splint is like a brace for your leg. It's supose to keep it straight and stiff. I want to use it on your foot."

"That's awesome!" Dillan was impressed by pachirisu's knowledge. The squirrel started grinning; though, he stopped doing so when he looked at Dillan's ankle. Instead, he started to grimace.

"Alright." the pachirisu said slowly. "I need you to hold still. Your ankle is dislocated as well as broken. Brace yourself. This is going to hurt... a lot."

Dillan did not like anything he just heard. _Dislocated_ and _broken?_ The pachirisu held out his paw. Dillan reached with his claws to carry whatever thesmall creature was giving him. The pachirisu gave him a small, but bulky piece of bark.

"What's this for?" Dillan asked skeptically.

Pachirisu seemed worried. "It's... for the pain. You're suppose to bite down on it..."

Dillan was at a loss for words. His mouth hung open as if he wanted to protest, though he didn't know why.

"Hey." the pachirisu said hurriedly. "We've wasted enough time as it is just sitting here. You _need_ to trust me."

"You know what?" Dillan began. "I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Dillan." Dillan dropped the piece of wood on the floor and extended his claw.

The sudden introduction made the pachirisu feel uncomfortable. He just stood there and stared. This went on for a few uncomfortable seconds.

"Um..." Dillan said. He began retracting his arm, setting it at his side uncomfortably. "Sorry. It just felt weird that we've already been through a lot together but we don't know eachother's names. I'm just gonna bite on the-"

"I'm Ryan." The pachirisu interrupted with a nervous grin. He stuck out his paw. "Nice to meet you Dillan."

"You too, Ryan." Dillan said as he put his claw in the pachirisu's small, fuzzy paw. Dillan then proceeded to lifting the wood into his mouth and bitting down.

"Ready?" Ryan asked nervously.

"Am I ever gonna be?" Dillan said, words jumbled by the piece of bark. Ryan didn't seem to notice, or care. He just nodded at Dillan. The gabite bit down on the wood as hard as he could.

Ryan moved Dillan's foot an inch ofr two to get it into position, which was painful enough. He didn't yell. However, that changed quickly whith the sound of a "Pop" and a "ksh" at the same time. Dillan's eyes bulged out of his head as he grimmaced from the agony surging into his leg. He yelled at the top of his lungs. Ryan lept off of the ground and set himself at Dillan's mouth as he acted as a fluffy sound barried between Dillan and the world. After three seconds, the pain became more of a sore feeling, though still very painful. Dillan stopped yelling, going into a state between inhaling sharply and hyperventalating.

Ryan fell over onto Dillan's lap, holding his ears in pain. The pachirisu's stomach was dripping in spit.

"You ok, Ryan?" Dillan asked through gritted teeth.

"What?" Ryan said. Surprise overthrew Ryan's face He then yelled, "WHAT? I CA-" Ryan was interupted by Dillan's arm as he shoved it to Ryan's mouth. The two pokemon looked at eachother uncomfortably for seconds before Ryan rolled his eyes and gave the thumb's up.

"You better now?" Dillan asked.

"Yeah..." Ryan said sarcastically. "Being covered in dragon spit makes everything fine and dandy."

Dillan chuckled.

"You thinks it's funny, yeah?" Ryan said with a smile.

"A little." Dillan responded.

"Alright chuckles, let me get the brace on."

He jumped off Dillan's stomach and onto the grass. He then proceeded to put two sticks on either side of Dillan's leg. He then used two of the flimsy sticks together and wrapped it around the top of the sticks. He did the same on his ankle. Finally, Ryan took two more flimsy sticks, put them on the bottom of Dillans foot and laced it through the other flimsy sticks so his foot would remain stiff against his leg.

"How does it feel?" Ryan asked.

"Uncomfortable." Dillan responded, relaxing his jaw as the pain dulled.

"Good enough. Now stand up."

Dillan complied. It still hurt, but not as much as before. He started walking around in a circle. Each step sent a stabbing pain into his brain, but it wasn't as bad as earlier. He felt clumsy with his stiff leg. Nevertheless, it made it easier to move.

"Thanks Ryan." dillan said sincerely. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem. Now, let's hustle."

"What about you?" Dillan asked.

"What about me?" Ryan questioned.

"Well, you _did_ take an apple to the head earlier."

"I'm fine." Ryan assured. "Besides, we've already wasted enough time as it is; plus, your girly scream surely attracted some attention."

"Girly?" Dillan grinned.

"Yep." Ryan grinned.

"I guess I deserve that." he laughed.

Dillan, ignoring the surges of pain, walked onwards with Ryan.

* * *

The two walked for what felt like hours. The scenery wasn't any different, only the place. The temperatude dropped, so it felt a little chilly. Dillan was wondering how much longer it was going to be until they found some sign of civilization. He also wondered if Ryan knew where they were going to. He certainly had no idea.

Because of the lack of path as well as the hilly terrain, Dillan felt as though they had hardly made any progress. He was also worried that he was slowing Ryan down because of his wobbly movement. Nevertheless, he didn't tell Ryan his complaints. He just continued walking.

"Hey Ryan," He said, focusing only on what lied ahead so he didn't kick a rock or run into a random tree, which had happened fifteen minuteds ago. "Do you know this area or where we're going?" Dillan waited for about ten seconds for his frined to answer. "Ryan?" Still no answer. "Look," Dillan said. "I know I'm slowing us down, but I didn't think you cared." Still no answer. Dillan felt his heart sink. _Am I really being that much of a bother?_

He looked for Ryan at his left. He wasn't there.

"Ryan?" He said. He looked right, the pachirisu wasn't there. "Ryan?" He was starting to get scared. "Ryan! Where are you? Ryan!" he yelled. Still no response.

Dillan spun around looking for Ryan. He couldn't find him anywhere. He thought about the last place he had seen the pachirisu. He couldn't remember. Everything had looked the same. He decided to retrace his steps while shouting Ryan's name.

 _How could I be so careless? How could I let this happen? He was right next to me! How does someone just disappear? I need to find him! I have to! He's helped me so much already! I will_ not _just abandon him!_

Dillan felt a pain coming from his toes on his right foot shoot up his spine as the earth came closer to hug his face. He hit the floor with a "Thud" and felt more pain come from the scratches on his chest as grass, dirt, and water clung to his wounds.

He let out a yelp. A howl answered back. Dillan froze. He had never heard something quite like that; well, not that he could recall. He heard it once more as it peirced the silence filling the dark air. It soundedloud and threatenning.

"Hello?" Dillan called out worriedly. Another howl echoed in the distance. It sounded closer than the last.

 _What now? Do I stay here? Maybe they'll go away if I don't make a noise._ He then thought about Ryan. _But if he's hurt... I can't just lie here and do nothing! If Ryan needs me, then I have to get to him! There's no question about it!_ He tried to stand. Another howl echoed. Dillan fell to the ground in fear. _Get up._ He felt his muscles start to tighten. His brain wanted one thing when his body did another. _I can't get up... If I do, they might see me. They might eat me... But, if I do nothing, they might eat Ryan..._ One more howl echoed. It sounded even closer. Dillan smacked his head with his arm-fin. _Argh! Get up! I have to!_

He struggled with the pain in his leg and aching body as well as his mind to lift himself up off of the ground. _I gotta get up!_ He coaxed himself. _I gotta get up! Get up!_ With a lot of courage and self-motivation, Dillan was standing up.

Another howl came from behind Dillan. He needed no motivation for what he was going to do next. He ran as fast as a gabite can while in a splint. He ran for about three minutes, barely noticing the lump of white fur in the grass. _Wait._ He stopped running and looked at the white thing.

"Ryan!" he called to the lump. It didn't move. Dillan dropped to his knees. He didn't care if his foot hurt because of it. He turned Ryan onto his back. The pachirisu had his eyes closed, eyebrows scrunched together like he was in a nightmare; asleep, yet scared. His breath was unsteady and shallow. There was a bulging spon on the pachirisu's head. Worst of all, Dillan realized Ryan was cold.

"Ryan!" Dillan shouted. "Talk to me!" Ryan didn't move. "Ryan!"

 _What's going on? Why is he-_ A piercing howl stopped Dillan mid-thought. It sounded as though it was feet from where he sat. The gabite was about to run when he heard another one to the front of him. Then two more: one to the left and one to the right. He was surrounded.

Out of the shadows behind Dillan came a scratchy voice. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Dillan couldn't tell if it was male or female. Then again, he didn't care. He was petrified by fear. He couldn't speak. He didn't turn around to face the voice. He could only hold his friend in his arms and try to warm Ryan up.

"Speak, or we will show no mercy..." The voice said sharply. Howls confirmed the creature's words. Seconds passed before it said, "Well?"

"I say we kill them for trespassing!" A voice called out from Dillan's left.

"I say we eat them, then kill them! One called out from the right.

"What?" The left one said. "Don't be dumb! They would have to be dead before we eat them!"

"Not true!" The right one objected.

"Enough of this foolishness!" The back voice ordered. The other voices fell silent. "Now who are you and why are you here?"

 _I need to answer. They'll kill me and Ryan if I don't._ Dillan finally found his voice. "M-My name is Dillan," Dillan stuttered fearfully. "A-And my friend is Ryan. We're f-fleeing from a group of... _What was that word Ryan used?_ Pokemon... that had captured us. Please, we don't want any trouble. My friend's hurt! I don't know what will happen if we don't get help."

There was no answer for a while. Theony noise present was the grass moving as the wind blew against the blades. _What's going on? Why aren't they answering? Did I say too much?_ He turned around to face the place where the first voice had originated.

"Hello?" He called. Dillan squinted his eyes to try and see past the dark wall that laid before him. He could make out a figure. It was getting closer. He saw red, glowing eyes peering back at him. He was scared, his upper lip witching slightly as he stard with bulging eyes at the pokemon ahead.

The figure came close enough for Dillan to see what it was. The creature was a bipedal pokemon. It was about the same height as Dillan, if not slightly taller. It had red and white fur, with a tail that led up to it's head. It had massive paws and big claws that looked like it could easily cut a tree with one swing. He couldn't imagine how that would feel on his scales. The one feature that stood out among the rest was the pendant she was wearing. It looked as if it was pure sapphire, carved into a four-cornered star. It seemed to glow blue in the darkness. It dangled from a string that went trough a hole at the top.

Dillan forgot his fear. He looked at the crystal for a long period of time. He didn't know why, but he felt a slight desire to hold it in his claws. He wanted to touch it... No. He wanted it for himself. He seemed drawn to the crystal like it was something he greatly desired.

 _What are you thinking?_ He scolded, snapping himself out of his trance. _It isn't yours! Besides, there are more important matters than some silly pendant!_

"My name is Lily." the lycanroc said. She was the owner of the scratchy voice from before. She looked at Dilla without malice, but with a sort of kind glint in her eyes that contrasted the red glow. Her voice seemed to mimic her eyes; filled with compassion that contrasted her scratchy words. "Forgive me. Our people do not appreciate outsiders, so we try to scare them off. We had no intention of harming you, I give you my word."

It soothed Dillan to hear her assure him that he was in no danger, but he was still worried about Ryan. He looked at the pachirisu in his arms who was struggling to grasp his next breath.

"Are you going to help us?" Dillan asked the lycanroc.

"I wish I could," Lily said as she lowered her head in shame, her words sharp as if remembering something painful. "But my tribe leader prohibits bringing outsiders to our den under any circumstances."

"Please." Dillan pleaded. "You're the first one I've seen today with any compassion and the ability to help me. We're being hunted right now, and we need help."

"There's nothing I can do." Lily said, not meeting the gabite's eyes.

"What am I suppose to do now?" Dillan asked with a scowl. "I have no clue how long it is until the next town, let alone where it is! Now I run into someone that has a shred of compassion and they won't help my _dying_ friend!" Lily flinched upon hearing Dillan's words. "There has to be something you can do!"

Lily thoguht about it for a few seconds before looking at Dillan with a bright smile and saying, "I have an idea. My tribe will not let us take you to our den, that does not mean we cannot give you a ride to yours."

"What?" Dillan asked. He was perplexed. _What does she mean by "yours"?_

"Kate! Lauren!" Lily called out. "Come out of the shadows."

Two quadruped creatures came out of the darkness from Dillan's left and right. They walked on all fours and stood at Lily's side. They both looked the same, as if they were twins. They both had deep, blue eyes. They were tan and white. They had a short, white mane around their necks. It had four rocks jutting out from it. Their tails stretched out from their body like a normal creature.

"Yes mistress?" the lycanroc on Lily's left asked.

"I want you to take these two pokemon to Fericia Castle as fast as you can." Lily told them both. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, mistress." They both said in unison.

Dillan looked at Lily in shock. He didn't expect this. All of this had happened in the span of minutes, yet they had already managed to help Dillan.

He started to tear up due to all that had happened. His first memories were not at all ones he would rather forget. He was beaten and dragged until being strung up to a tree. Then he met Ryan, who was now dying in his arms. Now, he looked upon three creatures who had treated him like a friend. They found compassion in their hearts to help complete strangers.

"Lily..." He said through the tears.

"Do not cry, Gabite." Lily said when she realized his tears. "You seem to have been trough a lot. There will be a time when you may let your sorrows overwhelm your body, but not now.; not when death claws at your friends life."

Dillan wiped the tears away from his eyes. "Thank you so much."

"I must ask one favor of you in return." Lily said as she started fingering the Saphire Star that hung around her neck. "This pendant I carry has been passed down in my family through generations. It speaks to me in ways I cannot understand, leading me down the paths it choosed. It was not meant for me. It was meant for you." She removed the pendant from her neck and handed it to Dillan. "Please, take it and care for it."

Dillan looked at the pendant. _It speaks to you?_ He stared as the pendant seemed to draw him towards him. He reached his claw towards it. The crystal seemed to glow brighter the closer he got to it. He lifted the crystal from the chain and set it around his neck. The desire died down as it hung on his chest, making the gabite feel content.

"Thank you for this-" Dillan started.

"No need." Lily interrupted. " Based on the glow, I can already tell it is in good hands. Now, climb aboard Kate and put your friend on Lauren."

He looked at the tan lycanrocs and the left one came forward.

"I am Kate." she said with a smile. "Sorry for saying we should eat you."

"Put your friend on me." the other one, obviously Lauren, said.

Dillan placed Ryan on Lauren. "Are you sure he won't fall off?" he asked.

"Does a Wailord have fins?" Lauren asked. Dillan did not know what a wailord was, let alone what it looked like, but realized it was a rhetorical question. He set the pachirisu on the lycanroc and moved towards Kate. He stepped onto her back and sat down on top of her.

"Kate and Lauren." Lily said to the Lycanrocs. "Take heed. The pokemon following them may intercept you. Do _not_ engage. Your passengers are both injured. Do not risk their safety. Now, make haste to Fericia Castle."

The three Lycanrocs raised their heads toward the moon and howled. Afterwards, Kate and Lauren darted off. Lily watched as the three pokemon dissapeared. She sighed and looked into the darkness. A new pokemon krept out of the shadows and stood next to Lily.

The new figure looked almost like Lily, except it had wrinkles under its eyes and on its hands.

"Why did you give him the pendant, Lily?" He asked. "Why "Him"?

"Do not question my motives, father." Lily responded without batting an eye in his direction. "The question you should be asking is why you do not understand. You owned the pendant for far longer than I. You should know."

"You do not understand-"

"I understand clearly." Lily interrupted calmly, not looking at her father. "I know what happened in Harrier Town years ago."

"Then why would you simply give it to a random stranger you do not know?"

Lily did not respond. The two stood in silence for a few seconds. Lily sighed and got on all fours, running in the opposite direction of Kate and Lauren. Her father didn't try to follow. He just stood there and sighed.

* * *

Dawn was starting to break, shedding light on the surrounding area.

"Do you see that building?" Kate asked Dillan.

Dillan was lost in thought until Kate brought him back to reality. He looked ahead on the horrizon. He gasped in awe as he saw a massive structure about twenty times larger than him. It was a castle made of stone, just like in a fairy tale. The castle was surrounded by a grassy plain. He stared at the horison and saw mountains jutting up towards the sky. The sky was tinted rose.

It was such a beautiful sight. He forgot about all his troubles. He just stared at the view, lost in thought. _There's a bright side to this 'amnesia' thing. I get to experience all of these magnificent things for the first time. The rising sun, the mountains, even the castle._ The sight made Dillan forget about his troubles.

Dillan couldn't wait to see the inside of the castle. Then he remembered why he was really there. His face went into a frown as he looked to his left, looking at Ryan who was on top of the other lycanroc running besides them. _I'm sorry Ryan. I... This is my fault. If I had been paying attention, I would have seen what happened to you. I could have helped you... Now look at what has happened. Please be ok! You have to get better..._

* * *

As they approached the castle walls, Dillan could make out some big, wooden gates with a metal frame. The walls were a layer of brick upon brick upon brick.

Lauren banged on the door three times with the rocks along her neck. As soon as she stopped, a little hatch opened in the door which revealed a pair of yellow eyes.

"State your buisness." The eyes said with an authoritative tone.

"I am Kate of the Lycanroc tribe in Howling Plains." She said with an urgent and rushed voice. Dillan felt hs eyes start to become heavy. _Must be tired._ 'This is Lauren of the Lycanroc tribe. We are in need of medical assistance immediately. These travelers-"

Dillan couldn't hear her voice anymore. He banged the side of his head to try and get the blood flowing to his ear-canal. What ended up happening was a problem. He grew very dizzy. His vision started to black out.

"Guys..." Dillan said, before falling off of Kate's back and onto the dirt. He didn't feel the impact against the ground. His eyes shut slowly, looking at Kate who rushed down to him, saying something to him that Dillan couldn't hear. Lauren was slamming on the door, shouting inaudibly at the wall. That's when Dillan's eyes shut and he lost consciousness.

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys! Just wanted to say thanks for reading this chapter! I've revised it for your reading pleasures. If you find an issue or something you enjoy, feel free to point it out! I want to make this story as great as possible for all of you guys, so I support you guys pointing out every little detail I'm doing right and wrong.

That's all! Hope you guys like the story so far! I'll see you in the next chapter!

(Revised as of 4/24/2018)


	3. The Prince in the Room

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 3

The Prince in the Room

* * *

"Sir Alron!" Kieth said in fear as Arlon grabbed the leaf on his head. "Please, you do not know what you are doing!"

"Oh?" Arlon asked sarcastically. The grin on his face made him look like a mad man. ""Am I not showing you how pretty the fire is?"

The Nuzleaf pleaded for mercy. He struggled to remove his leaf from Arlon's grasp. He was getting nowhere. Arlon's grip was like that of an Arbok reaching for its prey. He was not going to let him go until he learned his lesson.

The other Nuzleaf in the group looked on in horror as Kieth was being brought into the fires.

"Let this be a lesson for all of you!" Arlon projected. "If you give me flak, make it harder on the group, AND wake me up, I will burn you. For instance!"

Arlon thrusted the Nuzleaf's head into the fire. Kieth's cries were shrill. The flames licked his wooden skin. After five seconds, Arlon brought Kieth out of the flames and threw him to the floor. Kieth trembled, dragging his hands over the burns on his face as if it was still on fire and he was attempting to put it out.

All of the other Nuzleaf had mixed expressions. Some were stern like a soldier. Some took joy in watching Kieth suffer on the floor. However, most were fearful of what Arlon might do to them if they cause any issues. Arlon just stood there, staring at the crowd, trying to find some sign of rebellion. When he saw no looks of disapproval, he knelt down to Kieth, who was lying on the floor, moaning in pain.

"Now," he said with a false sweetness in his voice. His expression was still the same. "Will there be any more issues, Kieth?"

Kieth struggled to open his mouth. The burns were obviously tormenting him. When he finally spoke, his voice had changed into one of hate. "No, Arlon..."

Arlon stood up and turned towards the fire. "Let that be a lesson for you all. If you disobey me, you will be punished severely. Do you understand?"

Kieth got up. He was on his feet. A look of disgust and malice grew across his face. "No, I don't!" Kieth yelled as he charged Arlon.

Arlon did not expect the sudden attack. He had hardly any time to react. He turned around to see Kieth charge him, grab him by the waist, and force him into the fiery pit. Kieth then jumped onto Arlon. He started punching his face continuously as Arlon's back was being burned by the flames. The fire grew from the new energy source and from a deprivation of oxygen. Arlon struggled against Keith, but he was too stubby and Kieth's body too thin. He could only flail around helplessly as he was being beaten. Kieth did not stop the onslaught, even when Arlon stopped moving.

"Kieth!" one of the nuzleaf shouted. "Kieth! Kieth!" More joined in. Then more, until finally, the whole camp erupted into shouts of Kieth's name. When Kieth stopped wailing on the burning Arlon, he realized the body was not going to fight back. Kieth faced the crowd. He had won against Arlon. He had won his title.

"Stop chanting that name." Kieth commanded. All of the voices quieted. "The coward known as Kieth died in that fire. Do not address me by that name anymore. Instead, you will call me by..." he thought about it for a while. "Arlon." He had always hated the name Kieth. If he was going to take Arlon's title, he may as well take his name too. Just then, the burned Nuzleaf felt a power originating from his chest and flowing through his body. The nuzleaf was then shrouded in a blinding, white light. No one would look on for fear of going blind. When the light dissipated, the new Arlon looked like the old one. The only difference was his mane. It was burned. It was shorter than that which was normal. His face was also scarred by burns.

He jumped off of Arlon's body and went to where he had left the Gabite prisoner. He wanted him to suffer. He would kill him as he did with old-Arlon. When he reached the tree, he found cut ropes. He then turned to the group. He looked at his other prisoners and their trees. He realized they must complete the mission at hand. The runaways would have to be taken care of later.

* * *

Dillan woke up on some hay. It was bristly, yet soft. _Hay? What happened to the dirt?_ He looked around.

He was not the only one in the room. He was on a circle of hay. The floor was wooden and the walls were stone. The room he was in had windows on the east wall. The room itself was a square. The other walls had doors on them. There were four other circles like his along the north wall side by side. They were all empty except for one.

"Ryan?" he called out to the closest hay pile. Ryan laid there, unmoving. He still looked like he was having a bad dream.

"Don't worry, dear." A sweet feminine voice called out to him from the east doorway.

Dillan looked over at her. She was not the tallest pokemon. She was pink with a cream belly. She was a bipedal pokemon. She had a white hat on her head with a red cross on it. She had fluffy ears and big, blue eyes. No muzzle or nose, just a mouth.

"He's fine." the Audino told him.

"Where am I?" Dillan asked. "What happened? Wha-"

"It's ok. Don't worry. You're safe here. I'll answer all your questions later. For now, you need to rest your leg."

Dillan looked at his ankle. The splint had been removed and wrapped up in some bandages, as if someone was turning him into a mummy, but stopped due to boredom. Thankfully, it didn't ache anymore.

"Can you at least tell me what's happening with my friend?" Dillan gestured towards Ryan.

The audino looked at Ryan. Her expression was that of a worried parent. She then turned back to Dillan. "When he was brought here, he was in bad shape. His head had a big bruise on it. He has a concussion."

 _Probably from the apple that was thrown at him._ "But miss, what does that mean?"

"Well, normally concussions aren't severe. Normally you get drowsy from one. However, if you fall asleep with a concussion, there is a chance you could slip into a coma.

"A coma? As in the 'You won't wake up' kind of coma?"

Audino nodded slowly. Her face was full of sorrow. "I'm sorry, but we don't know when he'll wake up. Due to his malnutrition-" She stopped herself. She looked worried. "J-Just try to get some rest, ok?"

How could he rest when his only friend may not wake up? "Isn't there something you could do? Anything?" He begged. He could not lose his friend.

She thought about it. "I don't know... I just started working here as a nurse."

 _Why didn't I pay attention?!_ Dillan thought. _I could have saved him... Now he may be in a coma... It's all my fault..._ He felt something call to him. It felt strange, as if it wanted to lead him. The feeing made him look to the western entrance.

Dillan got up. The Audino ran over to him and said, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm going out. There has to be some way to help." Dillan looked determined. He refused to sit idle while his friend was in danger. He started walking to the door. The moment he put pressure on his foot, he collapsed to the floor.

Audino grabbed his arm and started to pick him up. When he was standing, she tried to lead him to his bed, but Dillan refused. He shook his arm out of Audino's grip.

"Mr. Gabite!" she said sternly. "You must get back in bed! You aren't going anywhere on that foot!"

Dillan didn't listen to her. He continued to move towards the doorway.

"Fine. If you aren't going to lay down, at least wait there for a minute." She walked out of the room through the east door. Dillan stood there. The pain in his foot was back. He wasn't sure what to do. He only knew something had to be done.

When audino came back, she was holding some sticks. "These are crutches." she told him. "You put your weight on them instead of your foot."

Dillan took them from audino and put one under his arm. He realized that he couldn't grab them. _These are made for pokemon with paws, not talons..._ His face mirrored his emotions, annoyance as well as worry.

"What's wrong?" the audino asked. "Oh. You can't use crutches. Right. Well, into bed you go!"

Dillan realized what she was doing. It wasn't going to work.

"I'm not getting back in the bed."

"Yes, you are! You aren't going anywhere on that leg! Now, you can get into the bed peacefully or I can force you into the bed!"

"I'm not staying!"

"Suit yourself." The audino said with a shrug. "Just don't say I didn't warn you." She started to sing a song. It was beautiful. Dillan loved it. He started to forget his frustration. The song was like a lullaby. He started drifting. He then collapsed and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When he woke up, he looked around. He was back in his bed. He looked over at Ryan, who was still in the same position. He tried to get up. He couldn't move. _What on earth?_ He looked at his chest. There was a white strap over his chest, confining him to the bed.

"Really?" He shouted out the west door. "This is how you nurses play? That's a cheap move, lady!"

"Are you alright?" A voice called out from one of the beds. There was a lizard standing over one of them. The lizard was red, with a single horn protruding from the back of its head. It had a tan stomach. She also had a tail. _Wait, is she on fire?_ Sure enough, there was a fire on the tip of its tail.

"It's rude to stare, you know." the charmelion said.

"Wha-" Dillan stopped himself. "Oh, sorry. I just didn't expect your tail."

"You've never seem a charmelion before?"

Dillan shook his head.

"Oh. Well... Um... Ok?" She said it more like a question. Dillan didn't know what she was questioning, but he didn't care.

"Hey, can you help me out?" Dillan asked her.

"Uh..." She looked worried.

Dillan realized it was the straps. "Oh, them. Don't worry about it. The nurse tied me up because I tried to leave. Look, I don't have time to explain everything, but I need some help."

"With escaping? Fat chance. That audino is at the front desk. If you really are tied down because of what you say, then she isn't going to let you leave, with or without me."

 _Dang it! She's right. I can't do anything._ He was crushed. Tears started filling in his eyes. _I failed Ryan. I'm stuck here. I'm useless._

'Hey." the charmelion called out to Dillan. "Eyes up here."

Dillan looked up. The charmelion was standing at the side of his bed. She looked full of compassion.

"What's so important that you need to leave?"

"It's my friend." Dillan gestured his head in Ryan's direction. "He might be in a coma and I don't know what to do..."

The fire lizard looked at Ryan, smiled, then looked at Dillan. "I'm Hazel. My parents own a berry field outside of town. My father probably knows how to help. Don't worry. I'll be back." She darted out the west door and left Dillan in silence. He sat there, not speaking, not moving, just thinking.

 _Did she lie? Did she just say those things as an excuse to leave? She left pretty quickly..._ He mentally scolded himself. _Don't be ridiculous! Give her the benefit of the doubt! Trust your feelings. Trust her. She'll be back... Right?_ He continued to think.

He sat for what felt like hours. He just sat there. What more could he do? He tried to think of a song to hum. He didn't know any... He then looked back at what he remembered. _My name... and... what else? Where do I come from?_ He thought about it as hard as he could. Eventually, he got a migraine and stopped thinking.

"Hazel, listen to me-" the audino's voice called out.

"No, Anna." Hazel's voice was getting louder as she went along. "You just started working here, since King Judah called all of the Guild Leaders to his Castle. You can't do anything to help." Hazel was now walking through the door with the Audino (Anna) right behind her. "Let me try."

Hazel was holding a kind of stone bowl. She walked over to Ryan.

"I can't approve of this, Miss Prince!" Anna said.

"Then leave." Hazel replied. "Like it or not, my dad knows more about berries and herbs than you. This should work."

"Really?" Dillan asked, hope returned to his voice.

"Really." Hazel said to Dillan. She knelt down to the small squirrel. She opened his mouth. She took a spoonful of some greenish mud and put it in Ryan's mouth.

After about ten seconds of anticipation, Anna said, "What's in that stuff?"

"Chesto berries, a Revival Herb, and some Sitrus juice." Hazel said calmly.

Suddenly, Ryan started to cough. His eyes flung open. He ran over to a corned, and proceeded to throw up.

"Ryan!" Dillan shouted.

Ryan was still losing what little lunch he had left.

"What did you do to him?!" Anna asked with a tone of urgency.

"He's fine." Hazel assured her. "It's the Revival Herb. It's very bitter. It won't sit well in your stomach if you mix it with Sitrus Berries."

Ryan finally stopped throwing up. He whipped his mouth with his arm and looked around, obviously confused. "Where am I?" Ryan wondered aloud.

"You're in a hospital." Anna told him.

Ryan whipped around and saw Dillan. His face was full of confusion. "Dillan, what's going on?" he asked. "Why are you tied up?"

"Because I tried to help you." he said with a scowl pointed in Anna's direction.

Anna saw his gaze and said, "It's not my fault you were brought here because of over exertion. I was just looking out for my patient."

"Look," Hazel said once she saw the daggers flying through angry eyes. "Let's all take a step back. Anna, could you please untie the Gabite?"

"No." Anna said as she stuck her head up in a defiant way. "I will not."

"Anna, he wanted to leave to help... Ryan, was it?" She looked at Ryan. He nodded in agreement. Hazel then went on. "Now that Ryan is fine, he won't leave until he can't hurt his leg."

"Ankle." Ryan corrected. Hazel didn't seem to care. She kept her eyes focused on Anna.

Anna looked worried. Finally, after about ten seconds of contemplation. Anna gave a sigh of defeat and took the strap off of Dillan.

Dillan looked pleased to be free. He was about to get up, when Hazel looked at him as if saying, _Don't get up_. He got the message and moved into a sitting position. Ryan went over to the empty bed by Dillan's side and sat down. He then directed his attention towards Dillan.

"Hey," Ryan said with a look of confusion on his face. "what happened? One minute you were next to me, the next you were gone... It got really cold. I passed out. What went wrong?"

Dillan felt his face getting hotter. He was full of shame. He put his head down towards the ground and started saying, "I'm sorry... I kept walking and when I realized you weren't there, I turned around to find you. I'm sorry I left. It's my fault..."

"Dillan," Ryan jumped to Dillan's side. He had a look of understanding. "You were probably just trying to trudge along with your foot. No harm no foul, right?"

Dillan looked at his friend for a few seconds. He didn't blame him. He forgave Dillan, even after putting him in that awful position. However, the shame and blame didn't completely leave him. Even though his friend forgave him, he couldn't do the same. It was still his fault. If he was going to make sure that mistake didn't repeat itself, he had to remember.

"So?" Hazel spoke up. She had a smirk on her face. "Not meaning to interrupt the bromance, but what happened to you two?"

Dillan and Ryan looked at each other. Ryan then asked, "Dillan, something's been on my mind. Were you kidding about having amnesia?"

Dillan looked at Ryan. He didn't want to lie to him, yet he also didn't want to tell Hazel and Anna that he couldn't remember anything past yesterday.

"Dillan?" Ryan asked with concern.

Hazel chimed in with, "I won't judge. Also, Anna can't say anything.

"What makes you say that? Anna asked defiantly.

"Doctor-Patient Confidentiality" Hazel said smugly.

Anna was stunned. She then said in a low whisper, "Can't believe I forgot about that..."

Dillan decided there was no harm in telling the truth. "No, I wasn't kidding." Dillan responded to Ryan. He was embarrassed about saying that. "I can't remember much. Until last night, I didn't even know my name."

"Look on the bright side." Hazel said with sympathy. "Obviously you're gaining your memory back. I mean, you know your name."

"No." Dillan said. "I don't even know if 'Dillan' is my name. I heard it in a dream I had..."

The four pokemon sat there. The only noise was the breathing of the pokemon.

Hazel broke the silence by saying, "Dillan. That's your name?" Dillan nodded. Hazel continued. "Here. Take this." She handed him a yellow berry. Dillan punctured it with his claw in order to carry it.

"What's this for?" he asked as he eyed the berry.

"It's for your leg." She looked at Anna's worried expression and said, "It's just a Sitrus Berry. No vomiting or anything." Anna was still suspicious.

She walked to the west doorway, stopped, and said to the group, "I'll be out here if you need anything." Then she left.

"So, you two." Hazel directed her question to both Ryan and Dillan. "You never answered my question. What happened?"

Dillan recounted his part of the story up until he met Ryan. Ryan remained quiet up until that point, where he chimed in. They both explained the story. Ryan filling in things that Dillan missed and vice versa. Dillan filled out the part of the story where Ryan was unconscious. Hazel's face was full of emotions. Dread, disgust, horror, compassion, and worry.

"You think those Nuzleaf will come back?" She asked.

"I don't know." Dillan said as he wondered what had happened to their captors.

"I hope so." Ryan said with anger. "That way we can get some justice."

Hazel looked at them both with thought. Her face changed from one of thought, to another of joy.

"Hey you two." She said. "How would you like to be in a Pokemon Exploration Team?

"An Exploration Team?" Dillan asked, thoroughly confused. Ryan looked like he was confused as well.

"Like..." Ryan began, thinking hard. "Exploring Mystery Dungeons and helping other pokemon?"

"Exactly!" Hazel said with a sparkle in her eyes. "I've always wanted to be part of one. From what you guys have told me, you two would be the perfect teammates!"

Dillan was surprised. He had been through so much already, now he was expected to join a team with a girl they had just met? "I can't..."

Hazel's face was flushed of the joy she had a second ago. It was replaced by confusion. "Why not?" she asked.

"I need to find out about my past. I don't know how to do both."

Ryan spoke up. "Dillan, you want to find out about your past, well this is the perfect opportunity."

Dillan was confused. 'How does that work?

"Well, think of it this way." Ryan said. "As an Exploration Team, you take missions to help other pokemon."

Hazel looked at Ryan with a smile. She understood what he was saying. "Well," she began. "if your family is in the area, they'll put up a warrant for you."

"What?" Dillan asked.

Anna came into the room. "Hazel," she said with a look of delight. "Visiting hours are over. You'll need to leave."

"But-" Hazel began.

"Now." Anna demanded with a finger pointed at the door.

Hazel gave a sigh of defeat. "The Sitrus Berry should be enough for your leg. It'll be sore tomorrow, but it should be ok."

"Hazel-" Anna said.

"Fine!" She said as she started walking out. She turned at the last minute and faced Dillan. "I'll show you what I'm talking about tomorrow." With that, she left.

"Now, you two." Anna looked at Dillan and Ryan. "You need to get some sleep. Ryan, I want you to stay here for the night so I can monitor your condition."

Ryan didn't complain. He did not intend to leave Dillan alone. Anna left the room and closed the door behind her. Ryan got back in his own bed and Dillan laid down. They sat in silence for five minutes.

"What are you going to do tomorrow?" Dillan asked Ryan.

"I don't know... I don't have anywhere to go."

"What do you mean?" Dillan asked with concern.

"Well... I'm..." Ryan sat there thinking about what to say. "I'm...I'm an orphan..."

Dillan was surprised. "An orphan?"

"You know... No parents..." Ryan's voice trailed off.

It was obvious to Dillan that Ryan didn't like talking about it. He thought for a while on what to say. Finally, he spoke up. "We should join."

"Why should I?" Ryan asked.

"You were just trying to convince me to join. What's with not wanting to now?"

"That's just it." Ryan said with some contempt. Dillan wasn't sure whether to feel sorry for Ryan or hurt. "I told you to join. I don't have a reason.

"That's not true." Dillan said with a little more force than intended. "There's me. Look, the way I see it, you have nowhere to go. I don't have anywhere to go either. I say we stick together. We've come this far as it is. Why change that now?"

Ryan looked stunned by the words. He had his jaw hanging open just a little. When he realized he was looking silly, he quickly shut his jaw and smiled slightly, though his eyes betrayed him. They looked sad.

"Alright, Dillan. You're right. We're still in the same boat. I'll go with you."

"We don't have to join the team." Dillan blurted out. "All I'm saying is that we stick together, like brothers."

The word 'brothers' echoed in the silence. When the word 'brothers' was said, Ryan looked happier. _That's how I feel about Ryan._ Dillan thought. Based on Ryan's expression, he thought the same thing.

"Alright 'brother'.' Ryan said. He said brother, not in a mocking way, but a way that made 'brother' sound like a compliment. "I'm beat. Let's get some rest."

Dillan laid in silence. He could lie on his back because of the hay. His fin went through the hay, but didn't touch the wooden floor. His tail sunk in the hay as well, so it didn't cause any discomfort.

 _Brother_ he thought. _I like that._ He continued to contemplate the word as he drifted to sleep.


	4. Hazel's Dream

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 4

Hazel's Dream

* * *

When Dillan woke up, his stomach was hurting. Other than the Sitrus berry Hazel had given to him, he hadn't eaten anything for the past two days. He hadn't drank anything either. _How did I not notice?_ _Maybe I hadn't thought much about it until now._ He got up and walked over to the west door. He looked through it to find Ryan was on a desk helping Anna with some paper work.

The room they were in was a circular room. On Dillan's side, there was a desk where Anna was working. On the opposite side of the room, there stood a pair of wooden doors. Beyond the desk, in the center of the room, were empty chairs. _Probably for waiting_. Pictures hung on the walls. They had words on them saying things like, "It's gonna be ok! Trust us!" or "Broken leg? Who ya gonna call?". There was even one that said, "Be like Lenny Noris. The world doesn't get him down, he get's down with the world." That one had a picture of a yellow, bipedal pokemon with a big, fluffy white mane of hair. The pokemon was a little chubby around the waist. His tail was striped and came to an orange orb at the tip. The Ampharos looked as though he was dancing in space with a planet. _Was Lenny Noris some kind of celebrity?_

"Dillan!" Ryan called out. He noticed the Gabite was awake. Dillan walked over to him.

"Dillan!" Anna scolded. "You shouldn't be on that leg!"

Dillan completely forgot about his ankle. It didn't hurt. He looked down at his big, mummy foot. He put some more of his weight on it. It felt fine. He put all his weight on it. It was good. He crouched down, ready to jump and land on his foot when Anna stopped him.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Anna asked in an exasperated tone. "Do you want to hurt yourself again?!"

"Uh..." Dillan said. "Sorry. I just didn't expect it to be better yet."

"Neither did I!" Anna exclaimed.

"Looks like Hazel knew what she was talking about!" Ryan said as he elbowed Anna. She just looked at him as though he was crazy and went back to her paper work.

"Do you have any food, Anna?" Dillan asked. His stomach growled loudly. "And maybe some water?"

"Yeah." Anna said without looking up from her paper work. "Ryan, could you take him to Harley's?"

"No problem, Anna." Ryan responded as he added a smile. "Come on, Dillan. Follow me."

"Okay..." Dillan said skeptically.

Ryan jumped off the desk and ran to the door. He pushed it open and went out side. Dillan followed. His leg was still bandaged up, making it hard for him to run.

* * *

When he was outside. He realized they were in the castle walls. Most of the buildings were a story tall. The one's that weren't had colorful roofs ranging from blue, to green, to yellow. All of the one storied roofs were not as colorful. They were all brown. The buildings were all made of stone.

Dillan walked as Ryan took point. He was fine with that. He wanted to look at everything around him anyways. The streets were flooded with different colors belonging to different pokemon. The affect of the mass herd of pokemon against pokemon was a lot of excess noise. It was very loud. He looked at shops that had an assortment of items, each shop differed in some way. One shop sold cheese, while another sold bread. Some shops sold necklaces that advertised abilities that varied depending on which one you wore. Dillan didn't understand how that was possible.

"Dillan." Ryan called out from below him. "Over here."

Dillan followed Ryan into an alley in between a shop and some kind of hotel building. Once they were there, the noise level dropped.

"Did you notice the roofs and the different colors?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah. Is there a reason for that?" Dillan replied.

"Figured you wouldn't know based on your amnesia and all." Ryan went on. "The two story buildings are buildings of interest. The color of the roofs is how you tell one building from another. The hospital has a white roof. Shops have green and blue roofs depending on what's being sold.: blue for supplies and green for gear. The red roofs are hotels."

"So the yellow ones are for food?" Dillan asked, knowing that yellow was the only other color he'd seen.

"Exactly." Ryan answered. "Now, on this strip of road, there is a café called 'Harley's'. The pokemon there make orders for the hospital's patients for free. Anna took me there this morning and told them you'd be by to get some food as well."

"Perfect." Dillan smiled as his stomach decided to make more noises. The inside of his mouth was dry.

Dillan followed Ryan back into the crowded street. They walked for five minutes before Ryan halted in front of a walk-in bar. There was a sign that was in cursive that said, "Harley's Diner". Ryan went inside while Dillan followed.

It was a nice place. It was small, yet cozy. There was a counter at the entrance where a bipedal creature was waiting to greet customers. There were rows of tables with chairs. There were about three empty tables. The rest were full of pokemon. Some looked like lovers. Others looked like friends. A few of the tables were playing some form of card game. There was a wooden chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The walls were wooden. They were painted blue. The ceiling was also made of wood. The floor was cobble stone. Behind the front counter was the bar. Pokemon sat there and talked to eachother. Others just drank some kind of brandy. Behind the counter was a kitchen area that was visible. Fire pokemon could be seen scuttling around in the back to make a meal that wouldn't be there's.

Dillan's mouth watered at all the smells that bombarded his nose.

The pokemon at the front counter signaled that she was ready to see them. The pokemon looked like a purple monkey. It had two tails with hands on the end of them.

"Hello gentleman!" The ambipom said. She had a sweet and energetic tone to her rough voice. "Do you two have reservations?"

"As a matter of fact, we do." Ryan said.

"I remember you!" The ambipom exclaimed. "You were the small squirrel from before!" she started laughing heartily.

Dillan looked towards Ryan. It shocked him to see his face harden.

"You laughing about my height?" Ryan asked sternly.

The ambipom saw his expression and was confused. "Did I say something wrong?" she asked.

"You sure did, fat hands!" Ryan said. "You like making other pokemon feel bad by mocking them?"

The ambipom was shocked. It took her a minute to process what had been said. 'Fat Hands' she mouthed. Her face started looking stern. "Fat hands?" She said through gritted teeth. "You're really gonna go there?"

Dillan saw the tension building between the two. "Miss, what my friend is trying to say-" Dillan began, but was cut off by the ambipom.

"I know what he was trying to say." Ambipom's face grew tighter. "You two aren't welcome here."

"What?" Dillan yelled. The room grew quieter. Dillan could feel the eyes of the other pokemon on his skin.

"You heard me. Out!"

"Not until I report you to the manager!" Ryan said.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Ambipom said with her tail-hands on her hips.

"Y-you mean," Dillan stuttered. It dawned on him who this pokemon really was. "You're Harley?"

"Yes." Harley said, now thoroughly annoyed with the conversation. "Now I want you out of my restaurant."

"Harley!" A cheery and familiar voice called out from behind Dillan. He turned around to see the same pokemon from yesterday.

"Hazel!" Harley called out. "My, it's good to see you again! How's Kalen?"

"Working hard or hardly working." Hazel answered. "Take your pick."

Harley laughed at the comment. "Sounds just like him."

"By the by, what's going on here?"

Hazel brought Harley's attention back to Ryan and Dillan. She stopped laughing and stared at them. "These two aren't welcome here. I won't have any trouble makers in my diner making my customers feel bad by making cracks at their problems."

"Did one of them make fun of your hands?" Hazel asked in a concerned tone.

Harley looked as though she were considering murder as a punishment for Ryan's comment. She had a face of horror. "Y-Yeah..." she said.

Hazel went up to Harley and whispered something into her ear. Harley looked shocked, then concerned. She looked at Ryan with a face of pitty. Ryan looked like someone had spit in his drink. Whatever Hazel was saying, he didn't like it. Hazel moved away from Harley's ear. Harley mouthed something to Hazel. Dillan couldn't tell what was said. Hazel nodded.

"A-Alright then." Harley said with concern. "Go past the bar and there should be an open table."

"Thank you!" Hazel said as she led the group to a wooden table with four seats.

Hazel and Dillan sat at two of the chairs, while Ryan hopped onto the table. The noise level went up as everyone went back to what they were doing. Hazel had a stern face.

"You know her?" Dillan asked.

"Yeah." Hazel answered. Her cheery tone mimicked her expression. "My dad sells her most of her ingredients. She's a very nice lady." She then turned to Ryan and said, "Why would you say that about Harley's hands? That's so rude!"

Ryan gritted his teeth and said angrily, "She made fun of my height! She deserved it!"

"How can you be so dumb? She didn't make fun of your height. She was trying to say she remembered you from today!"

"Oh yeah? Then why was she laughing?" Ryan had a look of triumph. This didn't stop Hazel though.

"Because of the comment she made She called you a squirrel instead of pachirisu because she didn't remember your name. She said specifically 'Sorry, but I never remember species' names other than my own', then she laughed at herself!"

Ryan stared at Hazel for three seconds. He then looked at Dillan.

"She did?" He asked. Dillan nodded in agreement. Ryan looked ashamed. He looked back at the ambipom as she cheerfully greeted some new customers. Ryan's expression then became confused.

He looked at hazel and asked, "How long have you been following us?"

Hazel's scales turned bright red. "W-What? W-Well, I... I um... uh..." She couldn't seem to find the words. Dillan was shocked by the sudden stuttering. "Oh waiter!" Hazel called out to a short pokemon that was dressed in a black vest. He had a tag that said, "Hello. My name is Fred".

The pokemon had big, yellow and black ears. He was a little chubby. His tail was in the shape of a lightning bolt. He had bright red cheeks and yellow fur.

"Ello Miss Sigourney."

"Fred." Hazel said. Her cheeks were still red. "We've talked about this. It's Hazel. Not Sigourney."

"Whatevair." the Pikachu said as he rolled his small, brown eyes. "What ees eet I can get for you todae?" He asked as he pulled out a notebook and some sharpened coal from his pocket. This is when Dillan realized his furry hand was stained with the stuff.

Dillan could hardly understand Fred with the accent. He then realized he had no idea what they served at the diner. Thankfully for him, Hazel answered for him.

"Three oran juices with a quiche."

"And zis ees on ze house?"

"Yup."

"Alraight. Your ordaire will be ready shortly." Fred told them as he put the notebook and coal in two separate pockets on his jacket. He then walked away.

"Thank you!" Hazel shouted. Her cheeks were back to their normal shade of crimson. She then turned to the two boys and said, "So have you two thought about my offer yet?"

"Oh no." Ryan said with an irritated glance. "You aren't avoiding my question that easily."

"What are you saying?"

"Just answer the question."

"What question?" The pink was back as she looked up at the chandelier.

"And here I was thinking you were smarter than you looked."

She stopped looking at the ceiling and had an offended expression. "What does that mean?"

"Oh, nothing. Just that I was just starting to consider your idea before you started acting weird."

She looked worried. "Fine, I'll answer your stupid question!" She said as her eyes scrunched shut. "I was waiting for you two."

"Waiting?" Dillan asked. "How did you know we would come?"

She looked at him. She looked slightly embarrassed. "This place gives free meals to patients at the hospital. I knew you two would show up eventually. All I had to do was wait."

"If you were there, why didn't you step into the argument earlier?" Dillan asked. He crossed his arms and leaned in a little closer.

"It would have felt weird to suddenly jump in."

"But you did it anyways." Ryan pointed out.

"When I saw you were getting yourself thrown out, I had to step in."

"Which begs the question." said Ryan with some concern on his face. "What did you say to Harley to get her to calm down?"

"Well... She saw you earlier today, so I told her you were from the hospital. I..."

she paused for what felt like a long time.

"'You what?" Dillan asked.

"I told her you got hit on the head and as a result, you have an imbalance that made you jump to conclusions."

Ryan looked highly offended. "You..." He stumbled. Hazel nodded. "Do you... Do you honestly believe that?"

"No!" Hazel quickly said. "Of course not!"

 _This is not going well._ Dillan thought. _Does Ryan even want to be here anymore? Does he like Hazel? Is he even considering joining her on a team?_

"Look..." Hazel started. Her face told the two boys that she was ashamed. "I'm sorry for what I said. It was wrong of me. It's just that this is the only place that serves patients for free. I didn't want you guys to starve because Harley was offended. But, no. I honestly do not think you have a problem."

Ryan didn't look convinced. He turned away from her and sat in silence.

That was when the drinks arrived. The drinks _(What did Hazel call them? Oran Juice?)_ were a metallic blue. The waiter, Fred, put them in front of their respective owners. He then took out three straws. One of them was a little longer than the others.

"And ze quiche?" Fred asked as he held a yellow slice of what looked like cake. It was filled with all sorts of berries and herbs. It looked more like a pie.

Hazel pointed towards Dillan. Dillan's mouth was hanging open. He was drooling. He just stared at the quiche. As Fred started passing it to him, time seemed to stop. Dillan stared for what felt like minutes. The quiche didn't move. Dillan just stared. He then tilted his head in confusion. The talking and laughing around him stopped as well.

"Hello?" he called. "Fred?"

Dillan stood up and moved to Fred. The pikachu just stood there, trey in hand. The Gabite tried waving in front of his face. Nothing happened. He sat back down and looked at Ryan and Hazel. They weren't moving.

"Ryan? You hear me?" No response.

Almost as fast as it happened, the noise level picked back up. Dillan jumped from the sudden flow of noises. He just sat there.

"Thank you, Fred." Hazel said to the short, yellow rodent.

"If zere ees anysing else, just call." Fred bowed and left the table to continue his job.

Dillan was still shaken up by what had happened. He didn't realize when Hazel had said, "Dillan? You feeling ok?"

Ryan stood up and walked across the table to him.

"Ganderosa to Dillan!" Ryan said. "Dillan! Can you come back from the void you've slipped through?"

"What?" Dillan snapped back into reality. He realized he was staring, lost in thought.

"Are you feeling ok?" Hazel asked.

Dillan didn't know what just happened or why, but he wanted to answer Hazel.

"Uh, I was just thinking..." He stumbled. He could feel his face getting hotter the longer he took to give an answer. "I was thinking about your offer."

Hazel's face grew into a smile. "Really?" she asked. "And?"

"Well..."

Ryan saw the worry on Dillan's face. He quickly jumped in by saying, "Yeah. He and I have made up our minds. We want to join the Exploration Team!"

Hazel screamed with excitement. Everyone whipped their heads around to look at Hazel. Even Harley was staring. Hazel didn't seem to mind. She was too excited.

"OMYARCEUSOMYARCEUS!" She leaped from her chair and hugged both Ryan and Dillan. Ryan wasn't very comfortable with it, but it made Dillan glad to see her that happy. "It's always been my dream to be part of an Exploration Team!" She went on. "Ever since I was a little charmander! Being able to help pokemon in danger! See the world and the mysteries it hides!" She stopped for a second then said, "I need to run back to my place to get my things! Once you two are done here, go to the guild! I'll be there!" She let go of her new team mates and ran out. Dillan could hear her scream for joy when she was outside.

"Uh..." Dillan looked at Ryan. He was speechless. "Ryan, where is the guild?"

"Hm. Good question." Ryan put a paw under his head and began to scratch his chin.

"Should we go after Hazel?

"No... At the rate she ran, she's probably long gone by now."

Dillan looked at his food, which was at room temperature by now.

"Want some quiche?" Dillan asked. Ryan looked at the quiche with anticipation. The Garchomp saw how his friend looked at the quiche. He proceeded to cut it in half and gave the piece to Ryan. Dillan then proceeded to eat his own slice.

The second it hit his tongue, angels sang a tune. The flavor spread in his mouth. The taste was sweet and juicy. The berries seemed to blend with the dough it was incassed in. It was the best thing he had ever tasted. He then ejected it from his mouth.

Ryan started laughing. "What's wrong, not a fan?" Dillan smiled back.

"It's delicious, just overwhelming."

"Well, you're going to have to eat it. You need your strength." Ryan bit a small piece off of his own quiche.

* * *

When they finished their meal, the two left the dinner and stood at the entrance of Harley's, watching the flood of pokemon in the streets.

"What now?" Dillan asked.

"Well, we have to find the guild." Ryan answered.

Dillan thought hard about what to do. _Maybe we could ask around? Someone has to know where the guild is._ He tapped a random pedestrian on the shoulder. The stranger whipped around and said, "What do you want?" The stranger's tone was full of anger. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"U-Uh... Hi." Dillan started. "I-I was just wondering if you could show me where the-"

The stranger walked off. Dillan was left standing there, looking at the pokemon as he blended back into the crowd.

"That's not gonna work." Ryan told him. "Pokemon here are too weird around strangers."

"Well, what now?" Dillan asked. He was thoroughly annoyed by the rude way he was treated. The scattering of pokemon paws against the ground was the only thing keeping silence at bay.

"I have an idea." Ryan told Dillan. "If all of the normal buildings are one story tall and all of the important buildings have a different colored roofs, then it stands to reason that the guild would be either two storries tall, has a different colored roof than normal, or both!"

Dillan smiled. "Well then, let's look around!"

Ryan nodded, then they both looked up to the roof tops. _Red, blue, green, yellow, green, blue, yellow, yellow-_

"There!" Ryan called out as he pointed to a black roof. "That's the only color I don't recognize."

"Then that must be it!" Dillan started into a run when he stumbled on his bandaged leg. He bumped into some pokemon in the stream and landed on his side.

"Watch it!" one pokemon cried.

"What are you, mentally ill?" another said.

"Sorry!" he called out.

"Here, let me help." Ryan said. He bent down and untied the bandages around Dillan's ankle. As he took it off, it revealed more and more of the leg. It looked as good as new, or so Dillan assumed.

"There." Ryan said as he took a step towards the crowd. "Now let's get going. Hazel will be waiting for us!"

* * *

When they got closer to the guild, there was a flight of stairs leading up a hill to a two-story tower. The tower was at the back of a courtyard. The courtyard had a path leading from the top of the stairs to a fountain. The fountain had a statue in the middle of it. The statue was of a chubby dragon with a spike protruding from it's head. It had curly horns sticking up from the top of it's skull. The dragon had tiny wings. It didn't look to Dillan like the dragon would be capable of flight, had it come to life on the spot. The statue was standing on a base that was spouting water at the statue's feet. A group of pokemon were laying in the grassy field. Another group of four were huddled together in front of a billboard.

Hazel was at the base of the fountain, staring at a plaque that was on the base. She was carrying a bag with a strap that went around her shoulder. It was a brown bag. It had a flap on top that could open to reveal the contents. It also had a silver latch on the front that would hold the flap down.

Dillan and Ryan walked up to her. Dillan lightly tapped her shoulder with his claw. She jumped at the touch. She looked around and saw that her friends were standing there.

"Who's that?" Dillan asked as he pointed to the statue.

"Oh," Hazel said with a frown. "I guess you wouldn't know. That is the Great, King Maxamillian Armandine. Kids are told stories of what he did for Ganderosa." She looked at Dillan and saw his perplexed face. She giggled before saying with a mock smile, "Don't tell me you don't know what Ganderosa is either."

Dillan felt ignorant. _I should know this! I hate amnesia..._

When Hazel saw his face of shame, she realized what she said wasn't taken the right way. "Sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't mean to insult you."

"It's fine." He said with a fake smile. "It's not your fault." He waited for a few seconds. He wasn't mad at Hazel, he was just annoyed at himself. Hazel went back to talking.

"Ganderosa is our kingdom. It's made up of five domains. Fericia, the one we're in; Alka, which is made up of the main land and an archipelago of frozen islands; Labensia, the area to the east; Kerroshia, a territory made up entirely of desert; and the island of Jarondai, our capital.

"Anyways, King Maxamillian united our territories and became the King of Ganderosa. Our current king, Judah Arvaine the III, is a descendant of Maxamillian."

"Cool." Ryan said. Hazel looked at him with confusion.

"What's cool?" Hazel asked

"What do you mean, 'What's cool'?"

"You said 'Cool', didn't you know about King Maxamillian?"

"Of course I knew!" Ryan said defensively. "I just thought it was cool that King Judah is a descendant of Maxamillian. That's all."

"Oh..." Hazel said in embarrassment. She was blushing. "S-Sorry..."

They stood there, listening to the splatter of water on water.

"Hey, Hazel." Dillan said. "Why are we here?" Hazel looked at him and smiled.

"Because we need to sign up as a team, silly!" She said. The embarrassment left her voice. Ryan rolled his eyes at Hazel's sudden change in emotions. "What are we waiting for?" she said with a grin.

Hazel took the lead. They walked around the statue and headed for the tower. From this pont on, all three of their lives would change. They would have many adventures together. As their feet grew closer to the tower ahead, so did their hearts to each other.


	5. The Feeling of Rapture

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 5

The Feeling of Rapture

* * *

The tower's interior was pretty nice, considering how the outside court was. It was a circular room with a flight of stairs at the back. There were no windows, so the only source of light were torches along the stone walls. The floor was a kind of wool. _I think it's carpet._ It felt good under Dillan's feet. There were banners hanging along the left and right walls. They had a symbol of a scowling dragonite's skull with spears on either side of it. They intersected and made a sideways cross below the head. There were two desks along the left wall. Only one had a pokemon stationed. The other was empty.

The pokemon at the desk was a quadruped with different layers of fur edging its way along the head to the tail. The fur looked wavy. It was brown and white. The creature had a muzzle and a black mask covering its eyes. His front paws were on the table. Hazel approached the pokemon, who was occupied with some writing.

"Hey Ziggy!" Hazel said.

The zigzagoon glanced up from the paper work. He had one look at Hazel before he frowned. He looked back at his papers and said, "Oh... You again..." His tone sounded as if he was droning on with his day.

"Hey," Hazel told him, as she leaned on the table. "don't be like that."

"I'm going to as long as you call me 'Ziggy'." he said without so much s a glance to Hazel.

"Fine... Um," Hazel started to go pink. She had an embarrassed kind of grin on her face. "I seem to have forgotten your name."

"Go figure... You would think after all the times you'd been here, you could at LEAST remember my name... It's Hans. Now, have you come up with a team name yet?"

"Uh..."

He finally looked up from his work and met Hazel's eyes. "Well?"

"Maybe?" Hazel said with a shrug.

"Well then, what's the name?"

Hazel glanced at Dillan with a pleading expression, then Ryan.

"Wait." Dillan said to Hazel. "You want us to come up with a name? Right now?" Hazel proceeded to slap her palm to her forehead. Ryan nudged Dillan's leg. For a little guy, Ryan hit hard when he wanted to. He felt a dull pain in his leg. "What I mean to say," he told the zigzagoon. "is that Hazel wanted us to come up with a name and... we have one!"

"We have?" Ryan asked. Dillan nudged Ryan a little with his foot. He didn't want to use too much force for fear of Ryan becoming the first living Soccer Ball. "I mean, of course we have." Ryan said with a nervous glance at Dillan.

 _My turn to say something..._ Dillan supposed. "We have decided to call ourselves..."

There was a long pause. Hans continued to stare on with a face that said, "I don't have anything better to do".

"Team Type." Dillan finished.

Emotion finally lit up zigzagoon's face. He looked amused. That made Dillan smile for a few seconds. Hans then proceeded to laugh aloud. "THAT'S ONE OF THE WORST NAMES YET!"

Dillan would have kicked the guy if Hazel hadn't stepped in front of him.

"Wow Hazel!" Hans said as he whipped a tear from his eye. "I really needed that! Hope that was a joke, cause if it isn't, your lack of wits would kill ya before any pokemon did!" He laughed even harder.

"Well I for one think it's a great name!" Ryan said defiantly as he leapt on the desk.

"Well ya better think of a new one, 'cause I ain't approving it unless your whole team agrees and I'm positive Hazel doesn't like it. Then again, what do I know! She's already applied for the guild two times with some names that were just as bad as that!"

Hazel didn't move. Ryan turned around and saw Hazel's face. He then whipped back to face Hans and said, "At least it's not as lame as Ziggy!"

Hans continued to laugh, ignoring Ryan's comment.. "You should call yourselves the B-Team! Cause that's all you're gonna be! The losers!"

Hazel darted around, nudged Dillan on the shoulder, then flew out the door. Dillan felt a fire growing in his chest, clawing at his throat. He assumed his anger was getting to him. That theory left his mind quickly as he felt his chest literally getting hot.

"What's wrong with you?!" Ryan yelled at the raccoon.

Hans' fit was leaving him as he took a deep breath. He was still smiling when he went back to his work.

"Come on, Dillan." Ryan said with a scowl pointed at the Zigzagoon. Hans was still smiling. Ryan looked at Dillan as he told him, "We're too good for this loser."

Dillan wasn't feeling too good. The fire was coming up his throat. He felt like throwing up. A few embers escaped his mouth. One fell onto the carpet, which started to smoke. Ryan saw it and jumped on top of the smoking spot. Another ember drifted to Hans' work. The furry pokemon was so wrapped up, he didn't realize his papers had started to smoke. Dillan took a big involuntary gulp when he saw the embers. His gulp had stopped the heat from getting any farther. Hans was surprised to see his papers catch on fire.

"Fire!" He shouted as he threw himself backwards and landed on his spine. "Fire! Someone put it out!" Dillan just watched as the flames engulfed the paper. As soon as the paperwork was incinerated, the fire died, leaving scorch marks on the table along with a pile of ash.

The zigzagoon got back on the table and stared at the ashes. "Hours of hard work... Ruined." Hans sat there in anguish as he grabbed at the ashes. Dillan just stood there, looking at the miserable pokemon as he tried hopelessly to put his work back together. "What in the name of Arceus happened to it..." Dillan took that as the queue to leave.

When he got to the door, he heard laughing coming from where he had stood. Ryan was on the table, pointing to the ashes.

"That's what you get!" Ryan said as he fell backwards to the floor in a fit of laughter. "I'm starting to like the name 'B-Team' after all!" Ryan said to Hans as he just sat there, transfixed on the mess Dillan had caused. "Because you sir, just got 'Burned'!" He put some sarcastic emphasis in the word "Burn". Dillan chuckled to himself. It was a lame joke, but that's what made it funny. He exited the room before Hans blew up from Ryan's joke.

* * *

He walked through the courtyard. The pokemon who were there before had departed, leaving the courtyard empty. The only exceptions were he and Hazel, who he found crying on the stairs. Her tail-flame fluctuated rapidly. He could hear her crying.

"Hazel?" He asked with a concerned look. "You doing ok?"

Hazel didn't answer him. She just sat there. Dillan walked to the stairs and sat next to her. She then stopped and turned away from him.

"What do you want?" She asked, though Dillan could tell that she sounded as though she was going to break down again.

"I wanted to make sure you were ok. That furry jerk had no right to say those things."

"Well, he's right!"

"No he isn't."

Hazel now looked at him and shouted, "Yes he is! He's right about everything! I'm a loser! That's why no one wants to be a team with me!" She stood up. Tears were gushing down her face. "It's always the same! I meet them and try to be as nice as I can and when it really counts, they always leave me on my own to join some higher ranking team!"

Dillan wanted to tell her it wasn't true, but he didn't know what to say. He saw her damp face was shaking with hatred.

"Is that what you think we'll do?" Ryan asked. He was on the fountain. He obviously jumped up there so he could be at eye level with Hazel. "You think we'll leave?"

"Why not?" she asked. She turned to face Ryan and walked closer. Her voice was shaky. "Everyone else does. Plus, you two have a better reason to walk out. Dillan with his amnesia and you... You- you don't even like me!"

"Who said that?" Ryan said with a little harshness in his tone. Dillan wasn't sure that was the way to talk to Hazel at this point in time, but he didn't voice his opinion.

"Well..." Hazel just stood there, thinking.

"I'll tell you who. No one. I may have found you a bit rude this morning, but I can't judge people that quickly. Especially you!"

"What makes me any different?"

"You helped me, that's why! I might have still been in a coma if it weren't for you!"

Hazel didn't speak. She just stood there staring at Ryan.

"Now, I may have been on the fence about joining this team at first, but then I realized I owed it to myself to make it even between us! I'm not going to simply throw out those feelings because of some silly argument we had at a diner! I think Dillan agrees with me!"

Hazel looked back to Dillan. She still had tears in her eyes, but they weren't streaming down her face. She looked stunned.

"Of course I agree." Dillan chimed in.

"Now then," Ryan went on. Hazel looked at him. "Are you gonna sit around and mope about something me and Dillan aren't gonna do, or are you gonna go up to that furry paperweight and lead this team!"

"Ryan..." Hazel said. "Thank you!" She leapt at Ryan and hugged him. Ryan had lost his stern expression due to the sudden embrace. He had a look of shock as Hazel started crying. His cheeks started to turn orange.

"Uh," Ryan said, dumbfounded. "Are you crying from being sad, or are those tears from happiness?"

Hazel stopped the embrace and wiped her tears away. "The latter." She said through the sadness still present in his voice.

"Bravo!" A hearty voice came from the stairs on Dillan's left. "Bravo! That was an excellent speech!"

Dillan looked at the pokemon that stood next to him. It was a quadruped. His voice told them he was male. He had a blue body with long, blue fur that covered his legs, though you could still make out the little paws concealed in his shadow. The creature's face was tan. He had a muzzle along with a pair of tall, pointed ears. He had a massive moustache that trailed along the floor at his sides. His eyes were crinkled in a warm smile

"Are you trying to be rude?" Ryan asked. A hint of anger tinted his voice as he spoke. At this point, Hazel let go of Ryan and turned to the new pokemon.

"No," the Stoutland said with a little joy in his voice. "not at all! I'm just glad to have a new team that's kind to it's members joining the guild!"

Hazel's face grew into a wide smile. "Guildmaster Lawrence!" Hazel's voice was filled with enthusiasm.

Lawrence's smile grew a little wider. "You must be Hazel!" He said. "Hans has told me much about you!"

Hazel's smile faded into a pout.

"What did the little weasel say?" Ryan asked. He still had some anger in his voice.

"Oh," Lawrence said, his expression still the same. "Lots of things. Mainly about how much you want to join the guild. Even when your team had left you, you would still come back, just as determined."

Hazel's face lightened up again. "Really?" she asked.

"Mm... more or less."

"Sorry." Dillan interrupted, alerting the group to his presence. "I'm confused. Who are you?"

Lawrence smiled at him. "My name is Lawrence Staudt! I'm the Guildmaster of the area. I also work at the hospital. You've already met my apprentice, Anna. But, let's not dawdle around with this simple conversation. I hear you and your friend want to join Hazel's team. Why don't we go inside and sort things out with Hans?"

The Guildmaster departed towards the door. Hazel ran after Lawrence. Ryan and Dillan joined them.

* * *

Hans was still at the desk. He had a new pile of paperwork he was filling out. He didn't look up, even though the opening of the door made a lot of creaking.

Lawrence stood a few feet from the table, leaving a lot of space for Hazel, Ryan, and Dillan to stand.

Once they were at the desk, Hazel spoke up. "Ziggy," Lawrence giggled in the back, obviously amused from the nickname. "We want to apply for the Guild."

Hans, without looking up, said, "Not right now! Your big mouthed friend has already caused me enough of a hassle without dealing with your persistent nonsense. So, why don't you take your 'B-Team' somewhere else?"

"That's not a very good attitude, Hans." Lawrence said with his cheery tone.

Hans looked up from his work and found Lawrence standing at the back of the group. He leapt a few inches off the ground and said, "G-Guildmaster Staudt!" His voice overflowed with worry. "I-I-I thought you wouldn't be back until tomorrow?!"

"Yes," he said. "I decided to come home early to check up on the guild! You sure have kept the tower in good order."

"W-W-Well, I try." Hans gave a nervous laugh.

"Now then. You've already met our new recruits-"

"R-Recruits?!" Hans said with shock and awe on his face. "They haven't even passed the fighting exam?!"

"I believe we do not have to worry. They seem to be doing fine with each other."

Hazel's face was full of joy. Dillan smirked when he saw she was feeling better.

"W-Well, they can't join without a team name, and they still don't have one!" Hans said defiantly.

"Well, I have an idea." Lawrence said. "How about Team Rapture?"

"Sounds cool," Dillan began. "But what does 'Rapture' mean?"

"Rapture," Lawrence started. "Is a feeling of intense joy. I think it fits with your group because you, Dillan," He looked to Ryan. "And especially you, Ryan, tried to cheer up your friend. As a result of the kind words that were said, you all got a feeling of rapture, or at least that's what I saw."

Dillan looked on at his team. _Rapture... I like it. Has a nice ring to it._ "What do you guys think?" Dillan asked. "I think it's cool."

"Me, too." Ryan agreed.

"Sounds fantastic to me!" Hazel said.

"Then it's settled!" The Guildmaster exclaimed. "Hans, if you would please..."

It took a few seconds for Hans to process what had just been said. He stared absentmindedly at Team Rapture and the Guildmaster. His face was one of shock.

"Hans?" Lawrence asked. He got no response. "Ziggy?"

That snapped Hans out of his hypnotized state. He then jumped off the desk and slowly walked to the second one, where he threw the front of his body onto the surface.

Team Rapture walked towards the zigzagoon. Hans had pulled three pieces of paper out from under the table. He then put three pieces of sharp coal in front of the pokemon. "Fill out the application, and then sign at the bottom..." Hans said with his usual emotionless voice. He put a small bowl of ink on the table as well.

Hazel stood at the right corner area of the table, Dillan stood at the middle, and Ryan hopped onto the left side. Dillan then proceeded to read the paper in front of him. It droned on about boring legal things like, "The Guild is not held responsible for any items you lose on expeditions". He skipped most of that stuff and went to the bottom where it said "Sign Here". He looked at Hazel as she put her index finger into the ink. She then proceeded to stamp the paper. Dillan did the same with his claw on his own piece.

He started pushing it to Hans when the pokemon said to him, "You need to fill out the back..."

Dillan dragged the paper to himself, being careful not to tear it with his claw. He then tried to flip it. Even when he got his claw under the page, he didn't have a grip on it.

Ryan flipped Dillan's page for him when he realized he was having trouble.

"Thanks." Dillan said to the Pachirisu.

"We're on a team now," Ryan pointed out. "That's what we do, help each other."

"Weren't we a team before?" Dillan asked with a playful tone.

Ryan smiled at him, and then put his attention back into the page.

Dillan went back to it as well. His eyes caught a sentence that was in bold letters. It read, "Do you swear allegiance to the King of Ganderosa?" He stamped it with his claw. The small dot that was made stood out. It was small enough to be mistaken as a drip that fell from the tip of his claw. _It probably doesn't matter_. He skimmed the rest of the paper and signed at the bottom. When he was done, he dragged it across the table to Hans, who was already rolling up Hazel's paper. Ryan finished seconds later.

When Hans was done, he put them all into a folder and wrote "Team Rapture" on the front. Hazel couldn't have looked happier. All of them walked to Lawrence, who still had a joyful expression on his face.

"Well," Lawrence began. "congratulations are in order, recruits! However, I must say that it's been a long journey from Jarondai and I'm beat. Come and see me tomorrow and I'll tell you where you'll be stationed." Lawrence turned to leave. Just then, a look of remembrance dawned on him. He looked back at the group. "One more thing. Anna will be expecting Dillan and Ryan at the office. She wanted Dillan to stay for one more night so she could monitor his ankle. Ryan," He looked at the pachirisu. "She specifically asked me to send you as well. She was wondering if you would help her with some more paper work."

"Thank you, sir!" Ryan said. Dillan nodded.

Team Rapture thanked the stoutland for all he had done. He simply bowed and made his way to the stairs, leaving the three of them alone with Hans.

Hans watched as The Guildmaster went upstairs. Once he was out of sight, Hans turned towards the new recruits. He scowled at them and said, "Well Hazel, you finally found a team that wanted to stick with you. I would congratulate you, but my paws are tired from all the paperwork your friend burned. Now, if you'll kindly leave... You know what? On second thought, I don't care how you leave, as long as you're out that door. Good day!" With that, he walked over to the first desk and returned to his work.

Team Rapture departed the building, each one of them filled with pride knowing they had accomplished their first task as a team.

* * *

Once outside, Hazel ran to the stairs and shouted at the town below, "Here we come, Ganderosa! Team Rapture is here and there's no holding us back now!" Dillan and Ryan walked to meet their friend.

"Hazel," Dillan started. "What did Guildmaster Lawrence mean by 'stationed'?"

"You see," Hazel said. "When you first join a guild, you have to be moved to a different settlement. The settlement you are moved to differs according to which one needs your team the most."

"Will we be positioned in Fericia?" He asked.

"I don't know." She answered. "Honestly, I hope we get to be in Alka. To be near the ice islands would be amazing!"

Dillan shuddered at the thought. The idea of being in a freezing archipelago made the Gabite grimace.

"What's wrong, Dillan?" Hazel asked when she saw his face.

"I don't know why," he started. "But I really don't like the idea of being in a freezing area. It makes me shudder, literally."

Ryan started laughing. Dillan looked at him with confusion.

"Why are you laughing?" He asked Ryan.

"It's because I'd never even considered your weaknesses before." Ryan said with a grin. "See, pokemon are divided into classes based on their strengths and weaknesses. We call these classes 'types'. In some cases like mine, pokemon have a single type. I'm a Pachirisu, an electric type. I'm strong against water types, but weak against ground types. In other cases, pokemon have two types. It can be an edge in a battle, or it can make you extremely vulnerable, for instance: You're a gabite, a ground and dragon type pokemon. Because you're a ground type, you're strong against electric types like me. However, because you're both a ground AND a dragon type, you're extremely vulnerable against ice types. That's probably why you don't like thinking about going to an ice island."

The information spun in Dillan's head like a top. It was a lot of information to take into account.

"Don't worry about it." Hazel said with a playful punch to Dillan's arm. "I'll make a list for you later, that way you can tell what type of pokemon to watch out for."

They stood there, looking out at the town below the hill. Dillan thought about what had happened in the last few hours.

"We still have half the day left." Dillan pointed out. "What do we do now?"

"Well," Hazel said. "We could go into town and visit the shops for gear."

"Sounds good to me." Dillan said.

"Wait a second." Ryan said. His friends looked at him. "We don't have any money. How do you guys expect to pay for the gear?"

"Well," Hazel started. "I did say my dad owned a berry farm outside of town." She reached into her bad and pulled out sack of coins. They rattled together as she threw it into the air and caught it several times. "He gave me some money to spend once I joined a team."

Ryan looked at the sack of coins. He then said, "Alright! That settles it. Let's get some gear!"

* * *

Team Rapture walked down the flooded, main street. Hazel was at the front, followed by Ryan, then Dillan. There were shops all around them selling an assortment of items. Potions, berries, food, and gear. Hazel had her eyes at the roofs, looking for the ones that were colored green. After her eyes narrowed, she looked left to find a shop that sold neckwear. She led the team to the desk, where a big, blue pokemon stood.

It was a bipedal pokemon. It had a giant shell that wrapped around it's back. It's arms were long, blue fins. It had a small head, considering how big the rest of it's body was. The tortoise was about six feet tall.

"Hullo there!" the carracosta called. "Care for a ruby necklace? It's the latest fashion! Only 10,000 pokes!"

 _Ten-thousand?! What the heck?!_

"No thanks!" Hazel said with a smile. "We were hoping to find some scarves or bandannas."

"Let's see here..." Carracosta turned around and pulled a dresser out from the back of a room. "Take your pick!"

He opened the dresser doors and revealed an assortment of scarves and bandannas hanging on hooks that laced the back of the wooden box. They came in a variety of colors. Green, yellow, blue, red, purple, you name it. There were different designs for each one as well. One had a moon. Another had a star. There was also one with a yellow stripe going down the middle.

"How about that one?" Ryan asked as he pointed to the one on the far left. It was a purple band that had white strokes on it to make an image of a sun.

"Ah." Carracosta said as he followed Ryan's eyes to the purple cloth. "Good choice! That one there's called a Dart Brace! It boosts your speed in battle!"

"Are there scarves that come in that design?" Hazel asked. Her face was full of anticipation.

"As a matter of fact," Carracosta said. "There is! We also have a bandanna!"

"How much are they?" Dillan asked.

"The arm brace is five-hundred, the bandanna is six, and the scarf is one thousand. Depending on the ability it gives the user, the price goes up."

"Why the increase in cash for the scarf?" Ryan asked skeptically.

"Well," The carracosta began, unfazed by the question. "Besides the added effect it grants the user, they keep your neck warm."

"That doesn't sound like a good reason." Dillan pointed out.

"Take it or leave it," carracosta said blatantly. "'cause I ain't changing the price."

"We'll think about it." Hazel told Carracosta with a cheery tone. "Do you have a bandanna that helps keep the wearer warm in colder climates?"

"I sure do." Carracosta pointed to a bandanna that had the same pattern as the band from earlier. "It's called a Sun Cloth!"

"And a scarf that weakens water attacks?" Hazel asked.

"Not with the same design." Carracosta told her. "Though I do have one that boosts fire attacks, a Heat Scarf."

"Well," Hazel started. "We'll take the Heat Scarf, the Sun Cloth, and the Dart Brace, please!"

Carracosta reached for the items, each with the same pattern. He then set them on the counter and started thinking. "It'll cost ya about... Twenty-seven thousand pokes!"

"Twenty-seven thousand?!" Dillan said with force.

"I know, right?" Hazel said with a smile. "We'll take them!"

"One second there, little lady." Carracosta stopped her. "You're all on an Exploration Team, right?"

"What's it matter?" Ryan asked. He raised an eyebrow.

"Well," Carracosta went on. "It's my duty as a citizen of Jerrica to make sure this place is taken care of. I'm gonna lower the price to twenty-five, then lower it even further because they all have the same design! That makes it about twenty-four thousand pokes."

"That's still a bit much for a little gear..." Dillan said slowly.

"We'll take it anyways!" Hazel said as she reached into her bag and pulled out a sack of coins. She then proceeded to emptying the bag. Each poke she removed was about one-thousand pokes each. Her sack was just about empty when she finished. Carracosta reached out and grabbed the coins. He then proceeded to count them one by one.

"Thank you miss!" He said as he handed over the gear. "Have a nice day!" He then proceeded to shut the dresser and put it back in it's original space.

Hazel then proceeded to distribute the gear among the group. She took the scarf, Ryan got the brace, and Dillan got the bandanna. Hazel then put the scarf around her neck. It was a short scarf that wrapped around once and was tied off in the back. Ryan slipped the band on his left arm. He made sure the icon was pointed outwards so it would show. Dillan put on the bandanna. He didn't feel any different. It sat on his neck and came down into a point. It was short enough as to not cover his sapphire. They all looked at their new accessories.

"Hey Hazel." Dillan said.

"What is it?" Hazel asked.

"How do these 'attributes' work?"

"Well, the ones like mine and Ryan only affect us in battle. Ryan gets faster, while my fire attacks get stronger. I got that bandanna specifically for you because I'm positive we're gonna visit a cold place eventually and you can't stand the cold. Your bandanna will make sure you don't feel the icy temperature."

"Thanks Hazel!" Dillan said. Hazel responded by smiling.

"Ryan, Dillan," Hazel addressed. "I've got some more stuff to take care of at my place. I probably won't see you guys until tomorrow. You two should go back to the hospital and see if Anna needs some help."

"Take care." Ryan said with a smile. Dillan nodded in agreement.

"You too!" Hazel said as she turned to face the crowd of pokemon.

With that, they parted.

* * *

The next day came from right around the corner. Dillan and Ryan got up, thanked Anna for taking care of their wounds, and were off.

They met Hazel outside the guild, staring at the statue of King Maxamillian Armadine.

"Hazel!" Dillan shouted when they were at the top of the steps. Hazel looked around at them. She smiled. Ryan and Dillan walked forwards.

"What took you guys so long?" She asked.

"How long were you waiting?" Dillan asked.

Hazel shrugged. She turned back towards the statue.

"He was a great ruler." she said.

"What made him so great?" Dillan asked.

"Well, a lot of things. He's the reason Exploration Teams exist.

"Hey." Ryan interrupted. "Shouldn't we go see Guildmaster Staudt?"

"You're right." Hazel said.. "He's probably been waiting as long as I was; if not longer."

Dillan wasn't happy that Ryan had said anything. _I wanted to learn a little more about Ganderosa's history..._

Even though he had these thoughts, he didn't say anything. He just walked with the group, feeling this wasn't the time to interject. The group walked across the courtyard and into the guild.

* * *

Hans was once again at his desk. He had an even bigger stack of papers next to his head, as he scribbled on the sheet of paper he was already working on.

Without looking up from the stack, he said, "The Guildmaster is in his room, up the stairs." he sounded irritated. "Do NOT bother me right now."

"Thanks Ziggy!" Hazel said with a giggle. She ran towards the stairs before he could protest, her teammates hot on her heels.

Once they got to the top of the stairs, there was a small lobby-like area. At the end of the lobby were a set of metal doors with knockers on it, like you would see in medieval times.

Ryan walked to the door. He looked up at the knockers. They were a foot higher than he could reach. Hazel stifled a laugh as she watched Ryan jump up and down, trying to grab the knocker. Dillan started walking over to help, when Ryan held out a paw in his direction.

"I need to figure this out on my own." Ryan said with a serious tone.

Ryan looked around. He then took a step back from the door. He faced the right wall, then the door. His face grew into a smirk, his buck-teeth protruding from his lower lip. He ran at the right wall at an angle. He jumped at the wall, landed on it, then jumped off of that to the door knocker. He grabbed it and held on, hanging there. He then pushed the ring away from the door with his feet and let go, falling to the floor. The knocker flew towards the door and made a light knock on the door. It was barely audible. Ryan's cheeks puffed up. He then ran at the door and kicked it with his foot.

There was a sound like a "bang" on the door. It was barely louder than the knock. Ryan fell backwards into a sitting position. He grabbed at his toes as they started to swell. Both Dillan and Hazel let out a little laugh. When Dillan saw Ryan's face turn on him, he tried to recover with a cough. It wasn't very convincing.

"Fine!" Ryan said loudly. He was very irritated. "I'm short AND weak! Laugh if you want, but my pride will remain intact!" With that, he stood up and turned away from his team.

Dillan felt bad for laughing. _He really doesn't like to feel short._

"Ryan." Dillan started. "Sorry. We shouldn't have laughed. Can you forgive us?"

Ryan didn't answer.

"Please?" Hazel added.

"Fine." Ryan said harshly. "Can we just move on?"

Dillan and Hazel looked at each other. _What more can we do?_

Since Hazel had hands, she went up to knock on the door. She swung the knocker back and forth three times. There were three, echoing "Bang"s.

"Hans!" the unmistakable, cheery voice of Lawrence rang out through the door. "Are you done already?"

"No, sir!" Dillan shouted. "It's Team Rapture! You wanted us?"

There was a loud "Thud' coming from inside of the room, along with the sound of claws scratching wood. There was another "Bang" then a "Crash", followed by a sigh of defeat.

"Sir?" Dillan called through the door. "Are you alright?"

"What?" Lawrence shouted. "Oh. Yes. Yes, I'm fine. Do come in! And mind the mess!"

Hazel looked like laughing, but she didn't. _She must not want to laugh at her Guildmaster._

Hazel pushed on the door. Her face tightened into a grimace. The door slowly opened.

The interior of the room was covered in crumpled paper. There was a desk in the right side of the room. There was no chair. An easel was tipped on the floor, along with a puddle of glass and paint. There was also an unmade bed with sheets thrown about. Lawrence was standing in the middle of the room.

"Sorry..." the stoutland said. His paws were stained red. "I forgot you were coming over..."

Ryan picked up one of the papers. He unfolded it. His expression lightened up a bit as he looked at whatever was on the paper. He showed the piece to Lawrence. "This your art?"

There was a big, red smear on the front of a beautiful sky. There was a pokemon on it with big, red wings stretching out from a light blue body. The rest of the pokemon hadn't been created.

"A failed attempt." Guildmaster Staudt's expression was still cheery.

"What was it?" Hazel asked. "The pokemon, I mean."

"That is," Lawrence began, "or was going to be, a pokemon called Salamence."

"The dragon?" Ryan asked.

"Yes! I'm glad you know your stuff. Now then, enough about my personal hobbies. Let's get down to business. You three are here to be assigned, correct?"

They all nodded in agreement.

"Looks like there's still enough brain in my old head after all!" Lawrence started laughing heartily.

"Guildmaster, sir..." Ryan urged.

"Oh, yes. Now then, Team Rapture will be assigned to the town of Palando, in the Alka territory."

Hazel's face lit up at those words.

"But first," Lawrence continued. "I need you three to travel to Kerroshia Castle."

Ryan looked worried. "W-Why Kerroshia?"

"I have a package that I was suppose to give to the Guildmaster of Kerroshia during my time in Jarondai. The thing is," His face started looking embarrassed. "I forgot to give it to her."

Team Rapture all looked on in shock.

"You mean to say," Dillan began. "You want us to deliver a package to the Guildmaster in Kerroshia Castle, and then want us to go on to the Alka territory where we'll be stationed?"

"Exactly." Lawrence grinned.

"But, that's in another region entirely!" Ryan added.

"Think of it as a test." the Guildmaster went on. "To get there, you will need to go through Void Canyon, a Mystery Dungeon."

"A Mystery Whatzit?" Dillan asked.

"Mystery Dungeon." Hazel corrected.

"Don't tell me you don't know what a Mystery Dungeon is." Lawrence said.

"Sorry, sir," Dillan started. "but I have amnesia."

"Oh?" Lawrence asked. His voice peeked with interest. "Do tell."

"Well... I can't remember anything past two days ago... I'm not sure how it happened."

Ryan's face dropped into a scowl. "Sir, there's something we should have told you yesterday. See, me and Dillan were captured along the road between Harrier Town and Lake Town by a group of nuzleaf."

Lawrence's face fell into a look of concern. "Go on."

"I don't know why we were taken," Ryan continued. "Only that we were..."

The Guildmaster sat there for a few seconds in thought. The room was quiet.

"Hans!" The Guildmaster yelled through the open door. The sound of feet could be heard bounding up the stairs. Hans appeared at the doorway with a look of worry.

"Yes sir?" Hans asked.

"Stay there." Lawrence said in a stern voice. "Wait for me." He then turned his gaze back to Team Rapture. "Is there anything else?"

"No, sir." Ryan said.

Lawrence went over to the side of the bed and picked up a small package. It was as big as Ryan's head. He handed it to Hazel and said, "Let this be your test of strength. You didn't get one yesterday because I thought you wouldn't need one. Hans has convinced me otherwise. We must continue our tradition; though, since you are already a team, I can't give you the regular test. Deliver the package to the Guildmaster of Kerroshia and you will be an official Exploration Team."

"Sir..." Hazel said with a little confusion. "What about our Explorer Badges?"

"You will get those from the Kerroshian Guildmaster once you deliver the package. Now then, off you go. I need to take care of business."

The team thanked the Guildmaster and departed. Hans was still in the room.

"Hans, close the door."

Hans complied to the command. He then said, "Sir, what's wrong?"

"An issue has presented itself. I need you to write a message for me."

Hans went to the desk and threw the crumbled paper off it, scattering them across the floor. He then took a fresh piece of paper from next to the easel and sat it on the table, where he found a piece of coal.

"Ready, sir." He told the Guildmaster.

"Alright, then." Lawrence said. He cleared his throat as if he were about to give a speech. "Dear King Judas the Third. A problem has arisen in my domain, the Kingdom of Fericia."

* * *

Team Rapture stopped at the steps leading out of the guild, into the town below.

"Hazel." Dillan began.

"Yeah, Dillan?" She asked.

"What's a Mystery Dungeon?"

She thought about it for a while before saying, "I don't really know how to explain it..."

"I do." Ryan cut in. "You see, a Mystery Dungeon is an area in which time and space are distorted. When you go into one, it looks like a normal pathway. You can't really tell it's a Mystery Dungeon on first glance. The weird thing about them is that the layout of a Mystery Dungeon changes every time you enter. The location is the same, but corridors and passageways shift, creating a new dungeon entirely. That's why it's called a Mystery Dungeon, it's a complete mystery what it looks like once you enter."

 _That's very confusing, but I think I understand the concept._

"How was it created?" Dillan asked.

"That's another mystery." Ryan said. "No one knows how they came to be."

 _That's helpful._

"We've talked enough about Mystery Dungeons for now," Hazel said. "let's just focus on where we need to go to get to Kerroshia Castle."

Hazel pulled out a rolled-up, piece of paper. She unraveled it and started staring at whatever was on it. Dillan moved closer to Hazel to get a look at the paper.

It was amazing. At the top, left of the paper was a word that read, "Ganderosa". Ganderosa is a massive island. There were four sections made in the island from rivers that flowed through the land. Dillan guessed these river's served as the boundaries to the four quadrants of Ganderosa. Alka was the top, left quadrant. It had an archipelago of baby blue islands off of it's coast. Ferricia was below Alka. To Fericia's left was the territory of Labensia. Then, there was the desert land of Kerroshia in the top right quadrant. Finally, there was an island at the bottom-left corner of the map named "Jarondai".

Hazel looked down at Ryan. He was looking out at the town with his arms crossed.

"Ryan." Hazel said to the white squirrel. He turned around to face her. Hazel then handed out the map. "Want to be the guide?"

Ryan's face lit up with a grin as he took the map from Hazel. "Thanks." He said as she added a nod. Ryan then went to the map and traced his fingers along roads.

"Alright." He said. "Let's see... To get to Kerroshia, we'll need to go through Void Canyon. But, Thesix town is on the way. If we leave now, we should be able to reach Thesix by mid-day. We can then can go on to Void Canyon, which should put us on the other side of the Thesix Mountain Range. When we get through Void Canyon, we can stop for the night. Sounds good?"

"What about tomorrow?" Dillan asked.

"Tomorrow," Ryan said. "we'll reach Kerroshia. We'll pass through Poltress Town, then move on to Kerroshia Castle, where the Guildmaster should be. Good for ya?"

"Mhm." Dillan responded.

"Hazel?" Ryan asked.

Hazel didn't answer. She looked worried.

"Hazel." Ryan said a little more forcefully.

"Hu-wha?" Hazel snapped out of her trance.

"You good?" Ryan asked.

"Y-yeah. Sure. I'm good."

Ryan wasn't convinced. Neither was Dillan. Nevertheless, Ryan rolled up the map and handed it to Hazel.

"Hazel," Dillan began. "We're a team. You can tell us anything. Well, other than you're really a pink and blue unicorn disguised as a charmeleon. That'd just be weird."

Hazel laughed a little. The concern on her face vanished.

"Dillan," she started. "You are one weird pokemon."

"By the way," Dillan said. "Are we all pokemon? The way I've heard others use that word, I would assume so, but I don't really know."

"Yep." Hazel said with her usual enthusiasm. "We're all pokemon."

"Enough with the life lessons," Ryan interrupted. "We need to get to Thesix."

Hazel looked annoyed by the sudden interruption. Nevertheless, she put the map back into her bag and the three left for Thesix Town.


	6. The Void

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 6

Into the Void

* * *

Dillan's legs felt like jelly. It had been three hours since they had left Ferricia Castle and he wanted to sit down. The worst part about it was that Ryan and Hazel were talking together without Dillan. They were talking quietly, which made Dillan feel left out.

 _What are they talking about? Why am I not involved?_

"I know, I know," Ryan said to Hazel, a little louder.

Hazel looked at him. "It's just that-"

"Can you guys talk to me?" Dillan asked, thoroughly annoyed with the whispers.

Hazel looked at Ryan with a pleading expression. Ryan just scowled. Hazel sighed, then fell back to Dillan.

She looked at him with a worried expression. "Please don't take this the wrong way," she began. "but we were talking about you."

"So you're talking about me behind my back?"

"Hazel." Ryan said with an expression that said "Don't screw this up".

"No, it's not like that." Hazel tried to recover. Dillan was still skeptical. Hazel continued. "We were talking about your experience with battle.

Dillan thought about what that meant. "Like, fighting other pokemon?"

"Exactly!" Hazel answered. "Again, don't take this as an insult, but we thought you should get some practice in before we got to Void Canyon. You see, with your amnesia, you probably don't remember how to fight."

 _Oh..._ Dillan felt horrible. _She's right... I don't know how to fight. Am I gonna be dead weight in the canyon? Wait..._

"Why would I need to fight in Void Canyon?" Dillan asked.

Ryan jumped in the conversation by saying, "The feral pokemon."

"Feral?" Dillan said.

"Yep." Ryan said. "Some pokemon go crazy from being in a mystery dungeon for too long. They become feral. As a result of the time-shift, they live longer than regular pokemon, so there are a lot of them. It really isn't their fault that they turn out this way, just the dungeon."

"Don't worry!" Hazel added once she saw the horror stricken face of her Gabite companion. "We have an escape orb incase we get stuck. The only problem is that it would warp us back to where we entered, so we would have to go through the mystery dungeon again."

That relieved Dillan. Though, he was still worried about fighting a feral pokemon.

"Anyways," Hazel said. "we thought about training you once we got out of Thesix Town."

"Why not now?" Dillan asked.

"Because we don't have anymore time." Ryan pointed out with a finger. "Look."

Dillan looked ahead. He couldn't make out much detail, but he did see the small village. Dillan was relieved that the first part of their journey was over.

"We'll eat once we're there." Hazel said.

The group trudged on to Thesix.

* * *

Dillan was shocked with how small Thesix looked. Having been in Fericia Castle for so long, he was expecting something a little bigger.

It had the same system of Thesix. There were a few two story buildings with colorful roofs, but there weren't many. The town had a few homes that were small, but cozy. The streets were cobblestone. There weren't many pokemon on the streets, just the occasional bystander every few feet. They would greet Team Rapture with a simple, "Hello!" accompanied by a wave. The friendly nature of the pokemon was what shocked Dillan the most.

Team Rapture made their way to a building with a yellow roof. The place had a small sign that said "Casey's Pub". The group made their way inside.

It wasn't as big or as fancy as Harley's was. It had four tables and a bar. The walls were made of stone and the floor was wood. There wasn't a chandelier to light the pub, just some torches along the walls. There wasn't anyone at the front like Harley's. However, a hearty male "Hello! Welcome to Casey's!" rung out from a pokemon behind the bar. The pokemon was as tall as Dillan. It was brown. It didn't look like it had a head, mouth or nose, which creeped Dillan out. The only thing that could identify some sign of a face were the eyes at the top of the pokemon's chest. It had legs that looked compressed together, like rubber. Dillan and Ryan sat down at an empty table while Hazel went to greet the Hitmonle.

"So, how would I go about fighting a pokemon?" Dillan asked, still depressed by the earlier conversation.

"Well..." Ryan said as he put his paw beneath his chin. "Let's see. You can obviously use some sort of fire move."

"How do you figure?" Dillan asked.

"Ask Hans." Ryan started chuckling. "That was hilarious when you set his paperwork on fire!"

"That was an accident." Dillan said defensively.

"Chill out." Ryan said. Dillan shuddered. "Sorry, poor choice of words. Relax, the jerk deserved it. Besides, you can ask Hazel to help you learn what move you can use.

"Now, since you're a ground type, you could probably use something like..." Ryan's face turned into a grimace. "Never mind."

"What?" Dillan asked.

"Well..." Ryan continued nervously. "You could probably use a ground type move, but based on how those usually work, they might do more damage to me and Hazel then your opponent. Best not to use that.

 _Well, that sucks... Now I have to worry about hurting my friends with an attack that I don't even know how to use..._

Ryan took no notice of Dillan's expression. "We know you can use dragon claw because of how easily you cut the rope when we met."

"That was a move?" Dillan asked.

"Sure it was!" Ryan continued. "You cut that rope like butter! That was awesome!"

Hearing Ryan's praise raised Dillan's spirits. _At least I know how to use ONE move. I'm not entirely useless after all._

Ryan continued. "Anyways, we don't have any clue as to what your last move could be. It might be a dragon type move, ground type move, or another one entirely! Should be fun when you learn what it is!"

Hazel came to the table with three plates. She set one in front of Dillan, then gave one to Ryan. She kept the last one as she sat down and placed it in front of her.

"So," She began. "What're you guys talking about?"

"My moves." Dillan said.

"You're gonna teach him a fire move." Ryan said to Hazel.

Hazel's face lit up into a wide smile. "Really? How do you know you have a fire move?" She asked Dillan.

"He set Hans' paperwork on fire." Ryan said with a smirk.

"Accidentally." Dillan added.

"Fantastic!" Hazel said. "We're gonna have a lot of fun working on that!"

She pulled her bag from her shoulder and set it on the table. She then pulled out three blue berries and handed one to each of her teammates. Dillan looked at it with confusion.

"It's not like Harley's quiche," Hazel said in response to Dillan's confused face. "but we spent most of our money on the gear. We need to spend the rest wisely until we get to taking missions."

"I think it's more than enough." Ryan said. His berry was almost as big as his head. Hazel stifled a laugh as she bit on her lower lip.

"Sorry." Dillan said. "You're right. Besides, I was just a little surprised is all.

 _I can't be like this! Hazel's already helped so much, I can't expect more from her. I need to be content with what I've got._

The team ate their berries in silence and exited the pub. They walked from the town and went back to their journey.

* * *

They walked for a couple of hours. The mountains were getting closer on the horizon. Their destination was drawing closer. There was the occasional tree standing on it's own amidst the grassy plains. To their left was a group of mountains that snaked their way across the horizon.

"Ryan." Hazel called out from the middle of their group.

"Yea?" Ryan asked.

"We have at least two hours before we reach Void Canyon. Can we stop here so Dillan can practice some attacks?"

Ryan looked ahead, then at his group. He then sat down on the gravel and said, "Alright Dillan, show us what you can do!"

Hazel smiled, then faced Dillan. "Alright," she began. "so first, you need to plant your feet like so." She faced away from the path and looked at a lone tree with some flowers around the base. She planted her feet in the ground. "Normally, you wouldn't have time to plant your feet, but it's recommended for beginners, such as yourself. Anyways, all you need to do is focus on a sort of flame in your stomach. Give yourself over to it. Let it feed off of your emotions so it can grow. Once you feel it's big enough, bring your head back and exhale in the direction of your target like so." She brought her head back slowly, then flung it forward. She opened her mouth and a stream of flames came forth and flew at the tree in front of her. Her tail-flame flared as she breathed. The tree started to smoke. She then stopped as the tree turned black. When the flames stopped hitting the bark, there wasn't much left for it to hit.

Dillan was shocked by the destructive force that had ensued from his friend. Hazel then turned towards him.

"Alright, now it's your turn." She said.

Dillan planted his feet. He focused on his stomach. _What now?_ He searched for one warm, feeling in his stomach. He sat there for a few seconds.

"Search for the flame." Hazel said. "It may not even be in your stomach. It could be in your heart."

Dillan searched his body. He still hadn't felt anything.

"May I say something?" Ryan asked. Hazel did a bow to signal her approval. "Maybe you need to focus on an emotion or a thought instead of a flame. What did you feel back in the guild?"

 _I felt anger. I hated the way Hans had treated my friend..._ He thought about that moment. The emotions came back to him like a flame. He felt something in his chest. His expression changed into a hard frown.

"You feel something," Hazel said. "don't you?"

Dillan didn't listen. He was too focused on the way his friend was treated. He thought about what he did.

 _That's just it. I didn't do anything. I hardly defended my friend. I should have done more..._ He then remembered when he had escaped the Nuzleaf. He gritted his teeth. The feeling grew in his stomach. _I didn't help them... I could have done more... I'm fine while they're probably suffering!_ The flame started creeping up his throat.

"Dillan?" Hazel asked. "You ok?"

Dillan couldn't hear her over his own thoughts. He brought his head back, looked at the charred remains of what use to be a tree, and exhaled. The flames tore from his mouth in a firey stream. When it impacted the tree, it was engulfed in the fiery storm. Dillan stopped quickly and looked away from Hazel's worried gaze.

"That was an awesome flamethrower!" Ryan said as he looked at the charred stump.

"Dillan..." Hazel began.

"Let's just move on." Dillan said.

"Dillan, what's bothering you?"

"Nothing!" Dillan shouted. He shut his eyes tightly. "I'm fine! Let's just move on!" Dillan moved away from Hazel and started walking down the path, towards the mountain ahead.

Ryan looked at Hazel with a confused gaze.

Hazel shrugged as a response to his look.

The two followed Dillan as they moved onwards to Void Canyon.

* * *

After about two hours or more, they arrived at a valley that stretched on between the mountains. It was very dark due to the lack of sunlight available and the shadows that were cast into the path.

"So this is Void Canyon?" Dillan asked. After an hour, he had moved on from the moral issues that bugged his mind.

"Yep." Ryan said. "They call it Void Canyon because of the lack of light that manages to get inside. "

"There are gonna be feral pokemon in there for sure." Hazel added. "You ready to fight?" She directed her question at Dillan.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Dillan said.

As the sun began to disappear from the horizon, Team Rapture made their way into Void Canyon.

* * *

The canyon was very dark. The rocky walls stretched up into the seemingly unending void. The path was narrow. It only allowed one pokemon to proceed at one time. It was also littered with pebbles and stones. However, Dillan could somehow sense the rocks on the ground. Silence hung in the air. No one dared to speak, almost as if there was an unspoken rule not to talk. The air felt dry. There was no wind that came through the pathways.

The funny thing was, Dillan expected to be scared out of his wits when they entered the dark, dusty canyon. Instead, he felt exhilarated. Something about everything in the mystery dungeon felt natural.

Hazel was leading the team with her tail-flame. Ryan was right behind her. Dillan took up the rear. Because of Ryan's size, he could see Hazel's light on the walls.

Dillan couldn't tell what the group was walking towards. Every so often there would be a fork in the path. At the pace Hazel was choosing which paths to go down, she seemed to be deciding at random. Ryan didn't seem to mind the absentmindedness of the chosen pathways. Dillan kept his thoughts to himself.

As the team trudged on, Ryan started humming a tune that broke the silence.

Hazel spoke up and asked, "What're you humming?"

"Sorry?" Ryan asked.

"You were humming a song just now. What was it?"

"Oh, nothing special. Just something my..." His voice trailed off. He started looking down at the ground.

"Ryan?" Hazel asked.

"It's just something my parents use to sing to me..." his voice was full discomfort. "It's not important."

"You sure?" Hazel asked.

"This isn't the time to talk about my problems."

"So it IS important."

"Hazel. Drop it." Ryan was getting annoyed.

"Alright." She said as they took a left.

The group walked for three minutes before Hazel stopped. They hadn't taken another turn since they had last spoke.

"What's going on Hazel?" Dillan asked.

"A dead end." she responded. "Dillan, you'll have to lead us back until we find another turn."

"Lead?" Dillan asked with worry. "Me?"

"Hey." Ryan said. "You'll do fine! Just trace your claw along the wall until there isn't a wall anymore. You then go down the path and Hazel can take the lead down another path. Piece of cake." Ryan sounded confident in Dillan's abilities.

 _I wish I shared your enthusiasm in me..._

Dillan dragged his claw in the wall. He couldn't see anything, but somehow, he knew where everything was that was ten feet around him.

 _What?_

He stopped and closed his eyes. He could still sense everything. It was like he could see every one of his surroundings at the same time. The rock that was on the ground. His friends that stood behind him, waiting for him to move. The walls that stretched up ten feet and then folded inwards to form a ledge. The pokemon on the ledge that was about to push a boulder that would fall onto Hazel's head.

 _Boulder?_

Dillan's face tensed as he yelled, "HAZEL, MOVE!"

Hazel didn't have time to process what was being said. Dillan leapt over Ryan and tackled Hazel to the ground, three feet from their original position. Ryan looked on with shock at the sudden attack. Then, a boulder about four feet in diameter smashed into the spot where Hazel had originally been. It was a few inches from Ryan's face.

Ryan sat there, soundless. Dillan felt for the pokemon on the ledge. He wasn't there anymore. There was a tunnel that it probably escaped through.

"What are you doing?!" Hazel yelled at Dillan. "You could have slammed me into a rock and broken something!"

"Uh..." Ryan said in a quiet voice. "Hazel... Look over here..."

Dillan got off of Hazel and stood on top of the rock that was now in the crevice. Hazel looked on. Realization came to her head and worry took control of her expression.

"That..." She tried to say. "That almost... Almost..."

"Killed you?" Dillan finished for her. She nodded.

"Where did it come from?" Ryan asked, finally finding his voice.

"Above a ledge that's concealed in the darkness." Dillan told his team.

"Forget that." Hazel said. "How in Ganderosa did you know it was going to fall?!"

"It didn't fall." Dillan said. "Someone pushed it."

"Who?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know." Dillan answered with a worried tone. "But whoever it was may try again. We need to keep walking." Dillan lept from the rock to the front of Ryan so he could lead.

"Wait!" Hazel said as she climbed on the boulder.

"What is it?" Dillan asked while trying to sense if there was any more pokemon above them, trying to attack from the shadows.

"How did you know the pokemon was there?"

"I don't know... I just sensed it."

Ryan put his paw under his chin like he usually does when he's thinking. Hazel and Dillan were both looking at him.

When he realized the stares that were pointed towards him, he said, "What?"

"Well," Hazel began. "usually when you put your paw under your cin, you're about to give an explanation to a question someone's asking."

"That doesn't mean I'm gonna give one now!" he said with an irritated tone.

"Fine." Hazel said defensively. "No need to get snippy."

"Snippy!" Ryan yelled. "You're the one-"

"Guys!" Dillan interrupted. "Let's move on. That pokemon could be anywhere by now. I don't want to be in this canyon any longer than necessary."

Hazel and Ryan looked at each other with scowls. Dillan started trudging forwards. Ryan walked behind him with Hazel now at the back.

They walked for three more minutes until they found themselves at another intersection.

Dillan was about to move left when Hazel shouted from behind him, "Don't go left. We've already been that way."

"You were paying attention to where we were going?" Dillan asked.

"What do you think I was doing?" she asked with annoyance. "Mindlessly picking directions?"

 _That's exactly what I thought._ "Is there a system to picking a path?"

"Nope." Ryan chimed in, though he said it halfheartedly. He still had his paw on his chin. "You just chose and remember which paths you've been down so you don't go in the same direction twice."

 _Good to know._ With that thought, Dillan went right.

* * *

After what felt like a half hour, Dillan realized something abnormal about the path way. He dragged his claws over indents in the wall. Three of them were present in a slashing motion. Dillan gulped.

"What is it?" Hazel asked. Dillan moved ahead a few feet so Hazel could shine some light on the indents.

"Those look like claws." Ryan said. "They're deep, too. Whatever made these has a pair of nasty talons."

Dillan sensed another pair of indents on the wall ahead of them. Then more.

"Hey guys," Dillan said. "those aren't the only marks... There are more."

The group moved forwards so Hazel could get a look at them.

"Ryan," Hazel asked. "You know more about attacks and pokemon than I do. Are these the same kind of marks?"

"Hard to tell..." Ryan said. "If I were to guess, yeah. They look similar. The only problem is that I can't be sure that they aren't from the same species..."

"Can you tell what pokemon made them?" Dillan asked.

"No... All I can tell you for sure is that it has claws."

"Let's move on with caution." Hazel said.

The team moved on. Dillan tried to sense anything different. Nothing changed. Not even the occasional claw marks along the stone wall. Dillan could sense Hazel's heart beating just a bit faster the more indentions they passed. Ryan, however, didn't change. His face didn't show fear, but intrigue and anticipation.

About three minutes passed before anything changed. Dillan's face grew with excitement. He sensed a big room in front of his team. It had rocks that were shaped strangely. Dillan couldn't make out detail on the weird rocks that were ahead. He guessed even his 'Miracle Sense', as he named it, had limitations. Dillan could sense different tunnels stretching on from different directions. They all met in one central location, the room.

Once the team was in the room, Dillan looked on in horror. The weird rocks that Dillan had sensed earlier turned out to not be rocks at all. Instead, they were all bones. Femurs, flanges, craniums, you name it, it was there. They had all been moved along the wall.

"Oh my gosh..." Hazel said as she clasped her hands to her mouth in horror.

Ryan didn't say anything. He just grimaced.

"What in Ganderosa happened to all of these pokemon..." Hazel asked herself in a voice that was too loud to be a whisper, yet too quiet to be considered a normal volume.

That's when it all went downhill. Dillan could sense five pairs of feet running at them from the corridors around them.

"Guys!" Dillan shouted. "Someone's coming!"

"From where?" Ryan asked.

"I can't see anything!" Hazel exclaimed.

It occurred to Dillan that the room wasn't any better than the corridors. It was still too dark for his friends.

The pokemon were in the room now, running at their victims.

"They're here!" Dillan said.

"Dillan, get down!" Hazel shouted as she drew her head back. Dillan realized almost immediately what she was going to do. He threw himself to the ground, and started lying on his stomach. He felt a searing flame graze his back fin. The room lit up and the pokemon ahead screeched as they covered their eyes. One of them got scorched from the fires that engulfed it's body, though it didn't look hurt. Dillan got a quick glance at their features.

They were all bipedal pokemon. They all looked the same. The pokemon had a set of long, claws on their paws. They both looked like rodents with a set of brown spines that lined their backs. They had yellow fur. Their muzzles were pointed. They all had eyes that were pitch black. They didn't have pupils.

Once Hazel realized she was scorching Dillan's fin, she stopped her attack and the sandslash were once again concealed in the darkness.

"Everyone fall back into the corridor!" Ryan shouted. "We'll use it as a bottleneck!

 _Bottle neck?_ Before Dillan could respond, the sandslashes had recovered. Two of them grabbed Dillan and threw him deeper into the room. He could hear Hazel scream his name as he flew into the air. He smashed into the floor and skidded ahead a few inches before his momentum died and he lied there in the middle of the room. He stood up and closed his eyes so he could use his 'Miracle Sense' to the best of it's abilities.

He jumped to the right as a swipe flew by his neck. A jab then flew towards his chest. He jumped to the side. He flung his head back and exhaled. Nothing came out. Dillan hesitated for a moment, but as all fighters know, a moment of hesitation is one moment too long. Dillan felt a swipe at his chest. It cut his scales, but it wasn't too deep. Blood flowed forth from his wound.

 _I need to focus! Another slip up like that and-_

He felt the tip of his enemies claws graze his face. Dillan doubled back from the pain. He then focused on the pokemon that was charging at him with it's claws pointed at his heart. He sidestepped and slashed his fin across it's chest. It gave a cry on pain. Another pokemon came at Dillan from his left, then another to his right. He had no time to think. His mind went on auto pilot as he threw himself to the ground. His arms moved on its own, using his fins like shovels as they dug a hole in mere seconds that would fit Dillan's body. The sandslash above collided. Cries of pain erupted from the pokemon as well as blood from their new wounds.

 _What did I just do? Did I-_

No more time to think. A sandslash was crouched above the hole. Dillan felt his senses come back to him. He felt the rush of adrenaline leave his body. It was replaced by a creature of fear that clawed at his insides, forcing him to cower in his hole.

"Hazel!" Ryan yelled from above Dillan's hole. Dillan felt that Hazel had been injured. He felt the drops of blood that flowed from her arm hit the cold ground.

So much surged through Dillan's mind in a fraction of a second. He thought about his friend who might have been hurt. He thought about how he did nothing back at the guild when Hazel needed him. He thought about how Ryan had almost lost his life to a coma because of his absentmindedness. He thought about all the pokemon he didn't even try to save. He thought about what Ryan had said when he met him, 'Why should my life be valued over another's?'. _He was right! I was selfish! I only saved him because I wanted him to help. I could have saved another pokemon!_ In that fraction, his emotions started to overload his mind.

He focused everything into his claws, just like with his flamethrower attack. They started to glow blue. They got brighter. It looked as though his fins were extending. The sandslash that stood above him drew back due to the sudden light that bathed Dillan's fins. Dillan climbed out of the hole and watched the other sandslash as they covered their eyes. Dillan looked at Hazel. She was cradling her bloody arm. He turned his attention to the sandslash.

"Ryan..." Hazel said. "That's a dragon claw."

Ryan leapt over Hazel and charged one of the sandslash. He opened his mouth and bit down on one of their arms. The sandslash started whipping it's arm back and forth in an attempt to shake Ryan off. Ryan wouldn't let go. Blood started flowing into the pachirisu's mouth. Only then did he let go. He spat the blood out then called to his team, "Don't just stand there, hit one of them!"

That was all it took. Hazel rushed one of them and clawed at their chest. It started to cower from the sudden onslaught against him. The injured pokemon ran from the fight, leaving four left. Two of them saw what their companion did and followed suit. There were two left. One had the bite wounds that Ryan had given it, while the other wasn't hurt at all. They both adjusted to the light coming from Dillan's claws and went to attack the gabite. Dillan was overcome with fear from not one, but two pokemon charging him.

Ryan swiped his tail through the air. Stars flew from the swipe and pelted one of the two sandslash. The other one wasn't fazed. It leapt at Dillan. Dillan did the only thing he could do when a pokemon is confronted with fear and an attacker. He held out his arms in a defensive stance. He felt the pokemon against his fins. A scream of agony came from in front of him. This was the one time he wished his 'Miracle Sense' hadn't existed. He felt the sandslash cower on the floor, grabbing at the deep incision on it's side. It ran as fast as it could into one of the corridors. It left a blood trail as it ran. The last sandslash recovered from the swift attack. It was about to attack when Hazel let out a stream of fire. It cowered into the nearest corridor and was gone. The fight was over.

Ryan didn't look too bad. He had a scratch on his leg and one on his right arm, but no blood. Hazel was cradling her arm. Other than that, she was fine. The tip of Dillan's fin was covered in blood. He opened his eyes. His fins were back to normal. The only source of light was Hazel's tail.

"That was AWESOME!" Ryan shouted.

"What's wrong with you?!" Hazel asked through gritted teeth. "My arm is hurt and Dillan almost killed someone!"

"So?" Ryan asked. "He didn't! We fought like pros! And on top of that, Dillan learned Dragon Claw!"

"Wait." Dillan cut in. "I thought I already knew Dragon Claw?"

"Nah." Ryan said with a grin. "I was wrong. You used slash on the rope."

"I'm confused." Dillan added. He then looked at his bloody claw. He felt a wave of nausea wash over to him. He ran over to the hole he had made earlier and threw up.

"I don't EVER want to do that again..." Hazel said. "What were those things, anyways?"

"Sandslash!" Ryan said. "A ground type! That's probably why your fire attack didn't work."

"Let's just move on." Dillan said. "They might be getting their friends..." He shuddered to think of another fight like that.

* * *

After a few hours of walking, Team Rapture saw a sight that almost made Dillan yell from joy.

"The moon..." Hazel said as they exited the canyon. "Finally."

With the canyon behind them, they could see a stretch of grass going for miles. There was a massive forest to the North-West. There was also a stretch of road that ran forward for miles. Stars littered the sky like a bunch of lights on a Christmas tree. Dillan felt different. His 'Miracle Sense' had left him. He now had to rely on his eyes.

"It's already dark." Dillan added.

"Look at the stars!" Ryan said. "They're a sight for sore eyes!"

"Beats the dark ceiling of that canyon..." Hazel said.

"Remind me where we go now?" Dillan said to Ryan.

"Well," He began. "We need to travel East until we hit Kerroshia. Then we take the path that leads to Poltress Town. After that, it's a straight shot to Kerroshia Castle."

"Is there any way around Poltress Town?" Hazel asked. She looked worried.

"Not unless you want to add another day to our journey AND enter another Mystery Dungeon." Ryan said. "Why? What's wrong with Poltress?"

"N-Nothing!" Hazel said with a nervous smile. "Nothing's wrong!"

"Okay then." Ryan said with a tone like, "Yeah right". "Let's just set up camp for tonight."

Hazel looked as though she had been told she got an F- on a final exam.

"You ok?" Dillan asked the charmelion.

"Uh..." Hazel said. Her face didn't change. "I forgot to pack the tent..."

"You didn't." Ryan pleaded. "Please tell me you didn't..."

"I did." She bit her lower lip.

"How could you forget the tent?" Ryan scolded.

"Ryan," Dillan cut in.

"What is it, Dillan." Ryan's voice was harsh.

"Don't yell at him!" Hazel interjected. "It's my fault!"

"You're right!" Ryan said. "It is your fault! The tent was the most important thing on this trip! How did you forget about it?"

"Ryan!" Dillan shouted.

"What?" Ryan said harshly.

"Don't worry about it." Dillan added with a calm tone. "I can make a shelter."

"How?" Ryan asked.

"Give me five minutes." Dillan said as he looked around for some soft ground. Ryan looked on with an irritated expression.

"Dillan," Hazel started. "what are you doing?"

"Trust me!" he shouted as he continued his search.

He found some dirt that was soft enough for what he wanted to do. He started digging with his fins. He dug at an angle so there could be a kind of ramp. He then proceeded to dig a circle. He hollowed it out as he pressed the dirt against the walls and took some of it out of the cave. When he was finished, it was barely big enough for him to stand. Other than that, it was wide enough for his friends. He left a column of dirt in the middle for stability.

"Come on in!" Dillan shouted from the hole. His companions came in from the ramp. They both gapped at the shelter Dillan had made in under ten minutes. Hazel's tail served as the light source for the make-shift burrow.

"How did you do this?" Hazel asked.

"It feels normal." Dillan said. He closed his eyes to take in the feeling of pride. His 'Miracle Sense' was back.

"That's it!" Ryan shouted. "That's how you could sense everything in Void Canyon!"

Dillan tilted his head from confusion.

Ryan saw his expression and said, "You're a ground type! Obviously you can see things we can't when you're surrounded by dirt, like when you're in a cave! It comes naturally! That's why the sandslash could see us as well!"

Hazel still looked embarrassed about the fiasco from earlier. She didn't seem to care about what Ryan had said to Dillan.

"Hazel, are you good?" Dillan asked.

Ryan saw Hazel's face. His expression softened. He said, "Hazel, I'm sorry for what I said... I guess I just freaked out when I thought about being in the wide open for the night."

Hazel looked at Ryan before saying, "It's cool. I screwed up. I should have made sure we had the tent."

"But," Ryan started. "I still shouldn't have reacted the way I did. We cool?"

"Yeah. Are you ok with not having a tent?"

"You kidding? If not having a tent gets us this," Ryan gestured to the burrow. "then you can leave the tent at home all the time!"

That made Dillan and Hazel giggle.

"Now then," Ryan started. "let me have a look at your arm."

Hazel sat down slowly. She then took the bag off of her shoulder and gave it to Ryan, who struggled to carry it due to his size. He set it down and looked inside. He pulled out a Sitrus Berry and some white cloth. He gave the berry to Hazel. She began to eat it as Ryan wrapped the cloth around Hazel's hurt arm. She grimaced twice: Once when it touched her wound and again when Ryan tied it off.

"There." Ryan said. "Now with the Sitrus Berry, it should be better by tomorrow morning, but I wouldn't sleep on it tonight."

"Thanks Dr. Ryan." Hazel said with a smile.

Ryan smiled back.

"I don't know about you two," Hazel said. "but I'm exhausted. I'm gonna get some sleep. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Good night!"

"I'm with you." Dillan agreed. "Good night."

He laid down and heard Ryan chime in with a, "Good night, guys." then he thought about the day. He thought about the sandslash and how strong they were. _They could have killed me if I didn't have my instincts. Was I possibly a good fighter when I had my memories? Is that how I got my skills?_ He then thought about the nuzleaf. _I could have saved them all? Everyone there could have fought the group... Now they're gone, somewhere... If I ever find that group of psychos, I'll make them tell me what happened to those pokemon. I'll save them. I have to fix my mistake... I have to..._ Dillan then drifted into a dream.


	7. Team Force

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 7

Team Force

* * *

Dillan was in a big room. The walls were filled with paintings. Most were blurred as if there was a kind of warp in reality that prevented Dillan from seeing the art that the canvas held. Other pictures were as clear as day. There was also a row of canvases that hadn't been painted yet.

Dillan walked to one of the pictures he could make out. It was labelled, "True Friends". It was a picture of Ryan, Hazel, and him. They were walking away from a town. The sun cast rays on light towards their faces. They looked content. Each one of them were smiling.

Dillan then looked at another picture. All of Team Rapture were in this one. They were along a gravel path. There were grassy plains stretching towards a set of mountains. Dillan was exhaling flames. His face seemed concerned, as if he wanted to say something and the fire gushed out like his emotions he had held inside of himself. Hazel looked at him with a worried expression. Ryan was sitting on the gravel, looking in awe as he watched the flames come forth from his mouth.

He moved on to the last picture before all of the white ones. Team Rapture was in a room that had bones across the floor. Hazel and Ryan were at an exit to the cave. Ryan was in front of Hazel, his cheeks flared with blue electricity. Hazel was behind him. She was holding her bloody arm as she watched two sandslash come closer. Her face was stricken with fear. Dillan wasn't with them. He was at the front of the picture. He was cowering as three sandslash encircled him.

 _What is this room?_

"Do you really want to know?" A mystical, female voice called out from behind Dillan. Dillan whipped backwards to face the voice.

He saw a pokemon that had a kind of white dress. It had a pink disk emerge from the middle of her chest, almost as if she was skewered with it. It's body was tin and slender. The pokemon had green banks of hair covering the front of her face. Her purple eyes were visible in parts of her hair.

"Well?" the Gardevoir asked.

"Who are you?" Dillan asked.

"My real name must remain unknown for the time being, but you may call me Reya."

"Why can't you tell me your real name?"

Reya thought about it for about three seconds, contemplating what her next words would be. She then said, "I cannot tell you."

"Why?" Dillan asked, even more confused than before.

"Please, we don't have much time..."

"Before what?"

"Let me speak to you while I still can."

Dillan was flooded with questions. He wanted to know where he was, where his friends were, who she was. "Alright then." Dillan said. "But I have one condition."

"What is it?"

"I listen to you and then you answer my questions."

She looked at him with a concerned expression. She then said, "You will only ask five questions and no more. though, I can't guarantee you that I will be able to answer them."

"Fine. Go on."

"I come from a great distance to deliver you a quest. You wish to know more about your past, first you must understand why you are here."

"You know about my past?" Dillan said. He no longer cared what she had to say. he just wanted his memories back.

"Dillan." Reya said sternly. "Remember, you may only ask me questions when I am finished. That was our agreement. The more time you waist interrupting me, the less time you give me to answer."

"Fine. So why am I here?"

"You must figure that out on your own." She said.

 _What? She can't be serious!_

"I am only here to point you in the right direction." Reya told him. "You must go to the Castle Ruins in the Alka Territory. There, you must find-"

A wave of nausea washed over Dillan. The room seemed to fluctuate for a second.

"What was that?" Dillan asked.

"I do not have any more time!" Reya said. She was talking quicker. She sounded rushed. "I will contact you when I can! Dillan. Go to the Castle Ruins and fi-"

The room fluctuated; this time was more violent than the last. Dillan blacked out.

* * *

He woke up with sweat all over his head. He was breathing rapidly. He looked around and found himself in the burrow he had dug. Hazel wasn't there. Ryan was asleep, he was sprawled out on the dirt.

 _What was that? Was that a dream? That lady... Reya... She told me to go to the Castle Ruins... Right?_

Dillan got up and walked out side. The sun was shinning brightly. It felt a little warmer than normal. Dillan didn't mind it, though. The heat waves felt nice on his scales. Hazel was sitting on the grass, digging through her bag. Her arm was still bandaged up, though she didn't look pained by moving it. The bandage had blood stains on it.

Dillan came up to her and sat down. Hazel glanced up at him from her bag and said, "Sleep well?"

"Uh..." _What should I say? Should I tell her about my dream? I don't know. She might think I ate something last night..._

"It was good." he told her. It wasn't a lie, seeing as it wasn't a nightmare. It just wasn't the whole truth. _No... I'm still deceiving her... I can't just justify it like that._

"That's good." Hazel said. "At least someone slept well."

"Why do you say that?" Dillan asked.

"Well, Ryan woke up yelling which in turn woke me up. I was shocked you slept through it. Anyways, he wouldn't tell me what his dream was about. I could tell it bothered him. I couldn't get to sleep after that. I've just been out here, watching the sun rise."

"That sucks..." Dillan said.

"What part?"

"Hey." Ryan called from behind. The two pokemon looked at him.

"Hi." Hazel said.

"Hello." Dillan told him.

"You guys ready to go?" Ryan asked the two.

"I'm good." Dillan said. "How about you Hazel?"

"I'm ready," she started. "just let me get some breakfast out. We can eat while we walk."

Hazel looked through her bag. She pulled out three blue berries. She tossed one to Ryan and held another out to Dillan. Dillan skewered it wit his claw like a kabob. He then started eating it. Each bite tasted sweeter than the last.

"By the way Hazel," Ryan started. "how's your arm doing?"

Hazel looked at the bandages. She moved her arm, trying to get a pulse of pain from it.. She then burned the cloth on her arm. Dillan instinctually grimaced at the sight of Hazel torching her arm, though she didn't seem bothered by it. The cloth disintegrated, leaving her arm bare. It looked fine. There was a scar, but that was all that was left.

"It's fine." she said with a smile. "Thanks again for last night."

"Don't mention it." Ryan said as he took another bite out of the berry. "Now then, let's get a move on. We've got a few hours of walking before we get to Kerroshia."

With that, Hazel and Dillan stood up. Dillan left the burrow as it was as if it was a sign that said, "Dillan's been here". Team Rapture departed down the gravel path.

* * *

After about three hours of walking, Dillan felt full of energy. He couldn't tell why. Usually, he couldn't walk for more than two hours without feeling a little drained, yet now he felt like walking another hour or two. Maybe it was the warmth touching his scales in waves.

"There's the river!" Hazel said to her team.

She was right. There was a river ahead and a bridge that went over it. Dillan was intrigued by what he saw on the other side of the bridge. There was sand, an ocean of it. It went on as far as the eye could see.

"That's so cool!" Dillan exclaimed. "How is it we're standing on grass, but then on the other side of the bridge, sand?"

"It's a natural phenomenon." Hazel said. "No one knows why it's like that, just that it is. There are myths that say there's a pokemon that keeps it this way. Though, I can't remember how the myth goes."

"Well, let's get this over with." Ryan said in a worried tone.

"What's wrong, Ryan?" Dillan said.

"I don't like sand." he said. "It screws with my electric attacks. It makes it easier for my opponents to disperse my electrical attacks into the sand."

"Well," Hazel began with a smile. "no use in worrying about that. We need to keep moving forward. Just let me get some water for the journey."

They walked across the bridge and into Kerroshia. Hazel went down to the river. She took six canteens out of her bag and started filling them with water. It was then that Dillan had realized something.

"Hazel," he started. "how is it that you can store so much in your bag?"

Hazel looked at him with a smile and said, "It's a Wonder Bag! I'm not sure how it works, but you can fit just about everything in here. The only flaw is you can't put something that's bigger than the opening of the bag into it, but I guess even the most useful items have their flaws."

Just then something flew by and took Hazel's bag off of the ground. It flew around and landed a few feet down the river. There was a group of pokemon standing there. The flyer dropped the bag in front of what looked like the leader. It was a muscular, bipedal, purple pokemon with red stripes along his arms. It had black underwear on, which made it look less intimidating. The muscular pokemon was about six-feet tall. It also had some kind of short, tan mohawk on it's head. The pokemon to the leader's left was hovering in the air. It was just a head with floating hands at it's side. It didn't have arms. It was purple and had it's mouth open in a malicious smile. It's tongue was hanging out. That with it's large, tri-angular eyes made the pokemon look crazy. The flying pokemon flew to the Machoke's right and stood there. It's feathers were a mixture of black, white, and grey. It's head was black with some white around it's face like a kimono girl would have, except it's beak was orange. The staravia looked at the machoke expectantly. The haunter just stared at Dillan.

"Hey!" Hazel cried out to the group of thieves. She stopped almost immediately when the machoke's eyes met Hazel's.

Ryan ran over to them and stood feet from their, well, feet. He looked at the machoke's face. It didn't seem to notice Ryan. It just stared at Hazel.

"Down here!" Ryan called to the machoke. It looked at him. "That's our stuff! Give it back before I-"

"Before you what?" the Haunter said. She had a feminine voice of a psycho. "Immobilize us with your adorable looks?" She talked to Ryan like he was three.

"Get lost, tiny!" the machoke said. His voice was very deep. He then kicked Ryan in the chest. Ryan flew in an arch and landed in the river.

Ryan struggled to keep himself afloat. He yelled, "Help!"

Hazel and Dillan realized what he was saying immediately. They both went to help him when the staravia swooped down and plucked him out of the water. It then dropped him in front of his team. Ryan hit the ground and stood up. He shook of the water from his fur and went to confront the machoke. Hazel grabbed his arm and kept him there. Ryan started hurling profanity at the group.

"Save it pipsqueak." the staravia said. Her voice had a profound touch to it, yet Dillan knew she acted nothing like she sounded. "We aren't here for you!"

"Who are you guys?" Dillan asked through gritted teeth. He was getting tired of the way they were treating his teammates.

The machoke put on a look of fake-shock. "You mean," he began. "Sig hasn't told you about us?" He then took a few steps forward. "Sig, I thought we were friends."

"We were, Dean!" Hazel shouted. "Why don't you take your team and just go!"

"I would," Dean said. "but then I couldn't introduce myself to pipsqueak and your other buddy!"

"Who you calling 'pipsqueak'!" Ryan shouted.

"Hey." Dillan started walking up to Dean. With every step he took, he felt as though Dean was getting bigger. When he was next to him, Dean was about a head taller then him, not to mention how massive his muscles were compared to his sticks for arms. He immediately felt insignificant.

"What is it, blue?" Dean said as he smiled from above him. "You aren't a scaredy-skitty, are you?"

Dillan opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He just stood there, realizing how big a mistake he had made when confronted with this behemoth.

The haunter then fazed through Dean's body and shrieked in front of Dillan. Dillan instinctively fell backwards and landed on his fin. Pain surged through him as he felt it bend. It then remained firm, and Dillan leaned on it.

"Nice one, Jess!" Dean said to the haunter. They both exploded into laughter.

"THAT'S IT!" Ryan yelled. He broke free of Hazel and rushed Dean. His cheeks started sparking with blue electricity. A bolt of energy emerged from Ryan's body and flew towards Dean. Dean grabbed Dillan by the leg and threw him towards the lightning. Dillan collided with it, but it only tingled Dillan's insides. Dillan landed on the floor in front of Ryan. Dean then rushed them. He grabbed Ryan and planted his feet in the sand. Dean had a grin of malice on his face. Ryan jolted him with electricity, but it dispersed into the ground. Dean then started squeezing Ryan's skull. Ryan started screaming from the pain that was being exerted.

"STOP!" Hazel yelled. "Stop Dean! Take the bag, take anything! Just don't kill him!"

"Kill him?" Dean said. "I'm not gonna kill him, just teach him a lesson!"

"Get him Dean!" Jess said from behind her leader.

"STOP!" Ryan's pleas for mercy were muffled from the big hand around his head. "PLEASE STOP!"

"You gonna be any trouble?" Dean asked.

"NO!" Ryan yelled. "NO! JUST PLEASE STOP SQUEEZING! I CAN'T BREATHE!"

Dean dropped Ryan on top of Dillan. The pachirisu breathed very rapidly. He was shaking very badly. He held his paws to his head.

"Now then," Dean said. "I, am Dean," He gave a bow. "the haunter is Jess," She gave a wink and a maniacal laugh as she joined her leader on his left. "and the staravia is Hailey." She flew to her leader's right side. "We're Team Force! Don't make one mistake in thinking we are your equals. You losers are nothing compared to us!"

"Dean," Hazel said. "what do you want?"

"Nothing much." Dean answered. "Just to see how our dear friend Sig is doing."

"Boss," Hailey said to Dean. "the mission."

"Oh, right." Dean said with a smirk. "You'll have to excuse us. It's a long way to the Alkan forest. We'll be taking our leave."

"Aw!" Jess moaned. "We just got here! Plus we made some new friends! Can't we stay for five more minutes!"

Hailey gave Jess the death stare. "You know our mission comes first!" Jess just stuck her tongue out at Hailey.

"We'll see you later Sig!" Dean said as he walked over the bridge. He left Hazel's bag on the sand. "Have fun with Skitty and Pipsqueak!" With that, the team was gone.

Ryan was still shaking when he got off of Dillan. He started walking a couple of feet, then sat down.

Dillan stood up and faced Hazel.

"Sig?" he asked. "You know them? What just happened?"

"W-Well..." Hazel started. "I-I do know two of them... Dean and Hailey..."

"Let me guess." Ryan said with a voice that was between pained and scared. "They were the ones that left you."

Hazel nodded. "We use to be friends," She said. "then they met a bad group of pokemon and changed... See, we grew up in Labensia Castle together... Me, Dean, and Hailey. We use to talk about making an exploration team together... I got everything we needed for it. That's when they moved to Fericia Castle. I couldn't stand the idea that we wouldn't be able to be a team. So, on my sixteenth birthday, my parents sent me to live with my grand-parents in Fericia Castle so I could follow my dream. When I saw Dean and Hailey, they had changed. They were mean, though I didn't want to except they were different.

"Well, when we were gonna apply for the Guild together. They ditched me... They said it was because of my lack of taste." Hazel started to tear up. "They took all of the supplies and left me alone... I broke down for weeks.

"Wait." Dillan interrupted. "I thought your father lived in Fericia Castle."

"No. I said he had a berry farm outside of the castle.

"Anyways, after a few months, I heard a rumor of two kids about my age that had stumbled into the castle. They were injured and based on their wounds, they were in a big fight. I thought maybe if I befriended them, they would want to join an Exploration Team with me... That's why I was in the hospital... To see you two..."

"Hazel," Ryan walked over to her. He was no longer shaking. "Don't feel bad about those losers ditching you. They don't deserve someone as cool as you on their team. Besides, if they didn't leave you, you wouldn't have met us. So, wipe away those tears."

She did as she was told. She then smiled and gave Ryan a hug. Ryan looked just a bit uncomfortable, but he was getting use to the sudden embraces thrusted upon him.

"Now then," Ryan started. Hazel let go of him. "let's move on. We've got a long way to go until we get to Kerroshia."

The team stood up. Hazel went to grab her bag. Team Rapture set off again to Poltress Town.

* * *

When the group made their way over _What was it now? The fifteenth sand dune?_ , their eyes set on a small town. It looked like a ghost town. There was a big hole at the front of the town. Dillan thought about what that could have been for.

"There's Poltress!" Ryan said. Hazel's face whitened, which is saying something considering that her scales were normally red.

"L-Let's just move quickly." Hazel stuttered.

"Why?" Ryan asked.

"Maybe she's right." Dillan said. "I'm not sure that town looks very friendly." Hazel quickly nodded in agreement.

"Alright," Ryan said. "but you guys are acting strange."

The team walked onwards. Dillan wanted to ask Hazel why she was acting so strangely. He didn't really believe something was wrong with Poltress. He just said that because he didn't want Hazel feeling even more uncomfortable.

When they got near the town, Dillan started feeling something ominous in the air. It was like the very wind wanted to escape the town that lied before Team Rapture. Dillan could see why.

The houses had cob webs all over every crevice. Walls were knocked inwards. Rubble was in the streets. Some houses weren't even houses, but a pile of rock and wood. All of the colored roofs were faded. Nothing looked nice. Every house had one thing wrong with it, if not two.

Dillan walked cautiously. He closed his eyes to find his 'Miracle Sense', but it was no use. He knew he couldn't use it outside of a cave. _Oh, well. It was worth a shot._

The team found themselves in what looked like the town square. It had a statue of a pokemon standing on a pedestal that was about two feet tall. The statue itself looked about four feet. It was a bipedal pokemon. It's head looked like it also served as the body. It had arms and stubby legs. The pokemon's head was fat. It's mouth reminded Dillan of Jess from before, with her wide grin of malice. It's eyes were the one thing that stood out to Dillan. It's expression was that of a grinning psycho.

"We're in the middle of town." Ryan pointed out. He didn't seem bothered by the statue. Hazel, however, eyed it with a suspicious glance.

"Then we're half-way through?" she asked.

"Yep." Ryan responded. "This way, guys."

Team Rapture went around the statue. Dillan watched it's eyes. They seemed to follow his movements. Dillan figured the state of the town was starting to get to him. That's when he felt worse. He felt uncomfortable, as if eyes were watching him and his teammates. They looked unsure as well. Hazel picked up the pace. Ryan and Dillan followed. The exit to the town was in sight now. _Finally. I can't stand this town._ That's when it happened.

A pokemon came out of an alley. It couldn't be described as a bipedal or quadrupedal pokemon, seeing as it stood on four stubby feet that protruded from its base and it had arms farther up its body. The pokemon had wavy lips that made a zigzag on it's face. Its eyes were squinting. It had a black tail coming from behind its base. The tail had big, white eyes on the front. The pokemon's body was skinny around the waist and came up like a balloon to its big head.

The wobbuffet stood there, motionless. It didn't speak. It seemed to have a stare down with the team. Hazel looked at it with fear. She took a step backwards.

"Who are you?" Dillan asked the wobbuffet.

No response.

Ryan walked up to it. He tried to go around the pokemon. The wobbuffet stepped in front of Ryan before he could pass. Ryan tried again with the same outcome.

"What's the deal?" Ryan asked. The wobbuffet's reluctance to let him pass annoyed Ryan.

The wobbuffet didn't speak.

Dillan heard cackling from behind him. He flew around to face the culprit. He didn't see anyone or anything, just the path they had taken to get there.

"Move." Ryan commanded. "Now."

No response.

Dillan finally took notice of Hazel's expression. He asked her, "What's wrong?"

"T-That…" she stammered. "Thing is a w-wobbuffet!" She sounded ready to scream.

"So?" Dillan asked.

"So it's annoying!" Ryan said. He directed his words more to the wobbuffet than Dillan.

"N-No." Hazel said. "I-It's a G-Ghost type!"

"So?" Ryan asked.

"That m-means the rumors a-are true about Polt-tress town…"

"No it doesn't! Wobbuffet's a psychic type!" Ryan said as he tried to step around the pokemon again. It blocked his path again.

Dillan was confused.

"Is that why you've been acting so strange?" Ryan asked. "Because of some lame rumor?"

"No!" Hazel shouted. Dillan looked back at her. She was not yelling at Ryan. Dillan looked on with horror.

A big pokemon was grabbing Hazel by the arm. It had a massive body and no legs. It had some kind of swirl protruding from its underside. It had a massive mouth on its stomach that opened its yellow lips wide. It also had a white head on the top with a single, red eye glowing from a wide, black socket.

Ryan rushed the dusknoir, or at least he tried to. A chain snaked its way from the wobbuffet's foot and attached itself to Ryan's arm. It wouldn't let him go.

"What in Arceus' name-" he said as he looked at the chain that now tethered him to the wobbuffet.

"You can't leave me, yet!" the wobbuffet finally spoke up. Its voice was higher than normal, masculine, and rough. "We haven't played!"

Dillan looked at Hazel who was now screaming as the dusknoir started dragging her into an alley on the left. Dillan watched in horror.

Ryan looked at the wobbuffet. "Let go of me!" he said. His cheeks started sparking as a jolt of electricity flew through the air in an arc towards the blue pokemon. The wobbuffet's body suddenly turned into a glossy surface. When the bolt hit, wobbuffet seemed to absorb it.

"What the-" Ryan began. He didn't get to finish his sentence. The wobbuffet started glowing as a bright beam shot out from its chest towards Ryan. He tried to move, but he had forgotten about the chain which restricted his movements. The beam hit him in the face. Ryan gave a yelp of pain as the blast pushed his body forwards, but the chain held him in position. Dillan couldn't imagine how painful that was for Ryan. When the blast finished, Ryan was on his knees, panting.

 _Stop standing here! You can help! You need to!_ Dillan finally got over the shock. He knew what to do, he just didn't know which of his friends to help. Hazel was screaming from the dusknoir as he was about to disappear into the shadows of the alley. Ryan was struggling to get back up. The blast had obviously hurt him.

Ryan looked at Dillan and yelled, "Stop wasting time! Go after Hazel!"

Dillan looked to Hazel. He rushed forwards to the dusknoir. Ryan then yelled. Dillan stopped and looked towards Ryan. He was surrounded by floating, black heads with purple smoke irradiating off of their very skin.. They were all bombarding Ryan. Dillan ran towards Ryan. That's when Hazel's screams dissipated. He looked towards the alley to find Hazel was gone. Ryan's yelling started sounding more fearful. Dillan looked towards the pachirisu. The onslaught had ended. Dillan couldn't get a view of his friend. His adrenaline kicked in. His fins glowed and extended into a Dragon Claw. Dillan started shouting as he ran towards the horde of pokemon. They turned towards him. That's when Dillan noticed the large beady eyes that looked like a permanent scowl. They're mouths were in an evil smile, revealing two lone fangs. They started to float higher in the air and above Dillan. Dillan looked at the wobbuffet. It was gone. So was Ryan. Fear started taking hold of the gabite. He looked left, then right. He frantically called out to Ryan.

"He won't hear you!" the ghastly called out in unison from above Dillan. "He's gone! But don't worry! You'll be joining him soon!"

Dillan was terrified. The ghastly started charging him. Dillan's instincts kicked in like they had in Void Canyon. He started shoveling sand as fast as he could with his claws. The sand acted as a sort of smoke screen. It pelted multiple ghastly in the eyes. They started screaming in pain. The ones that weren't affected still came towards Dillan, but he didn't give them the chance to take him. Dillan kept digging. He went through the sand like it was air. He kept shoveling sand behind him. He started blocking the hole he had come from. Dillan held his breath out of fear as he made a ninety degree turn and started going north. He made a few random changes in his direction to the point that Dillan didn't know where he was going. His miracle sense was back, but he wasn't paying attention. His brain was on auto pilot. Dillan kept digging.

He dug for about five more minutes before stopping. He finally remembered to breath, yet he couldn't. He had blocked off his air flow. Dillan started digging upwards. When he reached the surface, he started to hyperventilate. After he was back to breathing normally, he looked around. He was outside of Poltress. He looked at the place in horror. _What did I just do... Ryan and Hazel are there... Why did I leave?_

"Arceus!" Dillan yelled. he didn't know what it meant, but he had heard his team say it multiple times, so it felt right. _I left Hazel and Ryan! I could have saved one of them! I hesitated! Why did I hesitate?! Now they're both gone! All because I couldn't make a decision..._ Dillan moped around. The sun was starting to go down. He looked at the town. The shadows were facing him, making Poltress look as though an ominous shadow was over the town. _What now?_ Dillan sat in silence. The sun no longer felt good. It felt cold. He fingered the sapphire that hung from his neck. He then looked at his bandanna. It was his reminder of his team. They shared the same symbol and the same team. The sapphire star started to pull at Dillan's neck. It felt like it was leaning ever so slightly towards Poltress.

Dillan looked at the town. _What am I doing? Why am I giving up? Hazel is probably terrified and Ryan's probably getting himself into more trouble. My teammates need me! They're counting on me! I can't just surrender!_ Dillan stood up. He touched his claw towards the sapphire. He felt the fear lingering in the back of his mind, but the sudden thoughts of hope filled him with courage. Dillan started trudging onwards, knowing that whatever was lurking in the town was not going to stop him from saving his team.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Hey guys! MasterKnight here! Just wanted to give a shout out to KALIFEO over at Deviant Art! He did the cover art for my stories. (He doesn't have much as of 10?17?2017; only my requests. Give him a llama anyways! ;D) A special thanks to KALIFEO!

"Stories?!" you may ask. Yes. I brought back the prologues except this time, they are in a separate story. This is for people who want to get an idea of the history of Ganderosa. Ironically, it is called "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The History of Ganderosa".

Thanks again for reading! A special shout out for the fans of the story (DiegoAvmor, KALIFEO, and Ralmon) as well as the followers (Something dictionary related, The Unimaginitive One, avidreader-everafter, and jakeroo123)! You guys are the reason I keep writing this story! (This is the list as of 10/17/2017)

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

(P. S. PM me if you don't want to be mentioned)


	8. Spirits of the Dark

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 8

Spirits of the Dark

* * *

When Dillan got to the outskirts of Poltress, he lurked behind one of the buildings. He poked his head around the corner. He didn't see anyone down the sandy streets. Dillan was hoping he would see at least one pokemon. The fact that he didn't meant they were somewhere else, stalking him... _Don't think like that!_ he scolded. Dillan ran around the corner to the next alley as quietly as possible. _If I were a bunch of ghosts, where would I take my captives?_ Dillan looked around for a building that was different. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Dillan ran to the next alley, then the next, then the next. No one was there. _If I could catch one of the ghosts, maybe I could get it to tell me where my friends are._

Dillan felt a breath on his shoulder. His pupils dilated. He tensed up and slowly turned around, facing the shadowy alley. Dillan squinted his eyes to get a better look. He didn't see anything except a doll that was as big as Ryan. Dillan walked slowly towards the doll. It was a bleached yellow with a wooden stick for a tail. There were eyes that looked like a child scribbled a black crayon on the face. The child also drew a zigzag smile with red cheeks. The doll looked eerie. The base of the doll was a dome. It had two little slits in the chest that revealed nothing but darkness. It also had ears with black tips.

The doll just sat there, staring at him. Dillan, being the freaked-out pokemon he was, eyed the doll as he backed out of the alley. When Dillan realized he was out of the alley, he also saw he was in the middle of the street. Anyone who was near could see him. The gabite bolted down the street and ducked into a hole in one of the houses. He sat there and regained his breath. The house was very dark. There was a broken window that revealed the street. Dillan got up and strode over to the window. He looked out to see if anyone had followed him. Nothing.

Dillan suddenly heard a cry coming from behind him. It sounded like a baby's. He turned around to find a wave of pink ripples forming a circle blasted him in the face. Dillan felt a surge of agony run through his body coming from his snout. He kneeled on one leg for stability. He looked at the creator of the blast. It was the doll. Its head was tilted. The shadows around its face seemed to make it look menacing. Dillan was frightened. _No! You can't let fear take hold! Attack!_

Dillan focused on his fins. They started growing longer. They illuminated Dillan's section of the room in a blue light. The gabite lunged at the mimikyu. It just stood there. When Dillan's fins made contact with the mimikyu's face, they shrunk into Dillan's arm. _What on Ganderosa?_ The doll whipped around and a shadow stretched from under its feet. The shadow seemed to consume all of the light in the room as it grew into a massive arm with claws like razors. The claw came down onto Dillan. He isn't know a shadow could become solid, let alone slice his scales. Blood started trickling down Dillan's arm. He decided to counter with a Dragon Claw. Once again, it didn't touch the doll. _That's not working! I need to try something else._ _Maybe dig._ He tapped his foot on the wooden floor. He dodged another shadow claw attack. _That won't work! I need something else!_

"Die!" the mimikyu shouted as a flash of light irradiated off of the pokemon. Dillan put his arms up to protect his eyes. His chest burned as if the light emitted U. V. rays that seared his scales. Dillan let out a scream.

When the burning finished, Dillan dared a look. The light was gone, but no such luck with the mimikyu and the shadowy claw that arched towards Dillan. He lunged right and avoided the attack. _The only other move I know is the Flame Thrower..._ Dillan focused on his chest, trying to conjure up the flame. He felt nothing. The mimikyu shrieked like a child and another wave of pink circles flew towards Dillan. _I can't lose! I need something to focus on! A passion!_ He leapt to the right again to dodge the rings. _I need to focus on my friends!_ He thought about the memories he had made in the past few days with Ryan and Hazel. The fire appeared. He drew his head back and launched a breath of flame towards the mimikyu. The doll threw its head in front of the flames. Once Dillan stopped, the mimikyu's head was seared. Its neck seemed to be snapped as its head flopped around like a sack. Dillan had no idea what was happening, but the mimikyu wasn't fazed by pain.

"It'll take me hours to fix that!" it shouted in rage.

The doll started glowing again. Dillan was ready this time. He dove for the broken window. With a "crash" the remaining glass shattered with Dillan flying through. His feet were singed by the Dazzling Gleam, but other than that, he was fine; though, he felt exhausted due to the fight. The doll jumped after him. _Perfect!_ Dillan dug under the ground. His miracle sense kicked in. He saw the mimikyu from above. Dillan emerged from underneath, throwing the mimikyu into the air. He then cocked his head back and sent another wave of flames towards the doll. It had no traction to dodge. The attack hit it full blast. With a scream, the pokemon fell to the floor with a "thud". It didn't get up. The doll's ears were on fire. Dillan ran over for fear of the pokemon incinerating. He started piling dirt on top of the mimikyu's ears. He didn't want to kill it, just wound it to make sure it couldn't kill it. After the fire was extinguished, Dillan looked around. H was in the wide open. He was surprised no one else had heard him. _Where are they?_

He started speed walking down the street, ducking into alleyway to alleyway. He tried not to think about the mimikyu.

* * *

Dillan walked down the streets until he came into the town square. He stared at the gengar statue. He was looking at its left side. It still freaked him out. _What is with that statue? Something doesn't feel right about that thing._ The sapphire around Dillan's neck started getting heavier. He clawed at the sapphire lightly. He remembered how it had led him back to Poltress. _What are you trying to show me?_ The sapphire seemed to pull him towards it. Dillan walked to the statue. He walked around it, trying to find something abnormal about the gengar. He stopped in the front of the statue. Dillan found a plaque on the statue's base. He read it aloud.

"With red eyes that pierce into one's soul, look towards the rising sun to find the entrance to the underworld." _Like hell? That underworld? Is that where my friends are being held?_ Dillan thought about that for a few seconds before returning to the riddle.

 _Red eyes..._ He saw the statues beady eyes were glowing red. _It has to be talking about the statue's eyes, but they can't look at the sun... Can they?_ Dillan looked at the sun. It was still setting. He faced the statue. _Can it rotate?_ The gabite grabbed at the statue with his arms. He tried to move it. It didn't move. _I have to try more force._ With all of the energy Dillan could muster, he tried to move the statue. It started rotating slowly. A smug grin formed on his face. He kept rotating it until it faced the sun. Dillan waited for a few seconds. Nothing happened.

Dillan thought about the riddle again. _"With red eyes that pierce into one's soul, look towards the rising sun to find the entrance to the underworld." The rising sun... That's what's missing! The rising sun is towards the east, not west._ Dillan grabbed the statue and started rotating it again. This time, he made sure it was facing away from the sun. There was a "click" and a "Ka-Chunk" noise. The statue's eyes started getting brighter. There was a rumbling in the sand as the floor started shifting below Dillan. The gabite ran away from the statue. It started to spin as the floor collapsed to form a stair case leading into the darkness of the earth. Dillan looked at the new entrance. Dillan started descending down the stairs, into the darkness.

* * *

Once he was at the bottom, there was no light left. Dillan's miracle sense kicked in. He saw a corridor leading into a doorway. He could hear faint shouts echoing from the entrance. Once he was at the doorway, the shouting got louder. There was another path. There was light at the end of this path. Dillan proceeded down the hall. He could sense a massive room that steeped downwards to a stage. There were pokemon flooding the room.

Dillan entered the room. It was more like a dome. It had pillars going up towards the roof for support. The dome lit by candles. The room had a slope with stairs big enough to be seats. It was filled to the brim with ghost types. He looked downwards towards the stage. Hazel and Ryan were tied to a stick in the back. They were both gaged.. There were candles surrounding them. Hazel looked petrified with fear. Ryan looked like fighting every one of the pokemon in the room.

There was the dusknoir from earlier on the stage, motioning the pokemon to lower their voices. There was a table in the middle of the stage. It had a stone sitting on top.

Once the room was quiet, the dusknoir spoke. "Pokemon of Poltress! Thank you for coming! On this day, Poltress has had its fiftieth visitors!" He gestured towards Hazel and Ryan. "With these souls, we will be sad no more! We will offer these souls to our great leader! He will bring back the town to its former glory! The oasis will rise! The buildings will re-form! Our town will flourish in a new era! Spiritomb will bring us peace!" The ghost types started chanting the name Isac. The dusknoir opened his arms, receiving their praise. He then lowered his hands slowly, signaling the other pokemon to quiet down. "All those who do not agree," he started. "let him speak now!"

 _I have to think of something quickly!_ Dillan dug into the floor and shouted from the hole, "Isac, sir!" The crowd turned towards him, but the hole wasn't very visible, so it left them wondering who was speaking.

"Yes?" Isac asked.

"What are we giving Spiritomb in return for his deeds?" Dillan was terrified, hoping no one would notice his hole. He was also trying not to let his fear taint his voice.

"We are offering him sacrifices!" he said with dignity. "We are bringing him back from his wakeless slumber!"

"But why would he stay?" _I hope I'm not making a mistake..._

The crowd gasped in horror.

"Because we are his loyal subjects!" Isac shouted over the whispers that filled the room.

"It just feels like if Spiritomb was as smart as you- I mean WE think he is, he would leave Poltress. It just feels like we are using him for our benefit.

"Who is talking?" Isac shouted. He wasn't letting his anger cloud his profound tone. "Stand so we know who you are!

 _Dang it! What do I do now?_

"I agree!" a crowd member shouted. "It does feel like we would be using him. Why wouldn't he leave?"

"Yeah, Isac." another chimed in. "Why not?"

Pretty soon, the whole place erupted into a debate of "why"s or "why not"s.

"Silence!" Isac shouted. He kept his look of dignity. "If you all feel as though Master Spiritomb needs more! Everyone! Go out and find all of your most treasured possessions; whether it be a watch or your own child. We shall give the possession to Master Spiritomb to show our allegiance! Bring them here!" Dillan could sense him pointing to the crowd. "You two. Stay here and guard the offerings. I will be back shortly." With that, Isac motioned for the ghost types to rise through the sandy ceiling to the surface. He floated through the ceiling to join his ghostly supporters.

Dillan looked on with amazement. _I can't believe that worked!_ He jumped out of the hole to get a look at the remaining pokemon. They were both haunters, just like the one from Team Force. Dillan rushed towards the two remaining haunters. They didn't see him coming. Dillan's fins extended into a glowing Dragon Claw attack. He lunged at the first haunter. It was caught completely off guard. Dillan started hitting it with his fins, beating whatever features the ghost had. Hazel and Ryan saw Dillan and started shouting at him, but the gags didn't help Dillan understand their warnings. The second one quickly realized what was going on. With a grin, the haunter slashed at Dillan. He felt his back being sliced. Dillan winced in pain. He slashed the first haunter one more time before lunging at the second one. He slashed at its face. The haunter shrieked in pain. Dillan then planted his feet, brought his head back, found his flame, and exhaled fire. The haunter gave another cry before falling to the ground.

Dillan looked at the haunter as they lay there unconscious. He then went over to Hazel and Ryan. He used his Dragon Claw to cut the rope that bound them to the wooden post. Hazel and Ryan proceeded to take off their gags.

"Guys," Ryan began. He was scowling at Dillan. "We need to leave before those pokemon get back."

"Agreed." Dillan said. Even though he saw Ryan's scowl, he didn't have time to dwell on that. "Follow me." Dillan faced a wall and started digging into it. Once it was big enough, everyone got inside. Dillan wasn't digging as fast as last time because he didn't want to fling dirt into his friend's eyes. He dug for five minutes before going at an angle as to reach the surface.

* * *

Once he broke through, Dillan gave a quick look around to view his surroundings. They were outside of Poltress Town. It was about forty feet from the town. Team Rapture exited the hole.

"Let's keep moving." Ryan said. He didn't make eye contact with Dillan. "They'll know we've escaped pretty soon and I don't want to be here when they do."

"Wait!" Hazel shouted to Ryan. "Are you mad?" Hazel asked the pachirisu.

"No." Ryan said flatly.

"Did I do something?" Dillan asked.

"Exactly." Ryan said.

Dillan understood. "It was because of what I didn't do, isn't it? It's because I couldn't decide which one of you to save... My lack of decision made sure you and Hazel were both captured..."

"Exactly." Ryan said. Silence flooded into the conversation.

"Hey," Hazel said to the white squirrel. "relax Ryan." She sounded sympathetic. "Dillan may have been flustered. We were both scared-"

"I don't get scared." he said with annoyance.

"Fine." Hazel said with the same tone. "I was scared and you were yelling-" Ryan gave a stern glance in her direction. "from pure adrenaline. Dillan was confused about who to save. I know I would be; and you would too. Even if that was a mistake, in the end, Dillan showed courage by coming back for us." She turned towards Dillan. "By the way, was that you questioning the dusknoir?"

"Yeah..." Dillan said. He was still ashamed by what Ryan said.

Hazel looked at Ryan and gestured her arms in Dillan's direction.

Ryan looked towards Dillan. He sighed and said, "She's right." He sounded like he was sincere. "You did save us, so that makes up for not helping. Sorry I was cold."

"Don't be." Dillan said with a light smile. "You're right. I needed tom make a decision and I didn't. I promise I'll make a choice next time, though I don't think I'll let there be a next time."

Ryan looked behind Dillan at the town. His face turned into a look of horror. "We need to go." he said.

Dillan looked behind and saw the ghost types searching for them. They were like little spots on the horizon in a model.

"Agreed." Dillan said. The Team looked at the sun to get their sense of direction and ran off towards Kerroshia Castle, their next destination.

* * *

It had been roughly five hours since Team Rapture left the ghost town of Poltress. The sun was just about to go behind the horizon, turning the sky into a painting of pink, orange, and blue. It was getting cold, though Dillan didn't feel it. His bandanna seemed to be doing it's job. Hazel's tail started shining more light as the sky turned darker. She looked about ready to fall over due to pure exhaustion. Ryan was looking back and forth from the map to the sandy hills. Dillan's legs felt like giving out. The energy he had earlier dissipated with the heat.

"Are we almost there?" Hazel asked.

"Please stop asking that question." Ryan said as he tried to identify some kind of land mark.

Hazel thought about his answer for a few seconds. She then said, "That's not very helpful." She had a playful tone to her voice.

Ryan looked at her and smirked. He then shook his head back and forth as he went back to his map.

"What are you looking for?" Dillan asked.

"I'm trying to find the sand dunes." Ryan answered. Dillan looked around. He saw a lot of sand dunes.

"Take your pick, Ryan." Hazel said.

"That's not what I meant." Ryan started. "I think we left Poltress in the wrong direction."

"What makes you say that?" Dillan said.

"Just a feeling I have."

"Well, that feeling was wrong." Hazel said as she pointed ahead. There was a little grey spot in the distance. Ryan squinted at it. He then looked from his map to the spot. "It looks like it'll take another hour to get there."

"Then, let's pick up the pace." Ryan told his team as he started to jog.

"Ryan!" Hazel shouted after him. He turned around.

"Would you like to see how cold a desert gets in the night?" Ryan shouted to them. Dillan shuddered involuntarily. He then started jogging after Ryan.

"Dillan!" Hazel called out.

"No offense," Dillan said to Hazel. "but I hate the thought of the cold. Also, I don't want to find out if this bandanna has a limit."

Hazel looked at her team as they started jogging together towards the castle.

"Fine!" She surrendered. "Just wait up!"

* * *

It took a half hour of jogging to reach the castle's doors. By then, Dillan, Ryan, and Hazel felt like collapsing. The sun had vanished. Dillan looked at the big, wooden doors that were lined in steel. He walked up to it and knocked three times. A hole opened up at eye level to Dillan.

"H-Hello!" a male voice said from the hole. His voice was a little high pitched. "Welcome t-to Kerroshia Castle!" Dillan looked at the eyes.

"No, not like that!" another voice called out from behind the door. It was harsh.

"Oh..." The high voice said. His eyes turned away from Dillan. "Well then how do I do it?" Ryan gave a huff from behind Dillan as he tapped his foot on the sand.

"You need to say, 'state your business'." the harsh voice said.

"A-Alright." The eyes looked back to Dillan. "State your business."

"Uh, to deliver a package to the Guildmaster." Dillan said nervously.

"From who?" the voice said with a hint of concern.

"Guildmaster Lawrence."

"Oh. Um..." the eyes turned away from Dillan. "What now?"

"Uh..." Dillan was at a loss for words.

"Excuse me!" Ryan shouted. The eyes looked at him. "I'm sorry to interrupt whatever you guys are doing, but we were attacked by a group of cultists in Poltress a few hours ago and we just want to deliver our package so we can be on our way."

The eyes stared with worry.

"Move over." the second voice said. "You're doing it wrong."

"Well excuse me!" the higher one called.

A new pair of eyes appeared in the hole.

"You want to deliver a package to the Guildmaster?" the second voice asked.

"Yes, sir." Hazel said with her usually cheery voice.

"I hate to break it to you," the voice said. "but the Guildmaster just got back. She isn't seeing anyone at the moment, so you'll have to give it to her tomorrow."

"What?" Ryan asked. He sounded annoyed. "Look buddy, you might not have caught this, but we were almost sacrificed by cultists! I really just want to deliver-"

"Um," Hazel cut in. "could you let us in? We're really exhausted from the trek and we just want to get some rest."

"Alright." the eyes told them. The hole shut. The team waited for a few seconds. A "click" and a "crank" sound came from the other side of the doors. They opened inwards and revealed a big town nestled inside of the castle walls. Not many pokemon were in the streets due to the time of day. Two pokemon walked from behind the left door to the front of Team Rapture.

The first pokemon was as short as Ryan. It was a brown, bipedal bunny with yellow fluff around it's waist. It also had one ear that was scrunched up. The other ear extended into the air and ended with a yellow ball of cotton. It's yellow rabbit feet barely left its fluffy waist. The second one was taller than Dillan. It looked like it had armor plating its chest, shoulders, and feet. It had fins like Dillan's; except these ones were metal and shiny. The pokemon's armor was red with yellow tips.

"You guys gonna sleep here tonight?" the bunneary asked. His voice was the first voice that came from the hole.

"Why do you ask?" Ryan said with a skeptical glance.

The bunneary looked worried. "I-I was just curious!" He said with a nervous smile.

"I don't see why that's any of your business." Ryan stated.

"Don't be so judgey." Hazel said to Ryan.

"We are." Dillan said.

"Cool!" the bunneary said. "Well, don't let me bother you! Have a good night!" The bunneary left to his original position behind the door. The bisharp was still there.

"Sorry about the wait." the bisharp told them. His voice belonged to the second pokemon at the door. The pokemon you just met was my... apprentice."

With a few more skeptical glances from Ryan, the team went on. They walked up the streets. Ryan started searching the roofs while Dillan and Hazel followed. The buildings weren't all that different from Fericia's. The only difference noticeable difference were the sand-stone columns that held balconies above the streets along with the occasional bridge connecting two buildings together. It was cool to see.

Ryan spotted a yellow-roofed building. He signaled the rest of the group to follow him. The team went into a building that had a sign that said, "The Good-Night Club".

* * *

They found that the inside was almost as dark as outside; except for the occasional blue torch. There was massively loud music playing. It rattled Dillan's ear-drums. He was shocked he hadn't heard the music from outside. The room had a few multi-colored torches lighting a stage where pokemon got up and danced in some of the strangest ways Dillan had ever seen. He wasn't comfortable watching them. Ryan looked just as horrified. There was a bar that had a few pokemon who were laughing like they were drunk. The bartender was acting like everything that went on around him was normal. Hazel took the lead because Ryan was too occupied with the erratic movements of the dancers.

"Did that poliwrath just-..." he started. "and the-... with the-...What the heck is this place?!"

Dillan gently pushed Ryan onwards to meet Hazel. She was at a counter that had a bunch of slots along the back wall. There was a pokemon who was watching the dancers. It was a bipedal pokemon with a white robe on equipped a black belt around its waist. The pokemon's skin was blue with small black stripes making a netting pattern on its skin. The pokemon's head was round with a nose and black eyebrows. When Hazel approached it, the sawk turned around to face her. Its face filled with horror.

"Hey you three!" the sawk yelled. "How old are you guys?!"

"Does it matter?" Ryan asked.

"Are you kidding?!" the sawk asked. His jaw dropped. "This is a night-club! No kids allowed!"

"Excuse me," Hazel said over the music. "we're sorry we aren't full-fledged adults yet, but you don't seem to have a sign out side that says 'no teen-agers allowed'. We could take this issue to the guild and get you guys shut down for your lack of competence in making sure that kids can't enter. Now, this can all be avoided if you would be so kind as to forget the rule and give us two rooms that are side-by-side, please."

The sawk stared at Hazel. He either didn't understand what was just said, or couldn't believe he was being blackmailed by a teen. After about ten seconds, the sawk finally said, "You can't be serious. How dumb do you think I am? Even if you did get to the guild, what makes me believe you can convince them that you're telling the truth?"

Hazel reached into her bag and pulled out the package Lawrence gave to them. She handed it to the sawk. He read the package. His face filled with horror as he realized Hazel had the power to do as she said.

"Lawrence?" the sawk asked. "As in the Guildmaster Lawrence? Of the Fericia Guild?"

"The very same." Ryan said. The sawk stared for three seconds before turning around. He pulled two keys from the slots in the back. He then turned to Hazel and set the keys on the table. "L-Looks like you're credentials check out! Will that be all, miss?"

"How much for the rooms?" she asked.

"F-Free of charge!" the sawk said with a nervous smile.

"No, I insist that I pay for the rooms."

"No, no! You've already been so kind to point out our flaws in security! Please take the keys! On the house!"

"Thank you!" Hazel said as she snatched the keys off of the counter. She set them into her bag.

"Sir?" Ryan started. "Our package?"

The sawk realized he was still holding it. "Oh, yes! Right! Here you go!" He tossed the small box to Ryan. He caught it and gave it to Hazel. She then proceeded to set it back into her bag.

"Right up the stairs on your right." the sawk told them as he pointed to a hallway. "The second floor has all of our rooms."

"Thanks!" Hazel said as she started marching towards the hall. Dillan didn't know what to think of Hazel's actions. He was impressed that she noticed that there was no sign. He was even more so when she hustled the sawk into two free rooms. The other thought that came to him was, _Hazel can be vicious when she wants to be... Better remember that._

The team found a set of stairs at the end of the hallway. They walked up the stairs and found a door. When they closed it behind them, the noise level died down significantly. Hazel pulled out the two keys. She looked at their numbers. She found doors that corresponded with the keys. She was about to hand Dillan one of the keys. She looked at his claws and thought better of it. She opened the door for him.

"This is your stop." she said. "Try not to be too loud. I'll be in the next room."

"We're not gonna be sleeping in the same room?" Dillan asked.

"Yeah..." Hazel looked uncomfortable with the question. "As much as like being on the team, I don't feel comfortable sharing a room with you and Ryan."

"What's the difference between this and a tent?" Ryan chimed in.

Hazel stood there for a few seconds. Her face turned a brighter shade of crimson. "It just is." She answered.

"Hazel," Ryan said. "Earlier today, that machoke-"

"Dean." Hazel corrected.

"Right." Ryan said. "He called you 'Sig'. Why? Was it a nickname?"

"It..." Hazel started. Her face got brighter. "It stands for Sigourney."

"That's what the waiter called you back at Hailey's," Dillan said. He felt happy that he remembered a detail.

"Yeah..." Hazel said. "It's my real name..."

"It is?" Ryan asked.

"That's what I just said!" Hazel told him sternly. "I hated that name! I wanted to get rid of it ever since Dean left me alone and teamless... It reminds me too much of our past. I wanted to start over with you guys, so I changed my name."

"That's cool." Dillan said with a smile. "The name 'Hazel' is better, anyways."

Hazel looked at Dillan with a light smile. Her scales were starting to go back to normal.

"I'll be in this room if you guys need me." Hazel said as she turned towards the next door. She inserted the key and turned the lock. With a "click", the door opened. "Good night, guys." Hazel said. With that, she entered the room and shut the door.

Dillan pushed the door open with his claw. The room's interior was made completely of wood. The only things that weren't at one point a tree were the two hay beds. There wasn't anything else in the room. No pictures on the walls, no furniture, just the beds. There was a window between the two beds. There was also a torch on the wall. It was the only source of light. The music from downstairs could be heard through the floor. _This place is a dump..._

Dillan and Ryan walked into the room. It was big enough for the both of them, but he couldn't see a way that Hazel could be in the room as well.

Dillan shut the door behind him while Ryan jumped into his bed. Dillan turned towards his fuzzy friend. Ryan was staring at the ceiling. Dillan got into the bed that was next to Ryan's. Dillan stared at the ceiling with Ryan. The gabite thought about when they had met. The pachirisu had no hope at that point. He was convinced he wouldn't get away.

"Hey Ryan..." Dillan said.

"Yeah?" Ryan answered.

"Why were we kidnapped by the nuzleaf..." Silence filled the room. "I can't remember anything past being captured. I can't remember when I was taken or why. I figured since you don't have amnesia, you would know something more..."

Ryan laid there in silence, contemplating. He finally spoke up. "I'm not sure why they captured you... But I know why they took me... I was traveling when I heard a large group of pokemon coming my way... I didn't think much of it; not until I heard the screaming. I tried to run before anyone saw me... I was too late. A nuzleaf was scouting. He saw me. I tried to fight him. I would have won, but the others showed up and I was overrun. They took me because I saw them... I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time..."

Dillan sat there. It didn't help him understand what happened or why he was taken.

"I'm sorry it doesn't help..." Ryan told Dillan.

"It's cool." Dillan said.

Ryan smiled. "I'm glad they took me. I wouldn't have met you if they hadn't." That thought made Dillan smile. He hadn't thought of it that way before.

"Let's get some rest." Ryan said. "We've got a long trek tomorrow after we deliver Lawrence's letter. Good night."

"Good night." Dillan said.

It didn't take much for Dillan to pass out. He was already tired from the journey they had today. Once he closed his eyes, he instantly fell to sleep.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Good news! To everyone who's stuck around, I have a Deviant Art Account! It's pretty barren, but I'm only using it for fan art from KALIFEO (or you guys if you want to make it. Totally up to you ;)) as well as the map of Ganderosa.

I want to start a poll to see which character you guys like more in the story (though I'm not sure enough people will take part in it :P) so when I start it, I'll let you all know!

I want to create something to say at the end of my author's notes. If you have a suggestion, feel free to PM me!

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more on Team Rapture!


	9. A Test of Strength

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 9

A Test of Strength

* * *

"Dillan." a somehow-familiar voice called out. "Get up you lazy head!"

"What is it, Grace?" Dillan asked. _Grace? Who the heck is Grace?_ Dillan tried to make out his surroundings, but everything was blurred together which made a messy picture of greens and whites.

"Momma's gonna leave without you!" Grace said. "Get up!"

"Where's momma going?" Dillan asked. _What am I saying? I didn't want to say anything!_

"To Bill's! You know that! Now get up!"

 _What's going on?! Why does this feel familiar? Who is Grace?_

The dream changed.

* * *

"Dillan. Get up." Reya's voice called to Dillan. Dillan was on the floor. He opened his eyes. He was back in the art room. He looked around. There was a new picture on the wall. It was next to the one with the sandslash. It was of Dillan, Ryan, and Hazel. Dillan was on the floor while Ryan was on top of him. Ryan was cowering from a machoke that loomed from above. _Dean._ Dean was massive. He had red, glowing eyes. He also had nasty, long drips of saliva pouring from his mouth and hanging from his chin. Hazel was looking at him in a mixture of hatred, fear, and sadness.

"Dillan." Reya called to him. Dillan finally had a guess of what the room was.

"This is my mind, isn't it?" Dillan asked. "The pictures that are blurred, those are the memories I lost; the pictures that aren't are the ones I can remember, and the blank ones are memories I haven't made yet." Reya nodded. "Why can't I remember anything from my past?"

"I can't say."

"So you know?" Dillan asked.

Reya looked worried. "I've already said too much."

"You do!" Dillan was starting to get angry. _Who is she? Why isn't she giving me the answers I need!_ "Tell me how to get them back!"

"I can't do that."

"Why?"

"Because I don't know..." Reya looked down at the ground. "I don't know how you can get them back..."

Dillan was very mad. "How did I lose my memories?" he asked slowly, yet sternly.

"I don't have time for this." Reya said in a hurried tone.

"Why not?"

"I have a reason for contacting you."

Dillan was livid. "Who are you to keep this information from me?! Why do you get to decide if I get my memories of not?!"

"I don't decide. I follow orders."

"Who's orders?"

"I can't say."

"Why not?"

"Because that's not why I'm here."

"If you think I'm going to listen to what you have to say, you can forget it; not until I get some answers!"

Reya thought about what he had said for a few seconds. Her face was very stern.

"Fine." she said. "But I will not answer everything. Some questions I either do not know, or cannot answer."

"Who am I?"

"You are the gabite known as Dillan."

"I know that!" Dillan said forcefully. _This isn't working. I need a new approach._ He tried to calm down. He tried breathing slowly. It worked. "Where did I live before I was kidnapped."

"I can't answer that."

"Fine. Who's Grace."

Reya looked at him with shock. "Where did you hear that name?!" she asked. The gardevoir sounded worried.

"In a dream." Dillan answered. "Who is she?"

Reya looked away from Dillan. She stood there for ten seconds before answering, "Grace is your sister..."

 _My sister? I... I have a sister?_ Those words stunned Dillan.

"How old is she?" he asked.

"Grace is nine."

 _Nine... I have a nine year old sister named Grace..._

"Is she a gabite like me?" Dillan asked. Tears formed in his eyes.

"No."

"What is she?"

Reya turned away from Dillan.

"This has gone on for far too long." she said.

"What species?" Dillan asked again. A wave of nausea swept through Dillan. He watched as the room began to warp.

"They found me..." Reya said with fear. "I need to leave."

"Reya!" Dillan shouted. The tears started gushing from his eyes. "Please tell me more!"

"I'm sorry." Reya said. The room began to fold in on itself.

"Reya!" Dillan yelled.

* * *

"Hey!" Ryan said as he shook Dillan's face. "Wake up!"

Dillan's eyes flew open. He threw himself into a sitting position. He launched Ryan across the room. Ryan hit the wall with a "slam".

"What's your problem!" Ryan shouted. Dillan looked down. He felt the tears in his eyes. _Grace... My sister..._ Ryan realized he was crying. He immediately felt bad. "What's wrong?"

"I..." Dillan started. "I have a sister."

"You do?" Ryan asked with shock. He ran up to Dillan. "What do you remember about her?"

 _I would love to tell Ryan about Reya..._ Dillan's sapphire pendant started getting heavier the more he contemplated telling Ryan about the art room.

"Um..." Dillan started. She's nine years old. Her name is Grace..."

"That's awesome!" Ryan shouted. His face was filled with joy. "You're remembering things!"

A knock came on the door. "Shut up in there! Pokemon are trying to sleep!"

"Sorry!" Ryan shouted. He turned his attention back to Dillan. "Anything else?"

Dillan started tearing up. "No..."

"Dillan, eyes over here." Ryan said. Dillan looked at his friend. "You're remembering things! That's awesome! You should be happy with the progress you've made! Pretty soon, you'll remember everything! Don't cry. Pretty soon, you'll remember everything!"

Dillan fought the feeling in his sapphire. "I didn't remember anything..."

Ryan looked confused. "Come again?"

Dillan told Ryan about Reya and about the room. Ryan looked even more confused as Dillan went on.

"Wait." Ryan interrupted. "So you're saying that there is a pokemon that comes to you in your dreams and she knows about your past?"

"Yeah..."

Ryan looked stunned. "And she won't tell you about it?"

"Yes.."

"Why not?"

"She says it isn't her call."

The two sat together in silence. Ryan was contemplating t\the situation. He finally spoke up with, "You know what?"

"What?" Dillan asked.

"I think it's in your head."

Dillan was horrified by the answer. "In my head?!" He yelled in irritation. _You're suppose to be my friend! You think I'm lying?_

Ryan saw Dillan's expression and added, "Don't get me wrong. I think Reya exists. I just think maybe you're mind is inventing Reya as a way to search through your mind."

"Then explain her telling me to go to the castle ruins? I don't even know where that is!"

Ryan put his paw to his chin. "Well... Maybe you've been there when you had your memories. It could have a link."

Dillan was still frustrated with Ryan's reaction. "I'm not making this up!"

"I know you aren't. I'm just saying that maybe your subconscious mind is trying to piece things back together. I just don't understand why."

Dillan was fed up with Ryan's attitude towards the situation. "Let's get Hazel up." he said coldly. "Then we can go to the guild."

Ryan's face showed shame. "Was I offensive?" he asked.

"Just forget it." Dillan strode to the door. He put his claw on the handle and pushed the door open. Ryan followed behind. Dillan went to the next door and knocked. The two waited for about two minutes before Dillan knocked again.

"One minute!" Hazel said. The two waited. When the door opened, Hazel looked like normal. Her bag was still slung around her arm. "Just making sure we have all of our supplies." She looked at Dillan who was still irritated by the previous conversation. She then looked to Ryan who looked guilty. "Did I miss something?"

"No." Dillan said, trying to sound enthusiastic; though he didn't know about. "You didn't miss anything."

Ryan mouthed the words 'I'll tell you later' to Hazel. Dillan didn't notice.

"Alright." she said. Team Rapture moved onwards to the stairs.

* * *

Dillan could make out a lot more of the first floor. The room was filled with sun light from the windows. There were also normal torches lighting the darker corners of the floor. The sawk was the only pokemon there. Everything looked fresh and clean; as though a tidal wave washed away all of the grime from last night, leaving one of the cleanest rooms imaginable. Hazel walked over to the sawk.

"Hello, sir!" She said cheerfully.

"Hello." he answered enthusiastically. "Have a nice stay?"

"Yep." Ryan said.

"Well that's great!" The sawk told them. Dillan thought something seemed off about his attitude. He acted cheery and lively. It was a change from the nervous way he had treated them last night. "We can forget about last night, right?" _That explains it._

"What happened last night?" Ryan asked sarcastically.

The sawk started laughing. Hazel took the keys out of her bag and set them on the table.

"Thank you, miss!" the sawk added. He took the keys and set them in their slots. "Have a good day!"

As Team Rapture started walking out the door, Dillan heard the sawk mumble something along the lines of 'stupid kids'. He ignored the remark. Hazel and Ryan stopped followed by Dillan. They were outside of the club, in the streets of Castle Kerroshia. They were bustling with movement just like Fericia. Dillan ignored the chattering and turned his thoughts to last nights dream. _What if Ryan's right? What if it is my mind trying to make sense of my past? If that is true... does that mean Dillan isn't my real name?_ That thought scared him more than his encounter with Kieth. _No! Even if 'Dillan' isn't my name, it's still my identity... My new identity... What about my old one? What about Grace? I can't even remember what she looks like! Dang it! Why is this happening to me..._

"Dillan." Hazel said over the commotion. Dillan didn't realize they had been talking about where to go next.

"What?" he asked.

"What do you think?" Ryan asked.

"About?" Dillan asked. Hazel and Ryan looked on with concern.

"About going to the guild then setting off for Alka." Hazel said. "We would eat on the way to Alka."

"Uh..." Dillan said. He wasn't completely paying attention. His focus was split between his thoughts and the conversation. "Sounds good."

Ryan looked on with a guilty expression. Hazel put her attention to the roofs. She pointed to a black roof that was above the others.

"That's the guild." she told them. She motioned for the rest of her team to follow. They did, though anyone could tell that Ryan and Dillan were both lost in their thoughts.

They walked for about three minutes. Dillan looked at the different pokemon that passed him. Each face he passed had a history, an identity. They knew who they were. Some were shop owners. Others were exploration teams. Dillan couldn't help but envy them and his team members. They had something Dillan did not; memories. Granted, he did remember everything that had happened to him from the past few days, but he wanted to know more. He wanted to learn more about himself. He wanted to know more about Grace. His thoughts blinded him from the commotion ahead. He walked right into a pokemon that was barreling through the crowd, pushing away pokemon after pokemon. It ran face first into Dillan and they both tumbled towards the floor. "Wham!" Dillan's head smashed into the dirt, causing his ears to ring and his brain to ache. The air escaped his lungs like a freight train. Dillan found it hard to breath. He felt his fin bend from underneath his weight. The sudden shock to his nervous system caused it to shut down. Dillan felt numb. He tried desperately to fill his lungs with oxygen. The pokemon who fell down on him got to it's feet quickly. Dillan got a quick glance of the pokemon.

It was a bipedal pokemon with grey scales. It had big yellow scales on its arms with a big scale extending outwards from the tip of its tail. Its head had one large scale extending upwards from its forehead. It had a wave pattern on the scale. Its eyes were white with red pupils. _Weird._ Its legs were black. The talons on its hands and feet were yellow. It looked at Dillan with a face of pride and darted off into the crowd.

It was at that moment Dillan felt something wrong; like when you leave a house and you feel as though you left something important. Dillan's hand instinctually drifted to his neck. _No..._ The sapphire star was missing. Panic filled Dillan's expression. He forgot about the pain in his misshapen fin as well as the migraine. He looked at the spot where the hakamo-oh had blended into the crowd.

"Are you ok?" Hazel asked Dillan. She got no answer. Dillan darted into the crowd in an attempt to find the thief. "Dillan!" Hazel called to him.

 _How did that pokemon do that?_ Dillan questioned as he weaved in and out of an assortment of pokemon that seemed to blur together as colors. Dillan searched through the mess of yellows and greens so he could find the grey he was looking for. _Where is it? Come on!_ He stopped for a minute. He had entered a fork in the road. Pokemon bumped into Dillan's arm as they walked towards their destination. _Which way?!_ He looked left, then right. He didn't see any grey. Dillan swore under his breath as he looked towards the ground. He only hopped the pendant would call out to him like before. . . . Nothing.

"Dillan!" Ryan called out from behind. The gabite turned around to face the pachirisu as well as Hazel. They were both gasping for breath. "What happened?"

"That pokemon took my pendant!" he said with anger as he hopelessly looked back at the divide in the road.

"Your sapphire one?" Hazel asked.

"Yes!" Dillan shouted frantically.

"Uh..." Hazel said. She was at a loss for words. "Can't we... get a new one?"

"No!" Dillan said. "It wasn't an ordinary pendant!" _It was my first gift! It's helped me so much! I can't let it go!_

Dillan was about to run left when Hazel grabbed his arm and held him in place. He reared around to face her. His eyes were full of pain and worry. Hazel looked at him with sympathy.

"Dillan-" She started.

"No!" He shouted. He didn't want to hear what she had to say or the reason for her to say it. He only wanted his amulet.

Ryan just stood there. He didn't say a thing, neither did he look as though he was going to.

"It's gone." Hazel told Dillan. He was trying to break free of Hazel's grip, but to no avail. "This city is too massive for you to find the pokemon."

Dillan stopped struggling.

"Then what do I do?" Dillan asked.

"There's nothing you CAN do. I hate to say it, but the pendant is gone."

Dillan was crushed by the answer. _But what if... No... She's right..._

"That isn't true." Ryan said calmly. Dillan looked at the pachirisu. Hazel followed. "When we complete our delivery, we'll become a full-fledged Exploration Team. As such, we could check the job board in this town to see if the thief has a hideout. If it does, we just go there and find the thief. He would then lead us to the pendant."

Dillan felt hope rise to his chest. He didn't know what a job board was, but Ryan's words were very convincing. If he was right, Dillan would be reunited with his pendant in no time.

"Ryan, that's brilliant!" Hazel complemented.

Ryan gave a dignified smirk.

"Well," Dillan began. "what are we waiting for!" Dillan started walking towards the guild. Hazel and Ryan trailed behind.

* * *

The Kerroshia Guild looked almost exactly like the one in Fericia. There was a courtyard with a fountain in the middle. The fountain had a statue of Maxamillian Armadine in the center. A tower was jutting up from the back of the courtyard. There was also a wooden board next to the tower's oak doors that had papers nailed all over it. The only difference between this courtyard and Fericia's was that the tower was made of sand stone.

Ryan got in front of Dillan and ran over to the board.

"You guys go inside. I'll be here."

Hazel looked confused. "Why are you staying out here?"

"Because," Ryan said with a smile. "I figure if we need to go through the Palando Mountain Pass in order to get to Palando Town, (Author's reminder: Palando Town is where Team Rapture was assigned) then we might as well find a job for the pass; that way, we can help someone out while we make our way to Palando."

"Ryan," Hazel started. Her expression and her tone showed she was blown away by Ryan's thoughts. "I don't know what to say."

"That'll do." Ryan said with a smirk. He then looked to Dillan. "Don't worry. I'll look for a poster of the thief."

"Thanks Ryan." Dillan said. His thoughts trailed back to this morning. "Look," Dillan's tone showed guilt. "I'm sorry for the way I acted this morning. You're probably right. Maybe I WAS just-"

"Stop right there." Ryan began. "It was my fault. I should be the one apologizing for what happened. I need to think about what I say before I say it. Also, I didn't mean to imply you made up your sister. I'm sor-"

"Sister?!" Hazel interrupted with a shout. Her eyes darted from Dillan to Ryan and back to Dillan. "You have a sister?"

"Hazel," Dillan began. "I'll tell you about it when we leave; but yes, I have a sister. Her name is Grace... I think."

Hazel was speechless. Her expression was one in the middle surprise and joy.

"Enough about that." Ryan said. "You two need to complete your mission."

"R-Right." Hazel agreed. "Let's go Dillan."

The gabite and charmeleon departed through the tower doors.

* * *

Dillan was stunned by the interior. It had a sand stone floor that was cut into squares. The squares had spirals flowing from the middle and extending to the sides. The roof had many chandeliers lighting the interior. There was pillars jutting from the ground and ending with a Corinthian pattern. There was a stair case at the end of the room. On the west side of the tower, there was a tiny desk with two neat stacks of papers. The first one was very small while the second one was three times as large. There was also a pokemon behind the desk who was taking paper from one stack, stamping it, and tidily putting the finished paper on the second stack.

The pokemon was a grey, bipedal with massive, round ears. It had a circle of white fluff around its neck that lead up the back to its ears. The pokemon was a shorter than Ryan. It was about one and a half feet tall. It worked in a fashion that made it look as though the cinccino enjoyed the job.

Dillan walked up to the cinccino. When he got up towards the desk, the pokemon looked at him with a wide smile.

"Hello!" it said cheerfully with enthusiasm. It then leaned on the table with its elbows. "Welcome to the guild! I'm Kaitlin! How can I help you today?"

"We're here to see the Guildmaster." Dillan told Kaitlin. Her attitude made Dillan feel like he belonged. Ziggy was the complete opposite. "We have a package for him."

"Wait right here and I'll get her for you. Also, just so you know, 'him' is a 'her'. She doesn't like being referred to as a male."

"Alright!" Hazel jumped in. "Thank you!"

Kaitlin walked away from her desk and headed up stairs. Dillan felt a little embarrassed for getting the Guildmaster's gender wrong, but he quickly forgot that feeling when he heard a bang from the ceiling. It was followed by a few more. _It sounds like a mosh pit up there._

After a few minutes, the noise stopped. Kaitlin was walking down the stairs with a new pokemon at her side. It was a bipedal pokemon that was a little smaller than Dillan. It had short blue fur on its head, arms, and thighs. Its thighs looked like cargo shorts with black legs sticking out of them. Its chest was covered in tan fur with a spike jutting out of the middle. Its paws were black with spikes in the back of them. It had a black band around its head that went over its eyes, but it had slits for eye holes. The pokemon had tall, pointed ear, along with four black dangling locks of fur at the back of its head.

The lucario had a focused look on its face as the cinccino talked to it. The pokemon looked at Dillan. They both stared at each other. The lucario looked as though it was staring into Dillan's mind, trying to grasp the secrets he has inside. It made Dillan nervous. The two groups walked towards each other.

"This is Guildmaster Kaimana." the cinccino pronounced. Kaimana continued to look at Dillan. Her expression was meaningless. Dillan could not see anything about her to reveal even the slightest bit of emotion.

"And you are?" Kaimana asked. Her voice was that of a fighting master; devoid of emotion, yet filled with passion.

"We are Team Rapture." Hazel told her. "I'm Hazel," Hazel gestured towards Dillan. "this is Dillan," she then pointed to the door. "and our third member, Ryan, is outside checking the job board."

"And why are you here?" Kaimana asked.

"Guildmaster." Kaitlin said. "You know why."

"Yes, I do." Kaimana stated. "I want him to say it." She pointed to Dillan.

Dillan was worried, though he couldn't say why. "We're here to-" he started nervously.

Kaimana rushed him. She swiped her feet below Dillan. His head bashed against the tile. His brain rattled around in his skill.

Hazel rushed Kaimana. She wasn't sure why she was lashing out at Dillan, but she didn't care. Kaimana stepped to the side at the last minute, avoiding Hazel's attack. Hazel tripped of Dillan's limp body and fell to the floor.

"You expect me to believe that you are an Exploration Team," Kaimana began. "yet you have no badges and you fight like amateurs. Get up and prove you are worth my time." Kaitlin slapped her palm to her face. She then groaned.

Dillan scurried to his feet. "You can't judge us that quickly!" he shouted defiantly.

"No?" Kaimana asked. She crossed her arms and stood up straight. "Then prove me wrong."

Dillan focused his energy into his fins. They extended into a blue scythe. Dillan rushed the lucario. Kaimana leapt into the air, avoiding Dillan's attack. She landed on a pillar and dismounted from it. She flipped through the air whilst putting her foot out. It glowed white. Kaimana gave a groan she sopped spinning and planted her foot on Hazel's crown. Hazel hadn't recovered from tripping on Dillan. Hazel gave a cry of pain as she fell to the floor. Dillan looked on in horror as his friend lied there. Other than her taking in air, she was motionless.

"Hazel!" Dillan shouted. No response. "Why are you attacking us?!" Dillan shouted.

"You are different, gabite." Kaimana stated. "Your aura is... unnatural. If you think I find your story even slightly convincing, you are wrong." Kaimana put her paws together. When she drew them apart, a large, glowing, blue staff appeared. She grabbed hold of it and darted towards Dillan.

Dillan had seconds to react, no time to think. He leapt to the side. Kaimana darted again. Dillan blocked the staff with his fins. He moved them together like scissors and cut the staff. Kaimana threw the staff towards Dillan. Dillan dodged it and lept at Kaimana. His claws hit his target. He smashed into Kaimana's chest. She kicked at Dillan, shoving him away. Blood trickled down her wound. Dillan didn't stop moving backwards when the blue staff whacked him in the back of his head. Dillan fell to his face. He felt exhausted. _How do I fight her? How do I win?_

"You, gabite," Kaimana began. "are a worthy adversary. Tell me, why are you here? What is your go-" She didn't get to finish her sentence. Ryan was on her back, rubbing his cheeks against her fur. Kaimana gave a shout of pain as electric sparks jolted through and off her body. She fell into a kneeling position as Ryan stopped his attack. He ran over to Hazel.

"Is she alright?!" he asked frantically.

"Y-yeah... I think so..." Dillan responded.

Kaimana looked at them. Sparks continued to arc off of the lucario. She started smiling. "That was good." she said. The You managed t-to paralyze me. You say y-you've come from Fericia?"

"Yeah." Ryan said with gnashed teeth. "What's it to you?"

"Ryan," Dillan started, not taking his eyes off of Kaimana incase she decided to attack once again. "She's the Guildmaster."

Ryan looked towards Dillan. "Her?"

"Yes, 'her'." Kaimana said.

"Why attack us?!" Ryan asked angrily.

"Lawrence did not tell you?" Kaimana's expression showed confusion.

"Tell us what?" Dillan asked.

Kaimana stood up straight. "This is your test."

"Test?" Dillan asked.

"Yes." Kaimana responded. "This was your test of strength. Lawrence was suppose to inform you, as he did me."

"What are you talking about?" Ryan asked. "Informed you how?"

"I received a letter last night informing me of a new exploration team that goes by the name of Team Rapture. This team was to be tested on their strength if they could complete the journey to Kerroshia."

"Why didn't Lawrence tell us?" Dillan asked.

"Lawrence is a strange pokemon and an even stranger Guildmaster. I don't pretend to know his motives when it comes to his duties; though if I were to guess, he did not tell you because he forgot."

 _That sounds like Lawrence._

"That doesn't explain why you were attacking us so viciously." Ryan stated.

"Did you expect me to go easy on you?" Kaimana asked. "I do not grant that luxury; neither do your enemies. They will not hesitate on executing you; on the other hand, I was only trying to knock you unconscious. You should be thankful. Today, this team did not perform to the best of its abilities; though you did manage to weaken me. You may have even been able to best me; though that is not the objective today. Today, your goal was to weaken me; whether it was from pain or paralysis. You have succeeded in your task. Kaitlin."

The cinccino walked up to Kaimana. "Yes, Guildmaster?"

Kaimana did not take her eyes off of Dillan and Ryan. "Get me a revival herb and a cherri berry."

"On the double." Kaitlin said as she rushed up the stairs, leaving Kaimana, Dillan, Ryan, and an unconscious Hazel in the surprisingly undamaged room.

"Now then," Kaimana began. "I suppose you haven't come here for the battle and instead you have come to deliver a package?"

"Uh..." Dillan started. He was shocked at how quickly the situation had changed. One minute it was an all out brawl; the next, a delivery. "I guess." Dillan was still skeptical that the lucario wouldn't lash out at him the second he let his guard down.

"Do not fear your opponent." Kaimana stated. "It will only blind you from seeing your real enemy."

"And that is?" Ryan asked.

"Yourself." Kaimana pressed her paws together. She closed her eyes and started concentrating. Her locks of hair began to float in the air as if the gravity had shut off. "If you truly believe your only enemy is the one that is fighting you, you have not examined your weaknesses."

A pink pulse started emanating from the lucario. Dillan instinctually held up his arms in defense. When the wave hit, he felt no pain; he felt the exact opposite. He felt energized. Dillan lowered his arms and looked at the lucario. She was now sitting with her legs folded over themselves.

Kaitlin came down the stairs. She was holding a red berry and a green herb in her arms. She walked over to Kaimana. "Here is the cherri berry." She handed the red berry to Kaimana. The lucario grabbed the berry and consumed it. The sparks began to dissipate. Kaitlin walked over to Hazel. "Sit her up." she told Dillan in a kind manner. Dillan obeyed. Kaitlin proceeded to break the herb into pieces. She inserted the leaves into Hazel's mouth. After three seconds, the charmeleon's eyes darted open. Hazel started coughing up the leaves.

"Bleahck." Hazel said. "What was that."

"A revival herb." Kaimana said. Hazel realized the lucario was conscious. Hazel leapt to her feet and started eyeing Kaimana.

"What did I miss?" She asked. Dillan explained what had happened, all while Hazel stared cautiously at Kaimana.

"And that's when Kaitlin gave you the revival herb." Dillan finished.

"Now then," Kaimana said as she stood up. She started striding towards Team Rapture. "you have a package for me?"

"Yeah..." Hazel said skeptically. She dug through her bag and pulled out the box. She gave it to Kaimana.

The lucario openned the package. She grabbed the contents and held it up s she could get a better look at it. It was an orange, topaz crystal that sat on a string. The crystal was smooth on one side, but rough on the other; s if it had been broken off of a larger formation. Dillan looked at it. He felt something strange about the crystal; something familiar.

"What is that?" Dillan asked.

"Oh, this trinket?" Kaimana asked. "I'm not sure. It looks strange."

Kaimana put it back in its box and pulled out a letter. She openned it and read to herself. Her expression did not change throughout the whole letter. She set the letter in the box and handed it to Kaitlin.

"Take the box up to my room and set it on the desk." Kaimana said.

"Yes Guildmaster." Kaitlin acknowledged. She grabbed the box and went up the stairs. Kaimana turned her attention back to Team Rapture.

"Now then," she started. "You three have done well to get here. You may not have bested me in battle, but you did weaken me. As a result, Team Rapture has passed their Test of Strength." At those words, Team Rapture felt a surge of accomplishment; though they did not let it show due to their mistrust in Kaimana. "Kaitlin will deliver your exploration badges to you once she comes back. Good work. If you improve in your fighting, come see me. We'll have to spar sometime." Kaimana turned towards the stairs and left the room.

Once she was out of earshot, Ryan said, "That was strange."

"Agreed." Hazel and Dillan said together.

After a few minutes of standing around, Kaitlin came down the stairs with a package. It was two times as big as Kaitlin, so Dillan was surprised she could carry it; nevertheless, she did. She set it down at Hazel's feet.

"Your Exploration Badges!" she stated. "Also, sorry for the fighting. I wish Guildmaster Kaimana would tell pokemon before she starts fighting, but she always says, "If they don't expect an attack then they aren't worthy of standing". A little harsh, I know, but that's so her." Kaitlin went back to her desk and started working.

Hazel opened the box. There were three badges inside. Except for their difference in size, they all looked the same. They were round with a sphere protruding from the center. There were wings jutting out of the badges from the side. The badges had a bronze color to the.

Hazel reached down to grab one. She examined it then said to Kaitlin, "Excuse me." Kaitlin looked to Hazel. "We just started, yet these badges say we're at the Bronze Rank. How?" _Bronze Rank?_

"Guildmaster Kaimana said to give you those for completing the journey here. She seems to think that you guys deserve it. I agree with her. Not everyone can cut the Guildmaster."

Hazel's expression grew into a joyous look. She looked like screaming from pure happiness.

"What do you guys mean by Bronze Rank?" Dillan asked.

Hazel looked at him. She was still brimming with joy. "Each exploration team has a rank that says which jobs they're ready to take on!" she stated enthusiastically. "The ranks start at Normal and end with Diamond! Normally, beginners like us would start at the Normal Rank, but we get to start at Bronze!"

"Awesome!" Ryan stated. He reached into the box and pulled out the smallest badge. It was just his size, which made him feel small; though he didn't let that dampen his spirits. Hazel proceeded to put the badge on the front of her scarf. Ryan put his on his arm band. Dillan didn't reach down for his. He knew he wouldn't be able to grab it. _Curse my handless arms._ Hazel looked at Dillan, expecting him to reach down for his badge.

Ryan looked towards Dillan and realized the problem. He pulled the last badge from the box and nudged Hazel on the ankle. Hazel looked down and recognition spread over her face.

She grabbed the badge and looked to Dillan. "Sorry." she said. "I forgot about your claws." She proceeded to pin the badge to Dillan's bandanna. Dillan watched her pin the badge. He would have loved the badge had he not remembered his sapphire had been stolen.

Dillan looked to Ryan. "Any luck with the thief?"

Ryan frowned sympathetically. "No..." he said with a depressed tone.

Dillan realized what a hassle he caused. He diverted their main mission for a pendant. He just killed Ryan's mood with that question. _As much as you loved that pendant, you can't mope around over it. It might be gone, but it's ok. I'll survive._

"Ryan," Dillan began. "It's cool. It was just a pendant. I can get a new one, right?"

"Well, actua-" Ryan stopped himself. "Sorry. Yeah, we can get you a new one."

Dillan smiled at Ryan as Hazel finished pinning the badge to Dillan's neckwear.

"Looking nice!" Kaitlin said. Team Rapture turned towards her. Kaitlin was flustered by the sudden attention. She stopped looking at the team and went back to work. She seemed tense.

"Thanks!" Hazel said. Kaitlin seemed to relax a little; though she didn't make eye contact.

"Back to the road?" Dillan suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Ryan said. "Just let me grab a job from the bulletin." Team Rapture went outside.

* * *

Dillan and Hazel followed Ryan over to the bulletin.

"I would have grabbed a job earlier," Ryan started. "but A. I didn't think we'd go up to the Bronze Rank so quickly and B. I heard miss fists beating the crap out of you two."

"She caught us off guard." Dillan protested.

"Yeah." Ryan said sarcastically with a smirk. He examined the papers. He reached for a piece of paper with a green "B" on it. He hesitated when his eyes caught another one. He looked at it for a while. The second one also had a "B" on it.

"What's wrong?" Hazel asked.

Ryan didn't answer. He jumped for the second one and grabbed it in his paws. He looked at it.

Hazel's eyes drifted down to the price section. "That isn't much." she stated.

"So?" Ryan asked.

"So the other one gives us more cash."

"Yes, but that's not what this job is about." Ryan said smoothly with his gaze towards the paper. "It's about helping others. The first one is just about some scientist who got lost. This one is about a kid who was kidnapped and taken into the Palando Mountain Pass."

Hazel looked worried and ashamed. "I didn't mean it like that." she said.

"I know." Ryan said. "It's just... Never mind... Let's just save this kid."

Dillan wasn't sure he should be asking but, "Why can't we do both?" Hazel looked to him.

"Technically we could, but personally, I think it's too difficult to focus on multiple missions. We just started out. I agree with Ryan. Let's help the kid."

"Alright." Dillan responded.

Hazel pulled out the map from her bag and handed it to Ryan. "Where to now?" she asked.

"We need to exit Kerroshia from the west." Ryan directed. "That path will take us straight to the Palando Mountain Pass"

"Lead the way." Dillan said to Ryan.

Ryan handed the map to Hazel. Dillan took a quick glance to his chest. _The sapphire is gone. It really sucks. When Lucy gave it to me, she told me to take care of it. As much as I hate to let it go, it's gone. I feel bad about it, but I can't dwell on that forever. I need to focus on the task ahead._ With that last thought, Dillan followed Ryan and Hazel.

Team Rapture completed their first task. What task awaits them next? Dillan can't answer. All he can say is that whatever challenges are ahead of Team Rapture, they would take it on together.


	10. The Cave of Crystals

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 10

The Cave of Crystals

* * *

It had been several hours since Team Rapture left Kerroshia. By this time, Dillan had just finished telling Hazel about Grace and Reya.

"So which is it?" Hazel asked. "Do you have a sister or not?"

"Like I said," Dillan said calmly. "I don't know. Ryan thinks it's my mind inventing things in an attempt at fixing my memories. Personally, I don't know what to believe."

"I for one think it's true;" Hazel said. "though I don't know about Reya... She seems like a strange pokemon... What did you say she looks like again?"

"She has a white dress and green hair." Dillan told her.

"Sounds like a gardevoir to me." Ryan said.

"Answer me this, Ryan." Hazel said. "If Dillan is inventing it all, how did he know what Reya looks like? He doesn't remember seeing a gardevoir before Reya."

"Dillan?" Ryan asked. He wanted his acknowledgement that he could discuss this topic.

"It's ok." Dillan said. He wanted to hear the arguments and decide for himself.

Ryan nodded and stated, "You could have had a gardevoir as a relative. If you were close to her, your subconscious mind could have brought the said relative into existence as a way to communicate with Dillan in his dream."

Hazel was stunned by all of the information that had just spewed out of Ryan's mouth. She started thinking of a way to protest while Dillan looked at the scenery. _It's beautiful..._

Dillan stared at the river that separated the grass from the sand. They were about to cross over that river and be on the gravel path that stretched onwards. There were mountains ahead. The path took a curve about fifteen miles ahead as it followed the mountains into the distance. Trees stretched upwards from the mountain-side. There was a field of flowers trailing the sides of the path. He loved the view. The sun was at its peak in the sky.

"What if it is true." Hazel said.

"Nice recovery." Ryan said with a friendly smirk.

"Shut up." Hazel laughed.

Ryan focused his attention to the question as they crossed the river, leaving the deserts of Kerroshia behind.

"This is the Alka Region, right?" Dillan asked.

"Yep." Hazel answered. "Originally, it was part of the Kerroshia region, but... never mind."

"If Reya is true," Ryan began. "then we head to the Castle of Ruins; though I would rather do that once we get on our feet and have some money to spend."

"What do you think, Dillan?" Hazel asked.

"I agree with Ryan. We should do some missions before going to the castle."

"Unless we find a mission that takes us to the castle?" Hazel asked.

"I think the odds of that happening are zero." Ryan said.

"I for one think the odds are twice as much now that we're at the Bronze Rank." Hazel stated.

"Two times zero is still zero." Ryan pointed out with a smile.

"Ha ha." Hazel said sarcastically.

Dillan wasn't listening. As usual, he was lost in thought. _I love everything here. It's all so bright and colorful. The flowers are a nice touch, as well. I wish I remembered things like this earlier... Then again, not remembering things makes everything feel new... Though, shouldn't I feel familiar with anything? The only thing that felt familiar was the pendant... I wish I had been paying attention. Why does it feel like everything that goes wrong happens when I'm not looking?_ With that thought, Dillan looked around. He half expected a giant fissure to appear from beneath him and swallow him into the earth. _Would that be so bad? I mean, I could dig my way out._ _How about a meteor to fall out of the sky and destroy the planet? Nah... Too cliché._

After a few minutes of walking, Dillan thought of a question. "Hey Ryan."

"Yeah?" Ryan asked.

"Is the Palando Mountain pass a Mystery Dungeon?"

"Yes and no." Hazel said.

"What?" Ryan asked. Apparently, he was just as confused as Dillan.

"In a Mystery Dungeon like the pass," Hazel began. "there is a path that leads to a certain position in the dungeon that it stable. It's a strange phenomenon called a Mystery Pocket; or 'M. P.' for short. The M. P. lies at the end of a mystery dungeon. The path to or from the M. P. is the mystery dungeon itself. Some M. P.s are easy to find while others are difficult. If I were to guess where the kidnappers are holding up, I'd say they're in an unknown M. P. in the Palando Mountain Pass. Does that make sense?"

"I think I get it." Dillan said.

"Alright then." Ryan added. "Let's move on. All this talk about pockets inside of mystery dungeons is confusing enough without excess info. Let's just focus on saving the child."

"Ryan," Dillan asked. "About the kid, does it say where he or she lives?"

Ryan thought about the question. "One second..." Ryan pulled out the folded piece of paper from his arm band. He unfolded it and started reading aloud. "'Dear exploration team. My name is Kierra Leanne and my son was kidnapped in the Palando Mountain Pass. We were moving from Kerroshia Castle to Palando Town when we were ambushed by three pokemon who took my child away from me. We just lost his father a month ago and I couldn't bear to lose him, too. Please help bring my son back to me.' As awful as this is, I for one think kids shouldn't be allowed in Mystery Dungeons for this very reason and more."

"I don't know." Hazel said. "If parents were more careful, it might turn out ok. I know my dad took me into dungeons all the time without having to worry."

Ryan was about to counter her statement when Dillan cut in with, "It doesn't make sense to argue about something like that. We might as well drop it and focus on getting to the pass."

"You gonna take the lead, Dillan?" Hazel asked.

 _The lead?_ "Uh..." he started. His feelings dissipated and turned to worry. "I don't think that's such a good idea..."

"Why not?" Hazel asked.

"It didn't go so well last time." Dillan said with a frown.

Hazel looked baffled by Dillan's uncertainty. "That's not true! I would have been a squishy mess if you didn't react."

"Yeah, but I led us into a trap which resulted in you getting hurt. I can't do that again."

"But-" Hazel started.

"Hazel." Dillan interrupted. He stopped walking. "Please, I don't want to lead. I don't trust myself to make the right call as a leader."

"It's cool." Ryan stated. Dillan looked at him with an expression that said, "Thank you". "If Dillan doesn't want to lead, he doesn't have to."

"Alright." Hazel said. "Well, since I have the only other source of light, I'll lead; But Dillan, you need to warn us if we're about to go into a dead end or if some crazy is going to dump a rock on us."

"Alright." Dillan said nervously.

* * *

When they got to the pass, Dillan realized it was more of a cave. It was very dark. Every so often, a piece of white quartz would protrude from the wall and shine red in Hazel's flame. Hazel was at the front, followed by Ryan. Dillan was at the rear. Dillan's miracle sense switched on as soon as they entered the cave. It wasn't too narrow. If two pokemon tried hard enough, they could both squeeze through the cave at one time, so there was a lot of breathing room. The stone walls stretched out in a seemingly infinite direction. Dillan tried sensing for anything strange, though he couldn't feel anything. Hazel took a left, then a right, then another right. Occasionally, Dillan would warn her of a dead end, then he would dig into the wall and let Hazel step over Ryan so she could take the lead. Granted, Ryan hated when that happened for obvious reasons. The process continued for what felt like hours until something felt odd.

"Take a right at the next corridor." Dillan instructed.

"Alright." Hazel obliged. She walked onwards until the road forked. She took a left. Hazel stopped abruptly with a "thud". "This," Hazel began as she put her hands to her muzzle. "is a dead end..."

Dillan tried to sense his surroundings. "No, not yet." he stated.

"Not yet?" Ryan asked.

Dillan started digging through his side of the wall. He dug into a new passageway on the other side of Hazel. He proceeded to dig through the wall towards Hazel. Once he broke through, Hazel looked mildly annoyed.

"What?" Dillan asked.

"You NEED to take the lead." Hazel insisted. Dillan rolled his eyes and stepped back into his hole to let her and Ryan pass. They walked for about a minute before Hazel stopped. She knelt down to pick up the object Dillan had sensed earlier. The object was the reason he wanted to come down the path. It felt out of place.

"It's a rock?" Hazel asked.

"Why was that statement a question?" Ryan asked.

"Look." She brought the rock around so Dillan and Ryan could get a look at it.

It was a small rock with a symbol on it. The symbol looked like a stick with a large eye in the middle of it.

"That's unown writing." Ryan stated.

"What?" Hazel asked.

"That's the term used today because of the pokemon, unown, that the writing is based on. Most archaeologists refer to it as "Kandernaan Writing" because of when it was used. Kandernaan was the line of kings before the Armadine family took over."

"How do you know that?" Hazel asked.

Ryan didn't answer. He just stared at the rock.

"Let's move on." Dillan said. "There's something about this place that's off."

"What makes you say that?" Hazel asked

"Just a feeling... Not like my Miracle Sense, just a feeling I have."

Dillan stepped back and let Hazel take the lead again.

Team Rapture walked for another hour or so.

"Hazel," Dillan said. "just a heads up. There's a big room ahead of us."

"Thanks." Hazel said cheerfully. Dillan was right. After a minute of walking, the team came into a big room. It was too dark to see much; though Dillan's miracle sense let him feel five rows of big stone altars. Most of them were smashed and vandalized. There were only two that were untouched. Dillan sensed a big object in the center. It felt like a massive bowl with thin bricks inside. Hazel blew a puff of flame into the air which illuminated their surroundings. The bowl turned out to be a massive torch with wood inside. Hazel directed her next blast towards the pile of wood. She kept breathing for ten seconds so that it would light. When she stopped, there was a massive flame licking the ceiling of the room. It lit up the room like a beacon in a fog. It showed different pieces of rubble scattered across the floor. Each piece of rubble was like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. They were all able to be pieced together to form a piece of a bigger puzzle. The quartz in the wall were reflecting and refracting the light from the flames, making a sea of orange dots littering the room. Dillan was stunned by the sight. It was fantastic. There was a hall way at the end of the room that led farther into the cave.

"This is amazing!" Dillan exclaimed. He wanted to take in every aspect of the scene before his eyes. Hazel looked just as stunned.

"Look at the altars." Hazel pointed out. She ran up to one of the altars that was intact. It had symbols covering it. "It's like the stone." Hazel pulled out the strange stone from earlier so she could examine it with the altar. Most of the symbols looked similar while very few matched it exactly. "I wonder what it says..." Hazel wondered aloud.

Ryan walked up to the altars. He examined them closely. His expression was that of a person who was taking a math exam. He looked at the stone closely from the top to the bottom. He ran his paw over every crevice of the thing.

"What are you doing?" Dillan asked. Hazel didn't take note of Ryan's strange reaction to the room. She continued to look at the altars in awe.

"I thought so." Ryan said with a stern look.

"What?" Dillan asked.

"They're fakes."

Hazel finally took notice of Ryan. "Fake?!" she exclaimed.

"Exactly." Ryan said.

"It isn't funny." Hazel said.

"I hardly joke when it comes to things like this."

"How can you tell?" Dillan asked.

"See the rubble?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah?" Dillan responded.

"They're not round enough."

Hazel looked at him for five seconds before smirking. "Yeah. Right."

"I'm not joking!" Ryan shouted defiantly. "If this was real, the rubble would be round; instead it's more jagged."

"You're point?" Hazel asked.

"My point is that it isn't eroded; neither are the altars. The edges are too jagged. If these altars really date back to before the Armadine's were the rulers of the land, then it goes to reason that there should be some effect somewhere that there was erosion."

"What if there isn't anything to erode it?" Hazel asked.

"Then they wouldn't have chipped." Ryan responded calmly. Hazel was taken aback. She looked at the altars with a new found disgust. "Also, the writing is wrong. It's sloppy as well as backwards. These sentences should be read right to left, not left to right. The only explanation is these are new and fake. My only question is why. Why put up these fakes?"

Dillan thought back to their mission. "Maybe it's to hide the kidnappers hideout." he stated. Hazel and Ryan looked at him for an explanation. "What?" Dillan asked nervously.

"Nothing." Hazel said. "I just think it's a brilliant idea.

"I think you should use your Miracle Sense to find an entrance." Ryan proposed.

Dillan closed his eyes. He blocked out all noise from his head and focused on his surroundings. He saw the passageway they had taken, the room, and the last path that was used to exit the room. He saw nothing else. He opened his eyes.

"Nothing." Dillan said. "Just the room and this path."

Ryan looked around. "There has to be something here." he said. He looked at the next altar. He traced his paw along the writing as if trying to decipher it.

"So, you're an archaeologist?" Hazel.

"My parents were." Ryan said half heartedly as he moved on to study the next altar.

"That's so cool!" Hazel exclaimed. "Does that mean you can read the unown writing things?"

"Somewhat."

"What are you looking-" Dillan began.

"Hazel," Ryan interrupted. "hand me that rock Dillan found earlier." Hazel gave Ryan the stone. Dillan got in closer to see what Ryan was looking at. Ryan's paw was next to a hole along some writing. It was near the bottom corner of the altar, so it was very easy to over look. Ryan put the stone next to the hole. They both had the same diameter. The pachirisu inserted the stone into the slot. As soon as the stone was placed, there was a "click" noise. The torch's fire turned blue. The orange spots turned the color of the sky. It reflected the light across the altars. The unown writing began to glow blue. Ryan took a step back. The flame danced wildly on the torch. It lashed out at the oxygen in the room. Dillan took a step away from the fire as it started burning brighter. Dillan turned around instinctively. That's when he saw something different.

"Guys." Dillan said. "I found something.

Ryan and Hazel turned around. There was a new set of unown writing on the walls. It glowed blue in the fire.

"Was that there before?" Dillan asked.

"No." Hazel responded.

Ryan walked up to the wall. He set his paw on the writing and started reading aloud. "'Welcome, recruit, to the hide-out of Team K. P. You are our latest member. The passageway to your right has changed. Due to the nature of this mystery dungeon, we found a way to use the move wonder room to our advantage in order to alter passageways in order to have them lead to our hide-out. Consider yourself lucky to have joined a team of our caliber. You will never find another team as devilishly sick as ours!' Ok. This is obviously the hide-out."

"What did it just say about shifting passages?" Hazel asked.

"Who cares?" Ryan exclaimed. "All we know is that these pokemon are major idiots for literally saying this is their base. Also, I think it's safe to say we have entered the M. P."

"Guys." Dillan said calmly. "There is a kid who needs us. We need to focus on saving the kid first, then we can talk about how this room makes no sense."

"Alright." Hazel agreed. "I guess I'll take the lead. Come on." She signaled them with a wave as she walked towards the right path. Dillan and Ryan followed behind.

They walked for about five minutes. The walls were no longer laced by quartz. Dillan tried to sense for a room that they were about to enter or a trap that they were about to set off; though his focus was divided between that and his thoughts. _What is the kid feeling right now? I know I would feel pretty helpless and scared and alone. Joining this team was the right thing to do. Pokemon need help from bad situations. I don't know if I could live with myself knowing that there was a billboard filled with problems that I would never help solve._

His train of thought was interrupted when Ryan stopped. If it wasn't for Dillan's Miracle Sense, he would have trampled the pachirisu. Ryan perked his head up and closed his eyes. He stood there for ten seconds of silence.

"What is it?" Dillan asked. Hazel stopped walking a few feet in front of the two pokemon.

"Something's wrong..." Ryan stated. "Listen..."

Dillan closed his eyes. He didn't feel anything. He didn't hear anything either. Hazel seemed to be in the same situation.

"Ryan-" Hazel started.

"Shh." Ryan interrupted. Hazel was starting to get irritated with Ryan's attitude. Dillan didn't care. _There must be a reason to be silent._ That's when Ryan broke into an all out sprint. It was probably the one time he wasn't annoyed with his height. It allowed him to rush right under Hazel. Hazel looked at him with shock.

"What in the name of-" she started.

"Come on!" Dillan shouted as he dug around Hazel to follow Ryan. Hazel ran after him.

"Do you see him?" Hazel asked.

Dillan focused on his sense. There was a little object bounding down the tunnel. "Yeah." Dillan acknowledged. "I see him." Dillan's view of the catacombs vibrated in his head. "Wait..." His miracle sense stopped working correctly like a light that suddenly went out. Dillan stopped moving. His feet were vibrating. He tried to use his miracle sense. He tried to focus on a certain object; any object. He started to see something; though it was filled with static. Everything was shifting wildly.

"Dillan!" Hazel prodded.

"I can't see anything!" he said worriedly

Hazel looked behind her. When she looked back to Dillan, her face was flooded with worry. "We're about to see something if you don't move!" With the last word of force, Hazel and Dillan broke into a mad dash down the tunnel, unsure of what was causing the vibrations, though they did not care. They ran for about three minutes before Dillan saw a light ahead. Dillan had to squint to let his eyes adjust to the light.

When Dillan could see his surroundings, he found himself at the entrance to a large room. The roof was about thirty feet above the floor. On the ceiling was a massive crystal that shone light across the cave. The source of the crystal's light was a fire that burned at it's center. The crystal looked like a massive cluster of spikes sticking out of a glass sphere. The crystal was above a square structure. The structure itself looked like it had been carved out of the cave. It was the same color as the stone surroundings. It had crystals of a variety of colors covering the walls of the structure. There was a big stone door with handles. There was nothing around the structure except for the stone floor and walls. Ryan was no where to be seen.y

Dillan ran around the corner of the entrance and started digging frantically into the wall. It took at least five seconds to dig a space barely large enough for the two pokemon. Hazel darted into the hole followed by Dillan. The gabite tried hurriedly to put the wall back together; though how well can you sculpt a wall when vibrations are rattling through the floor. Dillan was nowhere near completion when he heard large feet stomping on the ground. Dillan hurriedly dug into the ground, flinging dirt at Hazel's face. She tried her best to shield her face from the onslaught. He was about waist deep in dirt. Hazel was covered, making a kind of camouflage.

A massive pokemon came from the entrance, pounding a giant rocky tail into the soil as it went. Dillan looked on at the bipedal behemoth with its rock-hard skin and the orange plates that lined it's waist. Dillan was particularly worried about the set of grey horns protruding from the top of its head.

"Baht!" it called. "Baht! Get down heah right now!"

Dillan looked at a shadow come gliding out of the structure. It moved against the floor like paper. When it got close to the rhyperior, it came up from the floor and became a three dimensional creature with purple skin. It levitated a foot off of the ground. It's purple sombrero-like hair sat on its circular head. Its body was like a dress, flowing out into a cone-shape.

"Yes Leon?" the mismagius addressed the rhyperior slowly. Dillan sunk lower into the hole for fear of being spotted.

"Baht! We have intruduhs!" Leon said.

"Don't you mean, 'Bart, we have intruders'?" Bart asked.

"This is no tahm to get on me because of mah accent! This is urgehnt!"

"I haven't seen any intruders." Bart told Leon in a shrill voice.

"Don't take thaht tone with me!"

"It's the only one I use." Bart said.

"Whell let Borras know about the issue!"

"I will, Leon sir." Bart turned away from the rhyperior and floated up to the second story wall. Bart then phased through and was gone. Leon then walked forwards while thumping his tail on the stone floor. He openned the door and entered the structure.

"That must be the kidnappers!" Hazel said quietly.

"Now what?" Dillan asked.

"I don't know..." Hazel said. "I think we need to find Ryan."

"He's probably inside."

"Agreed. Let's try to find a way in."

Dillan and Hazel got out of their crevice and headed towards the structure.

"We can't go in through the front;" Hazel said. "they'll see us for sure."

"How about the back?" Dillan suggested.

"No, same problem."

"How about a window?"

Hazel thought about it for a few seconds. She started to smirk. "That should work; given we choose the right window."

Dillan scanned the windows. his miracle sense wasn't working because of the size of the room; though that didn't bother him. He was too focused on finding the right window. _It can't be too high. What about one at ground level?_

"Here." Hazel said as she pointed to a window that was on the first floor. Hazel ran over to it, carefully looked inside, then signaled Dillan to follow. He proceeded to speed-walk next to Hazel. He peered into the room cautiously. He heard large thumping noises coming from above the room. There were shelves in the room that were filled to the brim with an assortment of plants and berries that filled the air with a wonderful aroma that bombarded Dillan's nostrils. He and Hazel climbed into the room cautiously. There was a door to the left side of the room. It was the only entrance into the hiding place.

"That's not good..." Hazel said in a hushed tone.

"What?" Dillan asked.

"That door leads into the same room that the front door does."

"Do you want to try another entrance?" Dillan asked.

Hazel thought about it for a minute or two before saying, "No. I'm pretty sure we would run into the same problem. Now what?"

They both sat in silence for a few minutes; thinking about their next move. _If all the entrances lead to the same area, then we would get caught... If they'll find us inside no matter what we do... Then maybe they can't be inside to begin with!_

"Hazel!" Dillan said with an increased pitch.

Hazel shushed him softly before asking, "What is it?"

"I have an idea."

* * *

"Did I mention how much I hate this plan?" Hazel asked sarcastically. The two were outside. Dillan was still in the room, staring through the window at Hazel who was out in the open.

"Do you know of another way to get to the kid?" Dillan asked.

Hazel gave a sigh. "No." she said. "but I'll let you know when I come up with a different idea."

"For now," Dillan started. "stick to this one."

Hazel went up to the door of the structure and knocked three times. She then shouted, "Hey kidnappers! Nice place you got here! Where'd you get it; on the corner of dumb and lame?" It wasn't the best insult; Hazel knew that. She just wanted their attention. A large stomping could be heard through out the structure. The mismagius from before came out of a wall on the third floor. Hazel looked at the ghost type with a mixture of shock and fear. She started running back towards the exit like Dillan planned. She dashed into the tunnel. The mismagius stopped at the exit. The rhyperior flew through the structure's door and darted to the mismagius' side.

"Is she gone?" Leon asked.

"She just left." Bart told the rhyperior.

"Then we can still catch her!" with that, Leon charged down the hall with his tail thumping against the ground.

"Leon," Bart said quietly. "you are a pain in my side..." Bart drifted along after his companion. Once they were out of sight, Dillan went towards the door and openned it. He was now in a big room that had chairs around a small table in the middle of the room. There was a plaque on a door to the north-east side of the room that read, "Stairs". Dillan ran towards the door and openned it up. He found a flight of spiral stairs that led upwards. He started climbing the stairs frantically, trying not to think about how bad of a plan he had come up with. _I hope Hazel is alright... I hope this plan doesn't backfire..._ When he reached the second floor, he found a door with a sign that read, "Shredder, Lounge, and Mystical Room of Darkness". _What in Ganderosa?!_ Dillan reluctantly openned the door. He was now in a hallway that went on for about five feet, then veered left. He took the hallway down and came to the door that said, "Mystical Room of Darkness". He could feel something ominous about the door; nevertheless, he openned it. When he peered inside, he saw a pitch black room with candles that created a border for a pathway. The path led to a circle of candles. There was a pokemon who was sitting there, staring at the door. The pokemon was a bipedal. It had yellow fur with a chest plate of brown skin. It's head was yellow with a long, flowing mustache. The mustache was like a wave of fur had swept onto its face and stuck into position. The pokemon's gaze was fixed on Dillan.

"Who are you?" the alakazam said.

Dillan slammed the door. _Dang it!_ He ran towards the stairs. When he reached the corner, he looked back at the door to the room of darkness. The door did not open. Dillan waited for ten seconds. Nothing. He began to worry about the pokemon he just met; not because it was going to chase him, but because it didn't. It felt very strange.

"Why are you here?" the alakazam's voice asked from behind Dillan. Dillan whipped around to face the voice. A hand grabbed at Dillan's face. Dillan instinctually slashed at the alakazam; but he couldn't. Some kind of force was holding his hand back. He couldn't tell what it was, but the alakazam was bathed in a pink aura.

"Do not struggle." The alakazam said calmly. "I only wish to understand your reason for being here."

 _Should I tell him? Would he kill me if I did?_ These questions did not matter; for the alakazam did not want him to answer. Dillan looked on as the creature pulled out a spoon. He held it by the hilt and begun to swing it back and forth.

"Sleep." the pokemon said slowly and ominously. Dillan felt himself growing colder. His eyes rolled to the back of their sockets. Dillan lost consciousness.

* * *

(One Day Earlier: Arlon)

Arlon was walking through the catacombs, wondering to himself about that gabite. His thoughts were running left to right with different emotions; some were of joy for the mission he had accomplished, some were of hatred for the scars he had sustained and will endure for the rest of his life, and the rest was of a lust for revenge. _He will pay... That gabite will pay dearly for my scars and my suffering; just like the old Arlon did! If I ever meet that filth again, he will know true pain like a gabite has never felt before..._

Arlon reached the end of the catacomb. He slammed his leaves against the icy doors. He wanted to feel the chill against his leaves or the pain of his leaves bending along the cold surface. He tried to get a feeling, any feeling, into his leaves; though he knew he would never feel the bark of a tree again or the chilly breeze of a mid-day afternoon in his mane. He yearned for the feeling of the grass on his feet or the touch of a woman against his skin. He hadn't felt anything since the fiery punishment that was forced upon him. He didn't blame the ashes of his old commander for his pain (Or in this case, lack of it). _That old fool did so in order to keep respect and obedience amongst the ranks._ No, he blamed that runt of a gabite. It was his fault he could no longer feel the sun on his face, or the bark of a tree, or the soft touch of a woman. He blamed the gabite for his agony. _He will pay... He will pay for my scars and my suffering; just like the Arlon did! If I ever meet him again, he will know true agony as I break both his legs and make him walk amongst rusted nails. If he doesn't walk, he will be dragged. He will know pain, then I will show him how to fell nothing at all! He will suffer!_

Arlon turned his attention back to the door. He had business. Arlon slammed his leaves into the door three times.

 _"Come in, Kieth."_ a voice called from behind the icy doors. With great effort, Arlon pushed them open. He pressed on the ice so hard, one of his burned leaves chipped; though to his disappointment, he couldn't feel it.

The room before him was massive. There was a big sheet of ice with a massive fog on the other was also a massive chair in front of the sheet. There was a pokemon sitting there; though the lack of light made it impossible to see what the creature looked like.

"Yes, my lord." Arlon said as he got down on one knee to bow.

 _"I wanted to congratulate you on your promotion to commander; though you will have to remind me of the circumstances."_ the pokemon commanded. It's voice was plagued with hatred, pain, and delight.

"Arlon." he stated slowly, choosing his words very carefully as to not cause an upset. "was incapacitated by an escapee-" A blast of ice flew forth from the shadows and pelted Arlon in the chest. The shiftry doubled back from the impact; though he grimaced for the lack of pain he wanted so badly to feel. He recalled the scars on his legs caused by his own leaves in an attempts at feeling something.

" _Do not lie to me!"_ the voice commanded with harshness. _"I am no fool!"_

"My humblest apologies." Arlon said as he stood up and took a bow. "I won't test the boundaries of your knowledge again."

 _"You best not. Continue with your explanation; though remember the icy blast, for if you lie, it will not be the final time you encounter my wrath."_

"My lord," Arlon continued. Arlon told of the circumstances that led up to his commander's fiery demise. He intentionally left out the part about the gabite.

 _"And the prisoner's?"_

"I delivered them this morning, my lord."

Another beam of ice flew forth and struck Arlon's arm. His leaves were encased in ice; though Arlon did not flinch.

"What I mean to say is that I delivered most of them."

 _"One got away?"_ the voice blared.

"Two, my lord."

 _"Then you have failed in your task!"_

"My lord, that is not true." Arlon said with a calm voice. He did not fear the being in front of him. He could no longer feel any pain. His only reason for living was to hear the pleas of the gabite as Arlon took everything from him. "I ask your forgiveness when I state this; but my late commander's job was to bring the prisoner's. I only took on the mantle after the two prisoner's escaped. I have made it my life goal to hunt down the two escapees. I will make up for my commander's short comings."

 _"I have half the mind to smite you where you stand;"_ the voice proclaimed harshly. _"but you should consider yourself lucky. The world will need you alive for the time being. I will not kill you. You will be granted a second chance to achieve your commander's mission. This means you will inevitably encounter the gabite you loath. Do not take this lightly, Kieth. Though you may have overpowered your predecessor, you do not have my favor. If you fail, I will make sure you feel again so that you will experience all of the agony your feeble mind can tolerate and then some. I need competent commanders; be one. Do you understand?"_

 _This is the chance I have been waiting for._ Arlon thought. _Finally, he will suffer for all of the agony; my agony._ "There are only two thing I ask in return:" Arlon said with a maniacal grin.

 _"Go on."_

"I wish to feel again. I want to feel everything."

 _"And the second?"_

"I want to make the gabite suffer!"

There was no response for a few minutes. The shadowy pokemon thought about the request for a few minutes before stating, _"I will grant you these things; though I want the gabite unharmed until he meets with me."_

Arlon's grin grew wider upon hearing those words. "Where do I start?"

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys! MasterKnight here. I just wanted to say that I tried all week to come up with a name for this chapter, but failed. I don't like this name so one of two things will happen which will mean this chapter will be republished. A. I'll come up with a better name and rename the chapter. B. You guys can have some fun and contribute to the story by helping me come up with a chapter name! (If you don't want to, I completely understand. I wanted to include you guys in the story ;) )

That's all! Thanks to the new fans (avidreader-everafter, eevee3960, CharTheLittleCharmander, AZalmega, DiegoAvmor, and Hohomanho)! Hope I can give you guys some better chapters as the story unfolds! Also, thanks to all of my secret fans who haven't followed/favorited my story, but continue to read! Hope you liked this chapter!

P. S. This chapter was REALLY LONG when I originally finished it, so I cut it into three chapters. I will be posting the other two I have for you guys shortly! (Not today, Nov. 4th, but Nov. 5th or 6th will have a new one and the last chapter will come shortly after (again, not the day of that chapter)) :)


	11. A New Perspective

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 11

A New Perspective

* * *

(Ryan)

Team Rapture was walking away from the altars. Ryan's head was rushing with questions about the different aspects that the fake altars had missed. _Why didn't Hazel realize they weren't real? Wasn't it obvious? The writing was all wrong, the erosion was wrong, and that stone was obviously a key. Why doesn't anyone think about these things? Why is it left up to me? Why-_ his thoughts were interrupted by a low-volume noise that was getting louder with each passing second. Ryan stopped moving. He perked his head up as to catch more vibrations.

"What is it?" Dillan asked.

"Something's wrong..." Ryan stated. "Listen..."

Ryan tried to hear what the noise was. It had a sound like a "thud". _Footsteps?_

"Ryan-" Hazel started.

"Shh." Ryan interrupted. _No, not footsteps..._ _They're too far apart. Maybe... a tail... A massive tail..._ His thoughts were interrupted by a scream echoing through the cavern. It was a child's scream. Ryan didn't think about his next move, he didn't have any time. He darted underneath Hazel and started running in the direction of the scream. He tried to listen for another one. He ran for about three minutes; though he didn't hear anything. He ran until he came upon a massive room. It had a massive structure made of stone with crystals all over the walls. There were also windows throughout the structure. There was a massive crystal hanging above the building. It casted light throughout the room.

 _What is this place?_ He examined the building. He tried peering through windows to see some sign of a kid. Movement from the third floor caught his eyes. He looked towards the window to find a figure obscured by shadow lurking by the window. Ryan grimaced. _Dang it..._ The figure retreated from the window. Ryan ran towards the building. He started climbing it by using the crystals as foot holds. He climbed towards the window that the figure was in. He peered into the room. It was a small rectangular room with a door along the left wall. There was a bed of straw as well as a desk. Ryan crept through the window into the room. He was very cautious for fear of an attack. He walked across the floor slowly over to the table. He watched the door cautiously as he leapt onto the table. _There has to be something to tell me about the kid..._ He scanned the contents of the table. There was a book labelled "The Dark and the Light". There were papers scattered all over. Ryan searched the papers for a sign. He flipped through page after page yet found no sign. Ryan hopped off of the table. He was about to go through the door when he heard a voice call out from the window.

"Baht!" a rhyperior called. "Baht! Get down heah right now!"

A mismagius floated towards the stone pokemon. It stopped and said, "Yes Leon?"

"Baht! We have intruduhs!" Leon said. Ryan swore under his breath.

"Don't you mean, 'Bart, we have intruders'?" Bart asked.

"This is no tahm to get on me because of mah accent! This is urgehnt!"

"I haven't seen any intruders." Bart told Leon in a shrill voice.

"Don't take thaht tone with me!"

"It's the only one I use." Bart said.

"Whell let Borras know about the issue!"

"I will let Borris know, Leon sir." Bart turned away from the rhyperior and floated upwards. Ryan moved away from the window quickly to avoid being spotted. He heard the thumping the ryperior's tail on the stone floor as he entered the building. _Dang it! Now I have two more kidnappers to deal with._

"Dill-" Ryan began. He then realized his gabite companion was not there. He had left them behind in the cave. _Are they alright? Were they... No, the wouldn't have been captured. The rhyperior, Leon?_ _would have said something... Alright. They're safe... for now. I need to find that child before it gets hurt._ Ryan walked over to the door and opened it carefully. He peered through it to find a pathway with three doors along the walls. They all had labels. The one on the left wall said, "Leon". The first one at the right wall said, "Bart" whine the one at the end of the hall read, "Stairs". Ryan looked up at his door. The sign read, "Borris". _Oh no..._

"Borris?" Bart called. Ryan saw the tip of Bart's hat come through the ceiling. _Crap!_ Ryan quickly slammed the door shut with a loud, "Bang".

"Borris?" Bart called again. "Is that you?" _Gotta hide..._ Ryan looked around the room frantically. His eyes moved towards the bed. _No... Underneath wouldn't work..._ He looked towards the desk. _Too exposed..._ His eyes wandered back to the bed, then the window. _Maybe-_

"Borris." Bart called through the door. "I'm coming in."

 _No more time._ Ryan made a mad dive for the bed. He slid across the stone floor, scraping his chest, and disappeared in the hay. Ryan quickly turned around, covered the hole, and watched as Bart floated through the door.

"Borris?" he called. "You in here?" Under normal circumstances, Ryan would have jumped at the chance to take on the mismagius; but these weren't normal circumstances. If he were to battle the pokemon, he risked the fight alerting the other pokemon; thus them using the child as a hostage. He couldn't risk that.

Bart drifted to the desk. He looked at the papers that were formed in a messy pile. Ryan held his breath in an attempt to remain unheard.

"If someone is in here, I will not be held responsible for what I do to you." He drifted over to the bed. Bart started scanning the room. He waited for three minutes, trying to listen for Ryan. Ryan's heart was beating quickly as the pokemon floated inches from his hiding spot.

"Hey kidnappers!" A voice called out from the window. To Ryan's horror, he recognized the voice as Hazel's. "Nice place you got here! Where'd you get it; on the corner of dumb and lame?" Ryan sat there in horror as Bart drifted along towards the window and through the wall. After about ten seconds, Ryan came out of his hiding spot and dashed towards the window. The rhyperior from before came out of the structure and ran towards the exit of the massive room. He stopped by Bart's side.

"Is she gone?" Leon asked.

"She just left." Bart told the rhyperior.

"Then we cahn still catch her!" with that, Leon charged down the hall with his tail thumping against the ground. Bart mumbled something to himself that Ryan couldn't catch as the mismagius floated along the path to follow his companion.

Ryan looked along the grounds for a sign of Hazel. There was nothing. He pulled back from the window and sat down to gather his thoughts. _Okay... Hazel is obviously leading those pokemon away from this building for some reason... Dillan might have been with her; though what's more likely is that Hazel led them away so Dillan could get inside. That's it!_ Ryan was about to shout from excitement when he thought about an issue. _There's another pokemon in this building. The rhyperior said to tell someone called... Borris... that there were intruders. If I shout, I alert him to our presence;then again, he probably saw me when I came here... I need to find Dillan._

Ryan broke from the window and walked stealthily towards the door. He opened it and walked down the hall towards the stairs. He opened the door which revealed a set of spiral stairs going up to the fourth floor or down to the second. Ryan walked down the stairs to the first floor. He looked around the ground level; but he found no sign of Dillan. That's when he heard a "thud" against the ceiling. Ryan doubled back and ran up the stairs. He opened the door to the second floor and found an alakazam standing over Dillan with it's spoons in hand. Dillan was unconscious.

"What did you do to my friend!" Ryan shouted.

"Exactly what I am going to do to you." the alakazam said calmly as he raised his spoon. Ryan knew what it meant when a psychic pokemon raised it's hand. The pachirisu didn't struggle to break free of the psychic field around him. He focused on the electric current that pulsed through his cheeks as he summoned all of the energy in his body to flow forth as a continuous electrical blast. Ryan's thunderbolt connected with it's target. The alakazam took a step back.

"You fight strongly for a pokemon of your size."

 _Again with my height?! Doesn't anyone have the least bit of respect?!_ Ryan gritted his teeth. The alakazam slammed his spoons together in a cross and then he disappeared.

"Teleport?!" Ryan shouted. "Really?!"

"Yes." the alakazam spoke softly from behind Ryan's ear. He grabbed Ryan's arm and they both warped.

* * *

It was the worst feeling in the world; as if he had been sucked through a straw and spat out into a mushy pile of glop and fur. Ryan vomited on the floor. The alakazam stood there, waiting. When Ryan was done losing whatever breakfast he had left, he looked around for a moment. They were on the building's roof. The crystal that hung above them was shinning in an array of colors. The light was as bright as a rising sun. It wasn't enough to cause any damage to Ryan's eyes; yet just bright enough to make him instinctively squint. Ryan turned around to face the alakazam who was standing up with his arms crossed.

"Are you done?" the pokemon asked.

Ryan was still gritting his teeth. The taste of his stomach fluids lingered in his mouth.

"Why not attack me now and get it over with?" Ryan asked.

"Because I like a challenge." the alakazam stated. "My name is Borris of Team K. P. You have invaded my home and my base. Prepare to lose."

Ryan's anger turned into confusion. _He's a kidnapper and this is a fight! Why is he playing fair? Why is he being formal about it?_

Borris made the first move. He clinked his spoons together and a barrier formed around him. It sunk into his skin and created a see-through, glossy skin. Ryan wasted no time for his attack. He summoned a bolt of electricity from his cheeks as it arced into Borris' chest. Borris made no attempt at dodging. He took the attack head on. Ryan grimaced. _They normally try to dodge..._ To Ryan's astonishment, Borris was unfazed by the attack. His skin sparked from the attack. Borris clashed his spoons together and a pinkish aura surrounded his spoons. Ryan tried to avoid the alakazam's gaze as to avoid his move, but the alakazam was faster that Ryan anticipated. The pachirisu's fur stood out as if it had static. His muscles tensed. Ryan gave of another jolt of electricity. Borris absorbed the shock as he raised his spoons and made a throwing motion towards the ground. Ryan flew up into the air and came smashing down with force. He felt his tail twist unnaturally. Ryan gave a yelp of pain. His muscles relaxed as the aura faded from Borris' silverware. Ryan gritted his teeth and dashed towards the alakazam. Borris clashed his spoons together and warped away.

Ryan scanned the roof as he shouted, "Stop running like a coward!"

"I am no coward." the alakazam said calmly from above. Ryan looked up just in time to see the pink slash flying towards his face. Ryan jumped away from the attack at the last second as the pink arc smashed into the floor. Borris drifted downwards slowly.

"You will not beat me with such uncoordinated attacks." the psychic pokemon stated.

"Do you want to talk or fight?" Ryan questioned.

"I want you to try."

Ryan stood there, wondering. _I hate this guy! Why is he so calm? He won't fight me! I need him to stand still! He's so unpredictable! I need to do something to get him to fight!_

"Should I just put you to sleep like your friend?" Borris asked. That made Ryan mad.

"What did you do to him?" Ryan shouted.

"Nothing permanent, I assure you. He's just sleeping."

 _I need him to fight... What can I do? ... That might work._

"Let me tell you something." Ryan said, trying to get a hold of his anger. "I know about the child." Borris' expression fluctuated. _There._ "You won't keep him here any longer. He's coming with my team, you hear?"

"No he isn't." Borris said sternly.

 _I need to find a way down stairs..._ Ryan's eyes drifted to a hole on the other side of the roof. The only obstacle standing in the way was Borris. _Alright. Now we're talking._

"You can't stop me and my team."

Borris' lip curled into a slight frown.

Ryan rushed the alakazam. Borris clashed his spoons together in order to avoid the attack, or in this case, the fake-out. Once Borris was out of the way, Ryan did not care where he warped to. He darted for the hole in the roof.

"No!" Borris shouted as Ryan dived down the stairs. Once Ryan was out of sight, he sat at the stairs. He heard the air current fluctuate as it always did when someone was floating at high speeds. He waited for the right moment. When Borris turned the last corner, Ryan tackled the alakazam and sunk his teeth into Borris' leg. Borris gave a cry of pain. Ryan then nuzzled his cheeks against the yellow fur. Borris fell and banged on the stairs as his paralysis tightened his muscles. Ryan stepped out of the way as the alakazam slammed into stair after stair after stair until he fell to the floor of the fifth story. Ryan ran down the stairs and leaped into the air. He stuck out his elbow and let all of the energy in his body impact Borris' skull. Borris gave a groan of pain as he went limp on the floor. Ryan felt a surge of pain come into his elbow. He stood up, checking his arm. It wasn't broken, just bruised. He checked the alakazam. He was still breathing, just unconscious. Ryan felt all of the adrenaline leave his body. He felt tired from the fight.

Ryan panted as a pokemon walked up the stairs. He got up, ready for a fight, but relaxed when he saw the blue fins of his friend.

"Dillan." Ryan said.

"Hey." Dillan responded. "What happened? Where did you go?"

Ryan explained why he left. As he recalled the scream, he remembered their mission. He looked at his surroundings. There were five doors. Four of them read "Storage" while the fifth had a piece of paper tapped to it. The paper read, "Jeremy's Room". Ryan looked on with confusion.

"What's wrong?" Dillan asked.

"That room's sign says "Jeremy's Room"." Ryan stated.

"So?" Dillan asked.

"Jeremy is the kid we're suppose to save. Why is his name on that door?"

"Wanna find out?" Dillan asked as he strode to the door. Ryan followed. The door had a knob on it, so Dillan fiddled with it as he tried to open the door. Finally, Dillan stepped back, looked at his claws in annoyance, and let Ryan give the door a try. Ryan jumped at the handle, grabbed it, and opened the door cautiously.

"Jeremy?" he called.

* * *

(Ten minutes ago: Hazel)

Hazel knew it was probably their only option, but that didn't mean she had to like it. Dillan's plans always seemed to go only so far; one could even go to call it a half plan. They were never completely thought out. She would have protested, but the longer they argued about it, the longer Jeremy has to suffer. She couldn't live with herself if something happened in the time it took her and Dillan to come up with a plan. Even though this was true, she still wanted a better plan.

"Did I mention how much I hate this plan?" Hazel asked sarcastically. The two were outside of the building. The light from her tail started burning brighter the more she thought about the situation she was in. Dillan was inside the structure, peering out through a window at Hazel who was out in the open.

"Do you know of another way to get to the kid?" Dillan asked with a nervous smile.

Hazel gave a sigh. "No." she said. "but I'll let you know when I come up with a different idea."

"For now," Dillan started. "stick to this one."

Hazel went up to the door of the structure and knocked three times. She took a deep breath and shouted out the best insult she could come up with. "Hey kidnappers! Nice place you got here! Where'd you get it; on the corner of dumb and lame?" Her cheeks started to turn a shade of scarlet. Hazel knew it was ore of an insult to her than the kidnappers; but that didn't matter. She only wanted the enemy's attention. A large stomping could be heard through out the structure. A mismagius came out of a wall on the third floor. Hazel looked at the ghost type with a mixture of shock and fear. _Why is it always ghost types?!_ Her face tensed into a look of complete horror. She whipped around as fast as she could and darted towards the exit like Dillan planned. She dashed into the tunnel. She didn't dare to look back. Memories of her past came rushing back to her like a venomoth to a flame. _No!_ she yelled at herself internally. _Focus on the job!_ She could feel her inner demon's grabbing at her emotions and twisting them up in knots. She started thinking about that one night. Hazel tried to push those thoughts out of her mind as she took a right turn. She didn't realize the rock imbedded in the soil. Her foot collided with it as she rolled forwards. As hazel tumbled on the ground in somersaults, random pebbles dug into her skin with a dull pain. When she stopped tumbling, she instinctively checked her tail flame. It was still burning. Blood rushed to her ears when she felt vibrations in the ground. She looked back; but she couldn't see anything. The stone walls were only illuminated by her tail. She got up, not caring about the stone that clung to her body. She started running back down the hall.

She ran for about fifteen minutes. She found herself coming into the altar room. She started walking again in an attempt to feel for vibrations in the ground. She didn't feel any. Hazel went over to one of the altar and sat down. The memories flooded her mind. She couldn't stop them this time. She couldn't stop them in Poltress either; notwhen the dusknoir grabbed her. They were too strong. She remembered her mother. She remembered the night; that one night that would stay with her until she died.

* * *

Hazel had just finished dinner. She looked down at the medal she had won for finding the most objects in a certain area. For Hazel, it has child's play. Her, Dean, and Hailey had ventured into places way more terrifying than her dad's berry field. They had found all ten of the bandanna's they were tasked with searching for and won. Naturally, Dean took most of the credit, but Hazel knew it was just a private joke that the machop had with his friends. They all knew that the team's bond was the real reason they had one; or at least, that's what their parents kept telling them.

"You did well, Sig." Hazel's dad said from his seat at the table. He always sat next to her; he was funny that way. He was like a B.F.F. and a father rolled into one. He would tell the little charmander stories every night about the adventures of Great King Maxamillian. Afterwards, he would tell her how much he loved his Sig. "More than the sky itself." he would say.

Hazel's father was Kalen Prince. He was a bipedal pokemon that was about five-foot seven. His green body came down like a lizard's to a leafy tail. His head was also like a lizard's. His chin was red. His green head revealed yellow eyes.

Hazel always wondered why the grass type wasn't afraid of her; seeing as how she's always on fire. She might have said it was because he loved her, but that didn't explain why he was attracted to her mother. She had the same body; except for the big wings. Hazel's mother had a long neck that stretched out to a head with a pair of horns on the back. Her blue eyes were full of passion. She was a little chubby for a charizard, but that didn't matter to Hazel. Her mother's tail came out to a point that was lit by fire. Hazel loved everything about her mother; from her chubby stomach, to her passion for cooking. She made the best food in Ganderosa.

"Thanks, daddy!" Hazel said with a smile; though she didn't take her eyes off of her medal. Hazel's mother came over to Hazel and kissed her forehead.

"He's right, you know." her mother said. "You did wonderfully. I have o doubt you'll take after your ancestors."

"Who were they?" Hazel asked.

"Sig," her mother started. "Your ancestors were great pokemon who did great things. They helped a lot of pokemon. Of course, there was the occasional bad apple, but most of your ancestors were the best and the wisest pokemon ever. They formed exploration teams just like you want to do with your friends. There's no doubt my little Siggyberry is going to be in one of the greatest exploration teams ever."

"Daddy!" Hazel complained. She hated it when her parents called her "Siggyberry"; though, in reality, she wanted them to say it. To call her something different felt like a change in the family dynamic; and she hated anything normal becoming something different.

"Nope!" her dad said with a defiant smile. "To us, you'll always be our Siggyberry."

Hazel smiled a little before lunging at her mom with a hug. She then broke off and tackled Kalen. He fell off of his seat to the floor. Hazel was on top of him while he had his back to the floor.

"Alright Sig," Kalen said. "Time for bed."

Hazel didn't mind going to bed. As much as she liked having the most fun possible, that wasn't possible without Dean. The machop was her best friend. He was always open with his opinion which came off as rude to other pokemon, but Hazel knew him better. She knew about his parents. To her and Hailey, Dean was as big as a softy as they came; though Hailey usually remained silent about it all until they were alone. Hailey was pretty shy. She always told them it was because she wanted to focus on the mission at hand, but Hazel thought it had something to do with her past; something about her parents. Other than her silence among strangers, Hailey was a starly who loved to talk with her friends. Hazel wouldn't get to see her friends soon until she was finished adventuring in her dreams.

"Okay daddy." Hazel said as she hugged her father tightly and lovingly. Her tail drifted closer to the sceptile. He didn't mind. He knew her tail only burned when she was overwhelmed with painful feelings. Hazel broke from Kalen and tackled her mother. She pressed on her stomach as hard as she could and her mother gave her a bear hug. Hazel giggled as her mother picked her off of the ground. She carried her off to bed as Kalen followed.

Hazel's mother sat Hazel in her straw bed. The roof leaked as the rain came down. Her dad said that the king raised taxes and is making it hard for pokemon to live in a nice home. Hazel didn't mind. She liked the "plop"s of the water in the bucket that was nestled under the hole. On the other hand, her mother hated the water. She said that it would hurt Hazel in her seep; though Hazel never thought it would be so bad. She had felt plenty of pain before and her dad said she had a high tolerance for pain. That didn't stop her mother from worrying. Hazel sat up straight, waiting for Kalen to tell her a bed-time story like he always did. Hazel's mother kissed Hazel on the forehead before leaving the room. Hazel's father came in with a massive book like he always did. The book's cover was damaged from water and dirt, but the insides were still secure. The pages flowed nicely through Kalen's fingers as he flipped through the pages. He usually read the book while sitting in his chair that was always next to her bed.

He sat down and said, "Now then. How about I tell you the story about-"

He was interrupted by a scream. Hazel didn't know who was screaming, but it continued. Hazel's father grabbed Hazel by the waist and picked her up. Hazel had barely any time to react. her father carried her as he ran through the house. He carried her down a flight of stairs into the cellar. It was an empty room with one large door. He set Hazel in the room, looked her in the eyes, and said, "Stay here, Sig."

"Daddy," Hazel started. "What's going on?"

"Stay here." he told her. Hazel's father ran towards the exit, grabbed the door, and slammed it shut. The force brought the wooden plank down into position, holding the door in place. Hazel ran over to the door and tried to open it. The wooden plank was too heavy for her to open the door. She sat there, listening. The screaming was gone. She could hear Kalen yelling from upstairs. There were thuds across the ceiling. Hazel didn't know what was going on. She was terrified. She wanted to know what was happening. That's when it went from terrible to catastrophic. To a child s\who is terrified, that fear needs a name, a face. That face came through the ceiling. The scuffling on the ceiling ended. That made Hazel look up. That's when she saw the pokemon. It was floating, but it had two feet. It's gray body was like a pear. The head had a flowing scarf coming off the neck. The pokemon had one red eye. It stared at Hazel with a nasty glare. It's hands weren't connected to it's body. They seemed to float in front of the pokemon eerily.

Hazel retreated to a corner and cowered. She let out horrific, bloodcurdling scream high enough to break glass. The pokemon came closer. It raised it's hand; its fingers were straight out like a knife. There was a slamming on the door. The wood split in half as Hazel's father came running in. Something was horribly wrong. He was missing an arm. He was grabbing at the wound as he charged the dusknoir. The ghost pokemon dropped his hand, but Hazel's father stepped in the way. He took the full blow to the head. Hazel's father gave a cry of pain. A trail of blood led across the floor from the doorway to Hazel's father. He stood up slowly. Hazel was too scared to do anything. Kalen's expression was of pain, anger, and 's leaves grew into a blade of glowing grass. Hazel's father reacted as quickly as possible. He slashed relentlessly. He didn't seem to notice the seven-year old in the corner, being traumatized by the attacks and the brutality of her father.

* * *

Hazel broke out of the memory. Tears filled her eyes. She couldn't help it if that memory is what overtook her whenever she found herself face-to-face with a ghost pokemon. Hazel hadn't noticed the vibrations in the room. She got up slowly and looked down the corridor cautiously. There was a pokemon being illuminated by the blue light. It was the rhyperior, Leon. He was walking towards the room. _Dang it! He's still after me..._

"You have intruded upon our home." a pokemon said shrilly from behind Hazel. She looked behind her to find the mismagius inches away from her nose. Hazel tensed and started flailing her arms in a feeble attempt to smack the pokemon. She started screaming from fear as she darted towards the rhyperior. She didn't know what she was doing. She wasn't thinking about the major disadvantage she had put herself in by running towards the rhyperior. When she realized the major disadvantage she was put in, she stopped. Leon stopped in his tracks as well. He stared down the charmelion.

"Now," he said with a grin. "thehr is nowhehr to run."

Hazel looked back to find the mismagius blocking her path. Leon was right, Hazel was trapped.

"Leon," Bart said with a hint of urgency.

"What?" Leon asked.

"I need to go. Borris needs help." With that, Bart faded into the right wall.

"Baht!" Leon called through the hall. "Get back heah!"

Hazel relaxed a little. She wanted to hope it wasn't a trap that Bart left; she had to. If she didn't, Hazel wouldn't be ably to fight Leon. She knew that was the option, otherwise, her friends would be over-run. Hazel retreated into the altar room.

"Not so fast!" Leon shouted as he raised his hand. A hole could be seen in his palm. Leon's arm kicked back accompanied by a noise like a shot gun blast. A stone hurled towards Hazel's head. Hazel fell to the floor in an attempt to dodge the rock. The stone made a "fwizz" noise as it flew over Hazel. Hazel struggled to her feet as she clawed at the ground in an attempt to get out of Leon's range. A few more rocks flew by Hazel as she rounded the corner. The blue light showed worry on Hazel's face. _Keep it together, Sig... Focus on the opponent. He's bigger than you and probably stronger than you, but you don't need to beat him; just weaken him and give the other's time to finish their battle, then we can all deal with rocky._

Leon whipped around the corner with his tail dragging against the ground. Hazel jumped to the side as the stone smashed into the wall like a mace. It sent small pebbles that pelted Hazel's face. The end of her memory started coming to her head. She tried to focus on the fight; but she remembered Kalen's relentless attacks against the dusknoir. Tears came to Hazel's eyes. She blinked them out as she sent a flame-thrower in Leon's direction. She let the memory of her mother fuel the flame. Leon took the blast head-on. He flew through the flames like a devil in hell. The rhyperior's face revealed fear and worry. That stunned Hazel. That slip in focus left an opening that Leon took. He threw his hand into the earth. Stones jutted out from underneath Hazel. The stones threw her into the ceiling. A dull pain clouded her thoughts. The pain increased and she grabbed her head. Leon stood there with a worried frown. He glared at Hazel.

The running from earlier took it's toll on Hazel. She tried to get up, but due to the pain from the attack, the exhaustion from earlier, and the memory that clawed at her thoughts, she collapsed onto the floor.

* * *

Her mind drifted back to her father as he decimated the ghost with one arm. He kept going until the ghost pokemon's screams stopped. Kalen had killed a pokemon in front of her eyes. Hazel looked on in horror at the scene that had unraveled from a peaceful evening that was just like any other; now it was a nightmare Hazel wanted to stop.

"Daddy!" she cried. Tears were streaming from her eyes. Kalen had taken a look back towards his daughter, then he collapsed. "Daddy!"

Thirty minutes had gone by before the Labensian Exploration Team arrived. When they came down into the cellar, they rushed towards Hazel's dying father. There were two pokemon who carried the dying sceptile away while one rushed over to Hazel. Hazel started screaming when the pokemon came closer.

She was a was a bipedal bird with gorgeous purple feathers; but something about the lighting made the pokemon's features look evil to Hazel. She felt an instinctual feeling to cower from the pokemon that she couldn't explain. Later in life, she would come to refer to this feeling as a sort of sixth sense that forced her to fear ghost types. Hazel screamed even louder the more the ghost type approached. When the oricorio realized it was she who was causing Hazel to scream, she backed off with a look of concern and worry. Another pokemon walked up to Hazel. This pokemon didn't have the same feeling or look as the oricorio, so Hazel didn't fear it.

The pokemon was a quadrupedal pokemon with pink and vanilla fur. It had ribbons coming off of it's neck and ear. It's blue eyes soothed Hazel in a way that a mother does a child. The sylveon wrapped its ribbons around Hazel and lifted her onto its back. The ribbons felt like silk. It then walked out of the cellar and upstairs.

* * *

When Hazel was upstairs, she found herself in the dinning room. There was the table, the sink, the wash tub, and a tarp across the floor over an object. The tarp concealed most of the object except for the crimson and blue wings of Hazel's mother.

"Mamma?" she called to the tarp.

She got no answer. She never would. Hazel shouted futilely at the tarp. She tried to get off of the sylveon but it wouldn't let her. It held Hazel there softly, yet firmly. Hazel struggled with all her will to break free in the hopes that she could help her mother. She watched helplessly as the sylveon removed her from her house, from her old life; the life with a mother to call her own. The next time she would sit at the dinner table, it would be with her broken family. Kalen would go into depression; but he would try his best to keep Hazel on her feet. Hazel's life, Kalen's life, would never be the same. Hazel's screams would be in vain. She would never get her mother back.

* * *

Hazel woke up from the dream, tears in her eyes. She was sitting up. She looked around the room. The rhyperior was there. He was sitting down in front of her. He had a look of concern on his face. Hazel looked at herself. She wasn't tied up or gagged or anything else she could think of that someone would do to their prisoners. She was fine.

Leon saw she was awake. He stood up and said, "You alhight?"

Hazel was stunned by the question. It was full of compassion. "I-" Hazel stumbled. "I'm sorry?"

"I asked if you were alright." Leon said.

"Uh..." Hazel didn't know what to say. She dried her eyes and her cheeks. _What's going on? Why is he being nice?_ Hazel said the only thing she could think of. "What do you mean?"

Leon thought about the question. "I mean, your dreahm. You have been crying."

The rhyperior sounded full of compassion, but Hazel was very confused by what was going on. "Why are you acting like this?" Hazel asked. "We were just fighting! What's going on?"

"Whell," Leon began. "You see, my partnears told me you guys were not bad pokemon. Whe thought you guys were going to hurt hour friend."

"Your friend?" Hazel asked.

"I'll tell you everything I can on my end, but I can only tell you so much... I am not the bhritest pokemon. It would be best for my friends to explain everything else."

"No offense, but I don't trust you."

Leon looked hurt, but he cntemplated his words. "If I was a bad pokemon, you would need to come with me anywheys."

"Why is that?" Hazel asked suspiciously.

"Because if I was bad, my friends whould have yours and you whould come whith me to see them again, no?"

Hazel gritted her teeth. _He has a good point._ She had to go with him either way. She couldn't abandon her friends. Also, if he was telling the truth, she wanted to get to the bottom of this. _If he isn't a bad guy, he's not making a very good argument..._ Nevertheless, Hazel agreed.

Leon bowed and motioned his hands towards the door with a, "Ladies first."

"Again," Hazel said. She didn't want to be rude in case he was telling the truth, but she also didn't want to take any chances. "I don't trust you not to blast my head off at the last second. You go first."

Leon gave a shrug and took the lead back into the tunnel. Hazel reluctantly followed.

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys, MasterKnight here! I just wanted to say two things.

One: I hope you guys have a better understanding of Ryan and Hazel's mindsets. Also, I hope you guys liked that little switcheroo on the perspectives. It was hard to do.

Two: THERE IS A POLL! It's not a poll about which character you think is best; but a poll about the future of the story. When Team Rapture gets to Palando Town, (If they even get there! Mwahahaha!) there is going to be one of two things happening: A. Team Rapture goes through some dungeons (Like three or two), I drop some more hints about the plot, develop the characters a little more (if you guys think the characters need more development, choose this option. If not, the other one), and I show off some more of my "fantastic" writing. (One can dream) or B. We dive deeper into the story/plot and you guys can have fun with that. Choose wisely! This will affect the story as you know it! (Not really... It just sounded like a cool thing to say)

Anyways, Thanks Guys! I just want to say, the shout outs will be happening Saturday. Again, if you follow/favorite me or my story and don't want a shout out, PM me. (Rambling Alert!) It doesn't matter to me either way. I'm just happy you guys like the story enough to stay until this point! Thanks for reading! Until Thursday, have a good week! (P. S. I'm gonna try to get a chapter out Saturday, but I'm getting slammed with work from school and a job, so I might not be able to post a chapter this Saturday... ;-; I WILL TRY! Have a great day!


	12. A Reason

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 12

A Reason

* * *

"Jeremy?" Ryan called out as he and Dillan openned the door labelled, "Jeremy's Room". Ryan walked in the room first followed by Dillan. It was an average-sized room. It had pictures plastered to the walls. The pictures were of stick figures that were standing on a green floor with a blue background. Some of the pictures were grey with rock formations coming out of the ground. The figures were labelled with names: Leon, Bart, Borris, and Jeremy. The room itself was stone with carpet along the floor. There was a bed with a little pokemon, sitting up on its fins. The pokemon was blue with three fins: two for hands and one for a tail. The blue pokemon had a pink nose and a white muzzle. It also had a wavy mane of cloth.

The poplio looked at the two members of Team Rapture and said, "I'm Jeremy!" He proclaimed it proudly like a title. "Who are you two?"

"I'm Dillan," Dillan said. He then gestured to the pachirisu who was examining the room. "and this is Ryan. We're here to rescue you..." Dillan's voice trailed off as he realized just exactly the room meant _. Jeremy was safe?_

"Rescue me?" Jeremy asked as he rolled over onto his back. He stared at them from his new upside-down perspective. "Did Borris ask you to play with me?" He scoffed. "He never wants to play..."

"Jeremy," Ryan started. "can you tell us what's going on?"

"I can." a shrill voice called out from behind Dillan. Its ominous tone made Dillan shudder. He turned around to find himself inches away from the mismagius from before. Dillan jumped backwards and landed on his backside. Bart looked at Dillan with an expressionless stare. He then looked at Ryan. Ryan was about to charge the pokemon when Jeremy jumped off the bed and tackled Bart. Bart stood (or in this case, floated) his ground. He didn't move an inch as the poplio hugged Bart tightly. Ryan stared on in confusion.

"Alright." Ryan said while shaking his head. "What's going on?"

Bart floated past Dillan and towards Jeremy's bed. Jeremy let go and sat in his bed as Bart hovered close by. "I will explain;" Bart said. "but first I would like to know why you two have come here."

Dillan stood up. He walked over to Ryan and squatted down to get closer to Ryan's height.

"Should we trust him?" Dillan whispered.

"I don't know..." Ryan responded. "Jeremy seems pretty attached to the mismagius, so they haven't hurt him or anything... But then again, they could have done something to him... I'm not sure..."

"Personally, I say there's no real harm in trying." Dillan said. "If Bart is a threat, he knows why we're here; but that won't hurt us. If we tell him, we might find out what's going on..."

"Alright..." Ryan said unenthusiastically. "We'll tell him."

Dillan and Ryan broke out of their huddle and explained to Bart what had happened. They watched his expression and Jeremy's; though Dillan and Ryan left the part out about Jeremy's father for fear that he would break down from sadness. Jeremy didn't look shocked or confused by what they were telling them; in fact, he was fascinated by their explanation.

"You guys are a real life exploration team?" Jeremy asked with enthusiasm.

"Yep." Dillan said. Ryan was eyeing Bart suspiciously.

"Cool!" Jeremy said.

"Anyways," Ryan said. "that's why we're here."

"So you are here to take Jeremy back to his mother?" Bart asked.

"Uh..." Ryan said. "Isn't that what we just said?"

"I cannot allow that." Bart said.

Dillan was annoyed. "So you are a kidnapper?" he asked.

"No." a voice called out from behind Dillan. Ryan's face turned into one of anger. Dillan turned around to face the alakazam from before. The gabite scowled at the psychic type.

"Borris," Bart said. "Do not sneak up on others. It's rude."

"No it isn't." Borris protested with a slight smile. "It's perfectly acceptable in my own house."

"It's a base." Bart corrected.

"What ever." Borris said as hew rolled his eyes. He turned towards Ryan. Ryan was focused on Borris' leg. The bite wound from before could be seen, but it was little more than a scar. Dillan didn't really care how it healed so quickly. By now, there were plenty of things that felt like they belonged in a world of fantasy that turned out to be real; such as the fact that he could breath fire.

"If you aren't kidnappers," Ryan began. "then what are you?"

"They're my guardians!" Jeremy said.

"Guardians?" Dillan asked.

"Yes." Borris said. "Jeremy, show the gabite and his friend your back."

Jeremy turned around and showed the pokemon his back. Jeremy had a slew of scars on his back. Dillan became very disgusted and disturbed. He looked away from the sight of the poor poplio.

"What did you so to him?!" Ryan asked with harshness. His cheeks started sparking.

"Calm yourself, shorty." the mismagius said. Ryan gritted his teeth. "We didn't do that."

"Prove it!" Ryan shouted.

"Bart," Borris said. "take Jeremy downstairs to meet Leon." He turned to face Ryan and Dillan. "I'll send my friend a message to let him know your team is no harm to Jeremy."

"No!" Ryan ordered. "We still don't trust you two. I won't let Jeremy out of my sight."

"Then you can come along." Bart said in his shrill tone.

Ryan thought about it for a few seconds. "Fine." He then turned towards Dillan. Dillan was unsure of the whole splitting up thing. Ryan saw his expression of concern.

"It's cool." Ryan said. "I'll make sure Jeremy's safe. You stay here and find out what this is about."

Dillan nodded his head. Ryan walked out of the room along with Bart and Jeremy. Borris walked over to the door and shut it. He then turned towards Dillan who was gnashing his teeth together. Thoughts were racing through Dillan's head. _He won't catch me off guard this time._

"Do not worry." the alakazam said. "I will not hurt you. I am the more civilized pokemon on our team.

"Now, you are probably wondering about those scars on Jeremy's back." _Yes. Yes I am._ Borris strode towards the window and looked out of it like a person does in a movie when he is about to recall an event from his past. "Let me start at the beginning. Jeremy was a fine young lad. He didn't do anything to deserve what happened to him; if anything, he deserved more than better. His father and mother had... issues when they were younger. Jeremy's mother considered him a mistake; his father didn't. THey had a falling out. His mother left with Jeremy, taking his father out of his life. From what Jeremy's told us, his mother hated him. She treated him more as a slave than a son. When he either couldn't or wouldn't stand the ill-treatment, he was beaten; hence the scars. We assume his father found out about the abusive behaviors and tried to take Jeremy away. Jeremy hates to talk about it, but he did tell Leon about his father..."

Borris looked down and squinted his eyes shut tightly. Dillan saw a lone tear fall from his face. "He said his mother was the reason his father was killed... He said he watched it... The kid tries to look past that, but every now and then, he..." Borris stopped for a minute or two. Dillan didn't know what to believe. The child seemed so happy when they saw him, surely he would be more traumatized; but those scars weren't recent, they looked unhealable. He had to have gotten them before now.

"When did you guys come into the picture?" Dillan asked sympathetically. He may not have been completely convinced of their story, but judging by the way Jeremy treats them, they have to be good pokemon.

"When Jeremy's father died, his mother wanted to move to Palando. Jeremy tried to run when he was in the pass. My team was just returning from Palando with some supplies. When we found Jeremy, he was running. He told us to help him. He had scratch marks on his back. It was a horrific sight. He was in tears. When his mother came, she demanded we return Jeremy to her. We didn't know what to do. Jeremy told us of his mother's abusive nature. She had blood on her claws... We couldn't leave Jeremy to her.

"Understand, we would have gone to the guild with the information, but she may have pinned the abuse on us; not to mention the duration of time it would have taken to process the report. I wouldn't let Jeremy go back to that witch. We took him in. It may have been illegal, but we had no other option; not one where Jeremy doesn't end up hurt."

Dillan processed the information that had been told to them. What little suspicions he had left evaporated. You could say it was irrational for him to let go of his suspicions and that there was still a chance that these pokemon might have been lying; yet Dillan believed what Borris said because of his tone, demeanor, and also because Dillan wanted to believe there was a hint of good in every pokemon. He couldn't stand the thought that these pokemon were this deceptive to the point of deceiving not only him, but Jeremy as well to the point of the little poplio calling them, "his guardians".

"I believe you;" Dillan said as he lowered his guard. Borris looked at him with a thankful look in his eyes. "but you need to take this to the authorities."

"I told you we can't do that." Borris said flatly.

"Yes you can." Dillan insisted. "If you bring it to them, you can help Jeremy. Pokemon believe he's a captive; that his mother is the victim. Bring Jeremy to the guild in Kerroshia Castle. Tell them you're on official business from Team Rapture; that it's an emergency concerning the package that was delivered. That should bring you the Guildmaster. Tell her the situation. Show her Jeremy's scars. That would bring the situation to the top of the guild instead of starting from the bottom. Jeremy's mother might not be charged with the death of her husband; but for the assault on her own child. She'll be taken out of the picture and your team can take Jeremy in without it being illegal. You need to do this."

"Why?" the alakazam asked sternly. "Why is this needed?"

"Because we're a team that just started. This is our first mission." with those words, the alakazam looked astonished. "If we found you this easily, chances are that another team more powerful than us will find you as well. Next time, they may take Jeremy back to his mother and then you're at square negative five because your team will then be arrested for kidnapping a child."

Borris stared at the gabite with a mixture of acknowledgement and fear. He walked towards the gabite. "I could tell there was something different about you from the beginning; your wits prove this fact to me."

Now Dillan was confused. "Different?" he asked. "Different how?"

Before Borris could answer, there was a shout coming from outside the window.

"Hay Borras!" Leon called out. Borris walked over to the window. "Bring Dillan down here so whe can talk!"

Borris gave a wave and moved towards the door. He grasped the handle and openned the wooden door. "Come." the alakazam said. Dillan wanted to know more; yet he forgot about his questions quickly when he realized Hazel would be with Leon. He wanted to see if his plan had hurt her.

* * *

Team Rapture was facing Team K. P. (Leon, Bart, Borris, and Jeremy). Dillan explained to his team what was going on with K. P. and vice-versa. Dillan spoke in a whisper when he talked about Jeremy's past. Ryan looked angry and Hazel looked horrified.

"No offense," Ryan said. "but I still have my doubts."

"It is a fantastical story," Hazel said. "in a bad way; but I think it's possible."

"Why's that?" Ryan asked.

"Well, when I was fighting Leon, he had the chance to kill me; but he didn't..."

"True..." Ryan said. "When I fought Borris, he gave me a fighting chance. Also, he got emotional when I talked about Jeremy. They seem to care for the kid."

"Also," Dillan jumped in. "Jeremy seems to like them. They have to be good, right?"

The group looked at each other. They came to a unanimous decision. The two groups faced each other.

"We've decided that you are not a threat to Jeremy's safety." Bart said with his usual tone.

"We've come to the conclusion that you aren't kidnappers." Dillan said.

"Good," Leon said sarcastically. "'cause that takes a load off of my rhocky chest." Borris hit the back of Leon's head with his spoon. "Kidding." he told Borris.

"We've also considered your proposition, Dillan." Borris said. "and we've decided it would be in Jeremy's best interest to take his issues to the Guildmaster."

"That's great news!" Hazel said enthusiastically; though a part of her tone showed sympathy for Jeremy as well as fear. Hazel seemed to glance at Bart now and then for an unknown reason. Dillan guessed she was still a little shaken up from their encounter at Poltress Town.

Jeremy stood on his tail in a proud manner. He put his fins to his hips and stuck his snout into the air.

"Let me help you bhring your ego a little higher!" Leon said as he grabbed the poplio and lifted him into the air. Jeremy laughed from the excitement it brought him. Dillan could have been seeing things; but for a brief second, it looked as though Bart smiled.

"We need to be off." Bart announced. "It'll take us a few hours to pack the supplies for the journey; then the rest of the day to arrive in Kerroshia." With that, Bart turned towards the structure and floated into it, leaving Leon to scowl at the mismagius.

Borris walked up to the team and said, "I am sorry you came all this way for nothing-"

"Nothing?" Hazel interrupted with a smile. "In my mind, we came here to help a child. In think my team would agree with me when I say we accomplished just that! I wouldn't call that nothing."

"Me neither." Ryan added with a grin. "Hazel's right. Helping Jeremy is better than any reward money."

"I agree as well." Dillan said with a light smile.

"Thank you, friends!" Jeremy shouted from atop Leon's shoulder.

Leon gave a hearty laugh. "Yes! Thank you, indeed!"

"We should be off." Ryan said. "We have a long walk to go in order to reach Palando."

"Hey shorty!" Leon shouted to Ryan. Ryan's cheeks sparked a little and Ryan gave a half-hearted smile. "If you see mother Jehremy, give her a message!"

"Yeah?" Ryan asked with a fake smile.

"Thell her that we want to mheet at Kehrroshia infront of the Ghild in fhive-days time."

"Yeah!" Jeremy shouted.

"We'll try..." Dillan said, though he had no intention of doing such a thing. He didn't think getting the mother involved at this time would be a very good idea.

"Until our paths cross again, I will say this, 'Though we may greet at one point and leave at the next; know that if fate allows, everyone meets again at one point or another'."

"Did you come up with that?" Hazel asked.

"No." Leon said. "It whas his grandfhather's words. Whise man."

With their final waves good bye, Team Rapture and Team K. P. parted.

* * *

It took about two hours to reach the other side of the Palando Mountain Pass, but they finally found a beam of light come into the cave. Dillan squinted when he exited the cave. His miracle sense turned off and he found himself on a cliff. The sun was about to set over the horizon; but Dillan could see for miles. There were patches of trees stretched all over the plains. The mountains were to Dillan's back. Dillan could make out a small town off in the distance.

"That's Palando Town." Ryan pronounced as he looked from his map to the horizon.

"It looks so small from here." Dillan said as he squinted his eyes in an attempt at enlarging the town.

"That's because it's about thirty miles away." Hazel said. "We won't be able to reach the town by nightfall."

"Then we should get going." Dillan said. Team Rapture moved onwards, down the mountain path. They walked onwards to their destination of Palando Town.

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys! MasterKnight here! I just wanted to apologize for how short the chapter is. As I stated in chapter 10 (Or maybe I didn't. I don't remember), these three chapters in the Palando Mountain Pass were originally going to be one whole chapter, but it seemed WAY too long, so I cut it into different chapters. I would have included this one into chapter 11, but it felt weird for some reason and honestly, I trust my gut when it comes to writing and it hasn't led me wrong (as far as I know). So, I made this part it's own chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it! (even though it wasn't very long) I'll see you all in the next chapter!


	13. Battles and Struggles

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 13

Battles and Struggles

* * *

(Disclaimer)

Hey guys! It's MasterKnight here! Before you start, I just want to apologize for not getting this chapter out last week. I had the worst problem known in the world of writing... WRITER'S BLOCK! (Dun dun DUN!) It was a really bad case of writer's block. I wasn't happy with the start of this chapter and you'll see why. I still couldn't fix it. I just decided to move on. Special thanks to jakeroo123 for giving his input! It helped get this chapter finished. It is a REALLY REALLY LONG chapter. As a result, TADA! I have given you guys book marks in the form of Number's at every break in the paragraphs. For example:

* * *

_1

Like that! I would have cut the chapter, but I felt it wouldn't work well. So you have a massive chapter to read! Enjoy guys! And, once again, sorry for the wait!

After the sun went down, Ryan guessed that they were about ten miles away from Palando Town. Because Hazel was the team's only light source, Team Rapture decided it was best for the team to rest for the night. Dillan built the burrow off the path like last time, except better. The motions in which he used to dig had started to become muscle memory.

Dillan finished the burrow in about ten minutes. The walls were smoother and so was the pillar in the middle of the room. Hazel and Ryan walked inside. No one talked to each other. They were all too exhausted for words. Hazel got out three blankets and handed them out. She then took the third and used it as a pillow. She flopped onto the blanket and passed out. Dillan didn't need a blanket. He only took it to be kind to Hazel. He didn't want to turn down the offer. He scrunched the pillow up and used it as a cushion for his head as well. Ryan used his blanket like a blanket. He spread the massive cloth across on the ground and lied down on it. He then took half of the cloth and draped it over him like a cocoon. Ryan fell to sleep just as fast as Hazel did. Dillan yawned and felt the ceiling for movement; a leaf falling from a tree or a drop of rain against the ground. It was a fun game he had just invented in order to use his miracle sense. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the fiery light of Hazel's tail. _Maybe having separate rooms is a good idea..._ Dillan felt around with his miracle sense. He didn't know what he was looking for, but he searched. He figured that doing something would help him sleep; it usually did. After a while, Dillan fell asleep.

* * *

_2

Dillan's eyes opened. He found himself laying on a tile floor. He got up and scanned his surroundings. There were paintings on the walls. He was in the same room from his dreams. _Was this a dream?_

"Reya!" Dillan yelled. His only reply was the echoing of his own voice in the room. "Reya!" Still no answer. _What in arceus' name._

Dillan started scanning the new pictures. There was one of the Kerroshian Guildmaster fighting him. Dillan looked worried; as though he didn't know what he was doing. _Probably because I didn't know what I was doing... like now... What's my end-goal?_ Dillan sat down on the floor. He pointed his back-fin towards the wall so he could view the room he was in. _Why did I join this team? I could be looking for clues or answers about my past... but no. I joined a team of pokemon I hardly know... Hazel wanted this team, but did I?_

 _"Did you?"_ an ominous voice echoed through the dream.

Dillan jumped to his feet. His eyes flew towards every crevice of the room, trying to identify the source of the voice.

"Who's there?" Dillan asked. He tried to sound confident, but it came out as more of a squeak.

 _"At the moment, that is not your concern."_ the voice told Dillan. _"Your priority is to find your family... to find Grace."_

"How do you know about Grace?"

 _"I know many things, for instance; I know who, or rather what, you really are."_

"What do you mean?" Dillan asked cautiously. Something about the voice made Dillan nervous and scared.

 _"Of course you wouldn't know. You have amnesia, don't you?"_

Dillan grimaced. _How does he know that? What else does he know?_

"Do you know about my past?"

 _"Of course."_ The voice sounded smug. _"But that is not the reason I am here."_

"Than why are you here?"

 _"I want to teach you about... Yourself."_

Dillan was starting to gain some of his courage. "Would you stop avoiding my questions?"

 _"Not until you stop avoiding the one question you should have been asking the moment you were put into this world."_

"Which is?"

 _"What are you."_

 _What?_

 _"It's time to stop lying to yourself, Dillan. You know something is wrong. When you arrived in this world, nothing seemed familiar, correct?"_

Dillan didn't know what to say. He didn't know what this voice was implying.

 _"Well?"_

"I-... Correct..."

 _"Good. Did you even recognize yourself?"_

"No..." He's right. Something has always felt the slightest bit off about his form. He could never tell what it was but he knew something was strange... Different.

 _"Ask me the question."_

"Wh-..." Dillan hesitated. Something felt wrong as if a primal instinct was screaming at him to avoid asking this question.

 _"Ask it!"_

"No!" a voice echoed in the background. It was Ryan's voice. "Stop!" The room began to fluctuate violently

"Ryan?" Dillan shouted as he tried to keep himself from vomiting from motion sickness.

 _"Do you know what you really are?"_ the voice shouted. Dillan wasn't paying attention anymore. He was checking the room for some sign of an exit.

"Ryan!" Dillan shouted again.

"Don't do it!" Ryan's voice said. Dillan's vision started turning white. "Leave them alone!"

 _"Dillan! You are human!"_

Dillan's mind darted back towards the voice. _Human?_ Dillan felt like collapsing.

"No!" Ryan shouted. The room became a white blob.

* * *

_3

Dillan jolted awake from the yelling. His vision was blurry. He hit the side of his head with his claw to straighten out his sight. When the blotches in his sight cleared, he saw Hazel's tail-flame illuminating the room. She was still asleep, obviously unfazed by the sudden out-burst that filled the burrow. Dillan looked to the exit. He saw a glimpse of Ryan's white and blue-striped tail exiting the hole. _Where is he going?_ Dillan stood up and quietly walked out of the burrow.

There were dew drops across the grass shining like miniature crystals. The sky was pinkish-blue from the rising sun. The road stretched onwards to Dillan's left and ended about five miles down. There was a pretty big town at the end of the road. To Dillan's right, the sun peered feebly from the cracks in the mountains that stretched northward and southward. Ryan was sitting on the grass, panting. He was staring towards the sunrise.

Dillan walked over to the pachirisu's left. Ryan didn't seem to give notice to his friend who sat down next to him.

"What are you looking at?" Dillan said.

"The sun..." Ryan's voice was filled with worry. His face showed concern and pain. "The sky..." Dillan wanted to ask what was wrong, but he didn't think Ryan would tell him. They sat in silence. A flock of blue birds with yellow beaks flew across the sky followed by a group of majestic, white birds with long necks. Dillan looked at them and thought about how free they were; being able to travel over mountains in seconds while Dillan had to go through them. The idea made him smile.

"Why did you join the team?" Ryan asked.

"Uh..." Dillan said as he thought about the question. "Well, maybe it was because of Hazel."

"How so?"

"I can't stand letting anyone be sad... I don't know. It's like an instinct that gives me the urge to help in any way I can."

Ryan sat in silence, thinking through Dillan's answer.

"Ryan," Dillan began. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Ryan said almost instantly.

"Nothing?" Dillan asked again.

Ryan thought about it. He continued to look up at the sky. He gave a sigh and than said, "It's my family..."

"What's wrong with your family?"

Ryan gave a half-hearted laugh. "What isn't wrong?" He thought about what to say next. "Before I was born, my parents had my older brother, Isaac. He was a genius... Straight A student... He made my parents very proud. When he left the house, my parents decided they did so well with Isaac, that they would do the same thing with my other siblings and me. They decided to raise three kids at a time. I've seen families with multiple kids before and they turned out to be a great family; but my family was different. We needed to be like Isaac, BE Isaac. My older sister, Carly, did fairly well in school. She was the second-oldest in the family, so she mad it her duty to push me and Luke, the third-oldest in my family, to be as good as she was; so did my parents. I did well; very well. I was getting better and better at learning. While I was succeeding, Luke was failing. He was getting pushed harder and harder until couldn't handle the pressure. He..." Ryan's voice trailed off.

He took a deep breath and said, "He started bullying me... He couldn't stand the thought of his younger sibling being better than he was... I started falling behind in school as a result of the bullying. He told our parents 'it was his duty to make me stronger so I could live in the real world'. They believed him... It wouldn't stop... He wouldn't stop..." Ryan started to tear up. He looked angry.

Dillan felt really bad for the pachirisu. He had no idea that he dealt with that.

Ryan wiped the tear from his eye and said, "I started to teach myself how to fight back. It took a whole year of bullying... By now, I was doing just as poorly in school as Luke; but I could fight. I beat Luke... I hurt him like he hurt me... It hurts to do something like that to someone you're suppose to love; but I did it.

"Eventually, I got involved with a fighting group outside of school; a sort of mixed-martial arts group. I became very good at fighting at the cost of my school. My parents hated it... Then I... They left me."

"I'm so sorry..." Hazel said. Dillan looked around to see Hazel walking towards Ryan. Ryan looked highly embarrassed. He quickly slapped at his face in a hasty attempt to dry his eyes and cheeks of his tears. Hazel sat on Ryan's right.

"How much did you hear?" Ryan asked in a pitch that was a little higher than normal.

"I heard enough..." Hazel sounded pained. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"I didn't want to!" Ryan started sounding defensive. "It isn't any of your or Dillan's business."

"Ryan-" Dillan started sympathetically.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore." Ryan interrupted. "Let's just move on. We're close to Palando anyways." Ryan stood up and headed towards the burrow. Hazel looked sad.

When Ryan was inside of the burrow, the charmelion asked, "Do you think he likes me?"

Dillan was a little shocked by the question. "What?"

"Do you think Ryan likes me?" Hazel asked again. Her eyes were pointed towards the ground. "He always acts a little rude around me; but when he's with you, he seems to be more open..."

Dillan thought about a response to give. "I think he just doesn't trust you as much as me."

Hazel looked at Dillan with an annoyed look. Dillan realized immediately he had said something wrong.

"Thanks, Dillan." Hazel said sarcastically. "You really are someone I can turn to for advice." Hazel got up and walked over towards the burrow.

"Hazel!" Dillan shouted towards her. Hazel kept walking onwards. Dillan internally kicked himself. _Why did you say that? Dang it! Now not only is Ryan in a bad mood; but so is Hazel! You really are a bad friend..._

* * *

_4

It didn't take very long to pack up the supplies. It was the rest of the walk that made Dillan tired. He figured that the sand in Kerroshia had the same effect a cave had on Dillan's senses, and since he wasn't in Kerroshia anymore, he was back to his normal out-of-shape self.

Dillan automatically assumed Palando looked better from a distance than it did up close. The streets were nice enough and so were the buildings. It was the alleys that made Dillan nervous. There were ratty looking pokemon leering at the group as they walked. Ryan didn't seem to notice the dirty looks that were cast in his direction. He was too busy looking for a black roof and so was Hazel. Other than the alley-pokemon, the town seemed vacant.

"Where is everyone?" Dillan asked his team.

"I don't know." Ryan said. "But I do know where the guild is." Ryan pointed towards a small tower that was barely stretching over the other buildings.

"Why do we need to go to the guild?" Dillan asked.

"Because," Hazel began. "we need to let them know we're here so they can give us a place to sleep. Also, they give out free breakfa-" Some shouting from an alley interrupted Hazel.

"Look out!" a pokemon shouted.

Dillan looked towards an alley on his right. There was a small, quadrupedal, yellow mouse with ears that had black tips. The pokemon had red cheeks and a tail like a lightning bolt. It also had white bandages wrapped around its front paws. There was a yellow crystal suspended by a chain that wrapped itself around the pokemon's neck. It was running towards the team at a fast pace. It tried to stop, but its momentum was too great. Dillan stepped out of the way and so did Ryan. Hazel took the full force of the pikachu. They tumbled onto the floor. The pikachu recovered quickly. He looked at Hazel. Dillan couldn't completely tell, but he thought the pikachu's cheeks turned a darker shade of red.

"What's the rush?" Hazel shouted at the pikachu.

"Whoa!" the pikachu said with a grin. "Easy, beautiful! I didn't mean to run into you." He held out his paw to Hazel. "Need some help?"

Hazel swiped the pikachu's hand aside. She looked embarrassed. "Beautiful?!" Hazel shouted. "Who do you think you are?!"

The pikachu took a step back and bowed. He didn't look phased by Hazel's reaction. "I'm Bolt; Bolt Raimi." Bolt looked up and started looking worried. "Sorry to hit and run, but I have something important to do!" Bolt started running off when he turned around and said, "See you around, Sparky!"

Hazel got up and gave a confused scowl in Bolt's direction. She then looked to Dillan and Ryan and asked, "Sparky?"

"Don't ask me." Ryan said with as much confusion as Hazel. Dillan gave a shrug. Hazel dusted herself off and then proceeded to do the same with her bag.

"What a jerk!" Hazel said.

"Maybe he had something important?" Dillan suggested. Ryan and Hazel both looked in his direction. "Just a thought."

"Oh well." Hazel said with a sigh.

"Let's move on." Ryan said as Team Rapture made their way to the guild.

* * *

_5

The court yard, in Dillan's opinion, was lacking. It wasn't very big. There was a small fountain in the middle of the courtyard that had two sea horses squirting water into the basin below. There was a dirt path leading to the fountain, around the fountain, and to the stone structure at the back. A field of grass surrounded the path. The door to the tower was made of metal. It had dents all over it. To the left of the door was the job bulletin.

Dillan looked at the bulletin. Jeremy's poster was on it. It made Dillan a little worried about Team K. P. He wondered how they were fairing at the moment. Ryan walked up to the board. He seemed to notice the poster as well. He jumped up and grabbed the poster. He ripped it from the board and crumpled it up. Hazel looked worried by the sudden attack against poster-kind.

Ryan looked at her before saying, "What?"

"Nothing." Hazel said.

"Alright." Ryan walked towards the door and pushed it open. Dillan guessed the door was light judging by the lack of stress on Ryan's face. He opened it like a letter; quick and easy. Team Rapture walked into the guild. Dillan looked around.

The floor was made of stone. There was a lone desk to the immediate right of the door. There was a chandelier hanging from the wooden roof. There were four pictures along the left wall. Each one had a plaque underneath. There was a pokemon at the desk. It was an eight-legged, bug pokemon. All of its legs were yellow with a black stripe in the middle. The pokemon had antennae on its abdomen and pincers on its face. The pokemon's base color was red. Its eyes were purple and glassy. The ariados was working on paperwork with a ferocious speed.

"Excuse me," Hazel began.

The ariados looked up from its paperwork and said, "Do you wish to schedule an appointment?" Dillan felt a weird vibe from her.

"No." Ryan said. "We're the new guildmembers."

"So you're Team Rapture?" the arachnid questioned.

"Yes, ma'am." Dillan put in.

"Please, call me Janette."

"We just wanted to check in with you guys and let you know we're ready for duty." Hazel said enthusiastically.

"Alrighty." Janette said with a cheery voice. "I just need you to answer a simple question each."

"And what's the question?" Ryan asked. Hazel gave him a quick look of annoyance.

"It's fine." Janette said in response to Hazel's glare. "I like it when a pokemon gets to the point. Makes my job easier. Not that I don't mind the work or anything; it's just I appreciate it when people make my job easier..." Janette added a nervous laugh. "Anyways, I need you to give your birth dates."

"Don't listen to her." a voice came from Dillan's left. It was disturbingly familiar. Dillan looked out the doorway to see a staravia looking at him. "She just wants to use her astrological whatchamacallit."

"Haily?!" Hazel said with worry. She sounded as though she was about to shriek. Ryan took an instinctual step back. Dillan looked n with worry.

"Relax Sig." Haily said with a neutral tone. "I'm not here to talk to you or your team."

"Than why are you here?" Ryan said angrily.

"I live here." Haily said.

"L-live here?" Dillan said feebly.

"She sure does." Janette said. "You guys know each other?"

"Yes." Haily said flatly. She then started walking towards a doorway at the east side of the room.

"D-does that mean your whole team works here?" Dillan asked.

Haily stopped, turned towards Team Rapture, said, "Yes", and walked through the doorway.

"Small world." Ryan said with annoyance. "Really small freakin world."

"Yeah." Janette said. "You guys are gonna get along."

"What makes you say that?" Hazel asked.

"Haily's a cancer."

"No joke." Ryan said sarcastically with a smirk.

"Oh!" Janette exclaimed. "You're into signs too?"

"Signs?" Dillan asked. He hated feeling like the only one to ask questions, but he wanted to know everything he could.

"Astrological signs!" Janette reached under her desk and pulled out a massive book. He set it onto the table with a "thud". "Like cancer! Tell them!" She pointed to Ryan. Hazel gave a look of interest.

Ryan perked his head up confidently. "I'm sorry to say this, Janette," Ryan started. "but I don't believe in these signs. I only know what they are and what they stand for personality-wise."

Janette gave a look of shock. She contemplated what Ryan had just said and what was said earlier. "Oh..." she said with sad-eyes. "I guess I assumed you... Alright... I was only joking about the whole birth dates thing... You guys don't really have to give it... Just go see the Guildleader to let him know you are here..."

Ryan gave a frown of compassion.

"Do you know where the Guildleader is?" Hazel asked with a sympathetic tone.

"Yeah... He's probably at the arena..."

"He is." Haily said from the doorway. A new figure was standing next to her. It was the haunter, Jess. Dillan looked at Hazel. She gave a shudder. Her pupils dilated and her laps tightened. Jess had the opposite look. She looked overjoyed at the arrival of the new team.

"Hey guys!" Jess shouted crazily. She floated over to Janette's side. "You guys figure out your signs yet?"

Hazel looked about ready to throw up from fear. She started swaying eerily. Dillan was starting to get paranoid. _What did she do to Hazel? She needs to leave._

"We need to be going-" Dillan said before he was interrupted by Hazel running out of the building. Dillan looked on with shock.

"What's with her?" Jess asked. "She looks as though she's seen a ghost. Oh wait!" Jess started cackling crazily. It unnerved Dillan.

"Yeah." Ryan put in. "We really need to go see the guild... guy... before it gets even weirder in here." Ryan gave a wave and pushed on Dillan's ankle, urging him to move out.

"Alright, then!" Jess said. "See ya Skitty and Pipsqueak!"  
Ryan's grip tightened on Dillan's leg. He started breathing heavily as he and Dillan exited the building.

* * *

_6

Hazel was staring at the fountain. Ryan let go of Dillan and ran to Hazel's left. Dillan closed the doors and walked to Hazel's right. Hazel was scowling at the water in the fountain. She seemed to be lost in a memory.

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked with concern.

Hazel didn't look at him. She stared at her reflection as it rippled in the water's surface.

"What type of pokemon is Jess?" Dillan asked.

"Ghost." Ryan said. "Why?"

"Hazel." Dillan said. "Talk to us. Why are you afraid of ghost types?"

Hazel didn't say anything. She just stared. She was starting to worry Dillan.

"I can't ignore it all the time." Hazel finally said.

"Ignore what?" Ryan asked.

"The memories..."

"Hazel..." Dillan urged.

"I-..." hazel started. She started squinting her eyes. "I can't tell you..."

"Why not?" Ryan asked.

Hazel reared on Ryan. "Why not? Why not? You can't seriously expect me to open up when you won't do the same. I can understand Dillan not opening up because he doesn't have any memories; but you?" Dillan's heart sunk. He felt as though Hazel had just personally attacked him. Yeah, it wasn't intentional and Dillan knew that; but it still hurt. Hazel looked at him and her expression softened.

"Dillan-"

"You two need to stop." Dillan interrupted with as calm of a voice he could muster up. Hazel and Ryan looked as him. "Both of you lash out at each other for the dumbest things. You know what? Maybe you guys got off on the wrong foot. You two didn't understand what kind of baggage you may carry with you guys and that would have been fine if you two tried to resolve your differences, but you didn't. You fought. Hazel, Ryan overreacted at the diner... What was it called?"

"Harley's." Ryan said.

"Thank you." Dillan said sincerely. He directed his attention back to Hazel. "Even though he overreacted, it doesn't excuse your attitude towards him."

"Dillan-" Hazel tried to argue.

"Hazel," Dillan cut her off. "Please let me finish." Hazel stopped protesting. "Thanks. Now then, Ryan. You told me first-hand how much baggage you have; but that can't be used as an excuse to take it out on Hazel. You guys need to start over; wipe the slate clean of all your past mistakes." They just sat there, staring at Dillan in awe. "Slate clean... Start over... Guys?"

Ryan gave a sigh and faced Hazel. "Hazel... Prince?"

Hazel looked at him and chuckled a little. "Yeah. It's 'Prince'."

"Hazel Prince," Ryan started again. "I'm sorry for being rude and arrogant and for insulting your friend... My name is Ryan Simon." Ryan stuck out his paw.

Hazel gave another chuckle. "I don't think he meant start over that..." She looked at Dillan. He was nodding his head in agreement. "Oh. Well then," She turned towards Ryan. "I'm sorry for being rude and cold to you. I'm Sigourney Prince; but you can call me Hazel."

They both shook hands. They looked a little embarrassed. Dillan gave a sigh of relief.

Ryan started to smile. "Sigourney?"

"That's what my parents named me." Hazel proclaimed.

"Why change it?" Ryan asked.

"A new beginning. Hazel said. "After Haily and Dean left, I wanted a new beginning with a new team; hence the new name."

"That's why Haily and Dean keep calling you Sig." Dillan realized aloud.

"Yep."

"Well then, Sig," Ryan said with a smirk. "Wanna find the Guildleader?"

Dillan realized he had yet another question. "Guildleader?"

Hazel answered immediately. "The chain of command in Ganderosa is King, Guildmaster, Guildleader, guildmember. The guildmembers report to the Guildleaders, which report to the Guildmasters, which report to the King." That answered Dillan's question. "I would love to meet the Guildleader." Dillan heard a door closing. He turned to the guild's door. It was shut. He could have sworn the door had shut. He assumed it must have been his imagination.

"I hate asking questions," Dillan said. He was thoroughly annoyed with his lack of information. "But we don't know where to go. Janette said the arena, but I don't know where that is."

"I do." Ryan said with a smile. Dillan seemed to notice a fire burn in his eyes.

"Really?" Hazel asked.

"See that neon green tower?" Ryan pointed to a tower Dillan hadn't noticed before. Now that he saw it, it did look odd. "By process of elimination, that is the only roof that stands out."

"Cool." Hazel said.

"Let's get going." Dillan said. Team Rapture made their way to their next objective.

* * *

_7  
As Dillan got closer to the tower, a roar of approval started growing. At first, it was like a mere whisper; but after a while, it became a roar.

After a few minutes, Team Rapture found themselves at the top of a massive pit. The arena was more like a coliseum. There was a podium suspended above the arena where a massive, purple pokemon sat. It had a huge mouth and round, disc ears. The pokemon was chanting commentary. A ring of fans of multiple colors was chanting, cheering, and booing all at the same time. In the middle of the coliseum, two pokemon were engaged in battle. Dillan was feeling a little overwhelmed from the energy that seemed to pulse through the stadium as one of the pokemon either landed a hit or took one head on.

One of the pokemon had the same body-type as Jeremy. The difference between the two was the white fur that fluffed outwards on the pokemon's head. Its body was light blue and its face was white. It had massive white tusks at the front of its face. The pokemon looked about six feet tall. The second pokemon looked like a midget to the walrein. It looked like the pikachu from before. _Wait a minute…_

Dillan pointed out the smaller pokemon to Ryan and Hazel.

"Is that…" Ryan tried to state. "What did he say his name was?"

The walrein took a blast of electricity that arced from the pikachu's small body. The walrein passed out. Ryan looked at the end of the fight with a smile of excitement.

A massive voice boomed out from the loudred above the stadium. "Winner by knock out! It's your very own fan favorite, E. B.!" The crowd cheered in approval at the outcome. Dillan and Hazel looked onwards as Ryan cheered with the crowd.

"I hate this sport." Hazel said over the crowd.

"What's to hate?" Ryan proclaimed.

"I don't believe my eyes!" a burly voice called out from behind Dillan. The gabite cursed internally as his teeth gritted together. Team Rapture turned around to face Dean the machoke. "If it isn't the team of idiots."

"You know," Ryan started. "I was hoping your team realized they didn't need to act like losers; sadly, they obviously didn't realize this fact."

Dean smiled. "Big words for such a small pokemon."

"You want to fight?" Ryan said. Dillan looked at his friend. Ryan didn't look ready to fight, he looked ready to run. His tail was shaking. Ryan looked very worried which Dillan knew was not how he wanted to look.

"Relax pipsqueak." Dean said. "You aren't worth my time; too weak and small. Besides, right now I'm on guild business."

"What kind of business is that?" Hazel asked cautiously.

"The Guildleader wanted me to find some real guildmembers today; although, it doesn't look like there are any in sight. Guess you three will have to do."

Dillan wanted to defend himself; yet at the same time, he couldn't bring himself to say anything. He just stared at the muscular pokemon that stood in front of him.

"Dean," Hazel said. "What is wrong with you? Can't you be civil?"

"I don't know, Sig," Dean responded. "Can I?" Dean started walking away. He made a wave to the team to follow him. Dillan and Hazel started walking.

* * *

_8

Dean led them between pokemon. Dillan looked at them all as the announcer said something about an intermission. The gabite was in awe of all the different kinds of pokemon that filled the stadium, waiting for a form of entertainment. He walked to a box that Dillan hadn't noticed before. There was a plaque above the door. It said, "Guildmembers Only". Hazel looked at the stadium with disgust as they entered the box.

It was pretty big. There were chairs that were sloped down like the stadium so pokemon could see over each other. Other than the group, there were two pokemon sitting in the chairs.  
One was easily identified as Haily. The other one was a pokemon Dillan hadn't seen before.

It was a big, yellow pokemon with a yellow orb on its forehead. It had cone-shaped ears that were striped black and yellow. The pokemon looked like a bipedal pokemon. It had a long, black and yellow striped tail that ended at an orange orb. The pokemon's stomach was big. Dillan wondered if that was normal or if the pokemon needed a diet.

The ampharos turned in it's chair to face the entering pokemon. He smiled at the team.

"Thank you Dean!" the ampharos said in a cheery voice.

"Anytime, Guildleader." Dean said smugly as he sat in the chair next to Haily.

"Now then, let me introduce myself. I am Guildleader Garth Amoux, but Guildleader is how you two can address me. Now then, what are your names?" _Did he say "you two"?_

Dillan started looking around while Hazel introduced herself. "My name is Hazel Prince." She then looked at Dillan to introduce himself. He didn't pay attention. "Dillan, what's wrong?"

"Where did Ryan go?" Dillan asked.

Dean started laughing heartily. "That pipsqueak did NOT." He continued to laugh.

"What's the matter with you, Dean?" Hazel asked.

"Your friend has a death-wish; that's what!"

"What do you mean?" Hazel asked.

Dillan looked out upon the stadium. He started listening to the announcer. "In the left corner is the tough, the rough, the small but powerful, E. B.!" The crowd started erupting in cheers. "And in the right corner, we have a new-comer! Go on and introduce yourself!" The crowd quieted so the new-comer could talk. Hazel and Dillan looked on in shock.

"My name is Ryan Simon!" Ryan proclaimed. The crowd started whispering and murmuring.

"Ryan!" Hazel yelled from the box. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Bolt looked over at Hazel. He gave a wink in her direction. Some of the girls on the box's side of the arena started swooning. Hazel wasn't impressed.

"Hey beautiful!" Bolt shouted to the box.

"Hey, pretty boy!" Ryan shouted to Bolt. Bolt looked towards Ryan. "Eyes over here."

Dillan didn't like how calm he was about fighting Ryan. _Does he underestimate Ryan, or does he think he's more skilled?_

Bolt raised his hand for silence. The crowd obliged. Bolt walked up to Ryan. He extended his paw in a friendly gesture. Ryan looked at it cautiously.

"I'm the Electric Blur;" Bolt said. "but everyone here knows me as E. B." He looked to the crowd for confirmation. The crowd started cheering.

"That's just like him." Garth said. He gave a laugh.

"Is he well-known?" Dillan said.

"Pay attention, Skitty!" Dean said from his seat. "He's the fan-favorite. Everyone loves him; well, almost everyone." Dean looked to Haily. She just stared at the field.

"What's his win-lose ratio?" Hazel asked.

"Your friend has no chance." Haily said. "If Dean can beat him, anyone can."

"I'm not sure if I should laugh or punch you." Dean said.

"Quiet you two." Garth said.

Dillan turned his attention back to the field. Ryan had just finished shaking hands with Bolt.

"Tell me something, Ryan Simon." Bolt said. "What's your reason for fighting?"

"Do you need one?" Ryan asked.

Bolt gave a laugh. "Ooh. I like your spirit. Do you have a nick name?"

Ryan looked at him like he was crazy. "We're about to fight and you want to know my nick name?"

"Why not, feisty?"

"Don't call me that." Ryan said flatly.

"How about fluffy? To be honest, you don't look like you can hurt a magikarp."

Dillan could feel his addrenaline start to pump. The crowd started saying things like "Ooh!" and "Burn!" with a hint of "Snap!" mixed into one blur.

Garth laughed at the comment. "Who is that pachirisu?"

"He's your new guildmember." Hazel said sharply.

"What a twist!" Garth exclaimed. "Guildmember V. Guildmember!"

"You've got to be kidding." Hazel said.

"I wish he was." Dillan said. "Both pipsqueak and butter fingers make bad guildmembers."

Dillan looked at Haily. She didn't seem amused by Dean's wise-cracks. Come to think of it, she didn't seem to ever laugh at Dean's comments. They seemed like polar opposites. Dean talks way too much while Haily didn't talk at all.

"Dillan!" Hazel yelled over the crowd. Dillan snapped back into reality. "Did you hear me?"

"Sorry," Dillan said. "I didn't."

"I said you should help Ryan out."

"You can't do that." Haily stated. She was still looking at the stadium.

"Why not?" Dillan asked.

"Because the rules say so. You can't interfere with a battle or the participants when they volunteer for a fight."

"Here's a question." Dillan said. "How can Ryan just walk into the stadium and say, 'I want to fight'?"

Haily gave a sigh like, "Why me?". "Because you can. Bolt made it that way. He wanted anyone to be able to fight him while he's in the stadium. It's his way of getting money fast. No one minded the rule when Bolt proposed it a month ago; so it's been a specialty rule that is specific to Bolt's battles."

Dillan was terrified for Ryan. "He's going to lose." Dean laughed while Hazel nudged Dillan in the side. "Bolt. Bolt's going to lose."

Hazel whispered in Dillan's ear hole, "Keep hope."

The announcer started talking again in his big, booming voice. "Ladies and gentlmon! The fight will begin shortly! First, a word from our sponsors! King Judah gladly funds this arena for your entertainment! All hail the Arvain Empire! Ken's Emporium is a proud sponsor of the arena! Ken's Emporium For all of your wears "wear" ever you need them! Also, a special "thanks" to E. B. and the Guildleader, Garth for the entertainment they provide everyday! Now then, let's get down to the rules! No hits to the eyes, ears, or throat. Since you are both smaller pokemon," Dillan noticed Ryan plant his feet. "you can use any attack you have. Restricted items are mega stones, berries,, evolution items, and stat-lowering items. Everything else is fair game. You may not exit the arena. Tap the ground three times with your paws, fins, feet, and/or tail at any point to surrender. I know that most of that doesn't cunt for you guys, but I am obligated to say it anyways. All attacks MUST not leave the arena under any circumstances. The fighters may not draw blood unless it is from the mouth or nose. Everything else is fair. Failure to follow any of these rules will result in an automatic loss and ejection from the arena. The battle will be over when the opposing pokemon is knocked to the ground five times or until the opponent can no longer fight. For any new comers, there is no need to worry. We have pokemon using protect in order to stop any attacks from hitting you. Do the contenders understand the rules?"

"You know me, Pete." Bolt said with a nod to the announcer.

"That I do; and so do your fans."

"I understand that bolt-for-brains is going to get served-" Ryan started to say.

"A very nice victory!" Bolt finished.

Before Ryan could even think of a comeback, the announcer shouted, "Fight!"

Bolt put his paw up and motioned for Ryan to attack first. Ryan gritted his teeth and rushed forwards. He openned his mouth and attempted a super fang attack. Bolt moved quickly. Ryan looked around for his opponent. By the time he saw Bolt, a ball of electricity was hurdling towards him at a great speed. If it wasn't for Ryan's buff, he would have been jolted with electricity. Ryan swished his tail through the air and flung a swift towards Bolt. Bolt grimaced at the sight of the stars. Ryan gave a smirk.

"He knows swift?!" Dean shouted in surprise.

"Yep." Dillan said proudly, yet he didn't know exactly what it meant. Thankfully, the announcer answered why swift was such an important move.

"For all of those who aren't masters of the art of fighting, Swift is a move that never misses."

Ryan sat there smugly as Bolt took the full force of the stars. Bolt was fazed, but it wasn't enough to knock him down. The crowd gasped with worry.

When the attack finished, Bolt gave a hearty laugh. "Nice one!" he complimented.

"Not bad yourself. You almost had me with your electro ball."

"I have to say," Bolt started with a smirk. "if this is the best you can do, you need to get some more practice in. Let's raise the stakes."

"What did you have in mind?" Ryan asked.

"You can't use the move swift for the rest of the battle. If you can still beat me, you can have this." Bolt grabbed at the crystal around his neck. The crowd gasped in horror at the bet. Whispers erupted through the crowd. Dean and Garth gasped as well.

"What does he think he's doing?!" Dean asked. "Is he crazy?!"

"He's evening the odds!" Garth exclaimed with glee. "He knows that the pachirisu can win easily by spamming the attack!"

Dillan looked on with hope. _Ryan can win this!_ Hazel met his eyes and they both nodded.

"Ryan!" Hazel shouted down to the stadium. Ryan raised his hand in recognition. They both knew that Ryan couldn't take his eys off of the enemy; otherwise he would give Bolt an opening. "Don't take the deal!"

The crowd erupted in disapproval of Hazel's advice. They started chanting, "Take the deal!".

Ryan thought about the options.

"What's it gonna be, Ryan?" Bolt asked.

"I'm not stupid." Ryan stated. "You're afraid of my attack. No deal." The crowd hurled boo's and profanity at Ryan.

Bolt shrugged. "If that's what you want. That was your second mistake."

Ryan swished his tail through the air, flinging stars at Bolt. Bolt grinned. He ran towards the stars and leaped above them. The stars did a U-turn and flew towards Bolt. Bolt started charging Ryan on all fours. He started to grin confidently as his body became bathed with electricity. Ryan dodged to the left, but Bolt saw it coming. He leaped over Ryan and started running. Ryan looked at him with surprise.

"Ryan! Look out!" Dillan shouted feebly. Ryan looked around to see his swift hit his body. As Ryan tried to recover, Bolt Volt-tackled him head-on. Ryan slammed into one of the walls. The crowd cheered. Hazel looked away. Dillan couldn't take his eyes off of the fight.

"This looks bad for the pachirisu." The announcer said. "Does the little warrior have enough left in him to stand let alone fight?"

Ryan struggled to get up. Dillan couldn't help but count the time it took for his friend to recover. He didn't know how much longer Ryan could fight. He wanted to do something to help. Standing there seemed wrong while watching seemed even worse.

Ryan started to laugh. The crowd quieted from their confusion.

"What's so funny?" Bolt asked confidently.

"It's just that when we met, I didn't expect you to be so tough; I mean, you couldn't stop yourself from running into my friend."

The crowd began to boo. Ryan didn't seem to care; but Bolt did. He raised his paw for silence.

"What's your game here?" Bolt asked with a smile.

"I just wanted to say that I'm impressed by your skills; though I'm not surrendering. This fight is too fun to end." Ryan started laughing harder. "Bolt, I want you to give me your best shot."

Bolt was no longer smiling. He looked concerned. "You want me to hit you with my best shot?"

"Yep."

"Sorry, but you have to earn it." The crowd cheered at this remark. "Hit me two more times and I'll show you my best shot. Deal?"

Ryan smirked. "Deal." The crowd started going crazy with cheers and applause. Ryan planted his feet. "You first."

Bolt smirked. He started vibrating.

Dillan was confused. He didn't know a pokemon could do that. "What's he doing?" Dillan asked.

"Agility, duh." Dean said. "It raises butter fingers' speed."

"Bolt." Haily said.

"Hey, he deserves that name." Dean said with a smirk.

Dillan put his focus back into the fight. Bolt started charging Ryan with incredible speed. He had no idea a pokemon could move that fast. Dillan lost track of Bolt. The crowd started chanting, "E. B.!". Ryan kept his feet planted. Bolt reappeared in the air. His paw started glowing as he used a chopping motion at Ryan. Ryan smirked, side-stepped quickly, grabbed Bolt's paw, and threw him to the ground. Bolt skidded in the dirt until he stopped three feet from Ryan. Ryan put his paws up in a fighting position.

"What was that?!" the announcer asked. "A pachirisu using reversal?! Ladies and gentlemon, is this pachirisu more than he lets on?" The crowd was silent. Hazel turned back to the battle to see what had happened. They looked on at Bolt who started to get up.

Ryan took the opportunity to rush the pikachu. Bolt stood up before he felt Ryan slam into him. Ryan began to rub his cheeks against the pikachu. Bolt began to yell as paralysis took it's hold. Ryan backed off. Bolt made a shaky attempt to stand. Sparks flew off of the pikachu's body.

"Yeah!" Dillan shouted. "Go Ryan!"

"YES!" Bolt shouted with excitement. "Finally! A pokemon who's worth fighting! You know, at first I wasn't too sure about you, Ryan; but now, WOW! I mean, dang! This is so cool! I wish the fight could-" Bolt stumbled due to the paralysis. He went onto one knee. The crowd gasped. "Sorry, but this needs to end... Right... Now." Bolt grabbed his crystal. He stood up. When he removed his hand from his crystal, it was glowing. Bolt started doing a strange dance. He swayed his hands back and forth until he put them up and stood on one paw. Beams of energy immerged from thin air and filled Bolt's body. A light started irradiating from Bolt. The pikachu smirked. Dillan looked to Hazel for an answer. Hazel looked at the battlefield with horror. Dillan decided he was going to see what this move had in store. Ryan took a step back and grimaced. Bolt ran towards a wall, jumped at it, and pushed off of it. He was about seven feet in the air. Bolt somehow stopped moving, levitating in the air. He crouched into a ball and started rolling in the air. Electricity formed a ball of light around Bolt.

"This is it, ladies and gentlemon! The moment you have all been waiting for! The Catastropika!"

It happened in a literal second. Bolt broke free of his floating state. He darted forwards, flying at a speed that was unnatural. He became a beam of electrical light pointed straight at Ryan. Ryan had no time top react. The force of the blast flung Ryan into the ground. A bright electric pulse surrounded the two pokemon. Dillan looked away for about ten seconds. When he looked back at the carnage Bolt had caused in the stadium, he saw Ryan and Bolt on the ground, passed out. The ground around the two pokemon was charred. The crowd was silent.

"Both pokemon are down." the announcer stated. "Because each opponent is no longer able to battle, the rules state that the first pokemon to get up will be proclaimed as the winner."

"That was destructive." Dean said with a smirk.

"What's wrong with everyone?" Dillan asked. "Isn't anyone going to see if they need help?"

"They aren't allowed." Garth said gravely. "No one is allowed to help or else the match is forfeit. Judging by how fierce the battle was, I highly doubt that any pokemon is willing to-"

"Wait a minute!" The announcer said. Bolt was starting to move. He started to stand. Sparks jolted off of his body. He was shaking.

"Come on, Ryan." Dillan said hopefully. "Get up."

"He won't be getting up." Haily stated. "Not after Bolt's signature move. No one ever does."

Bolt stood on his feet. He stuck his wrapped paws in the air, telling the crowd he was alright.

"That's it!" The announcer said. "It's all over! Ryan Simon is unable to battle! E. B. is the winner!" The crowd cheered for the winner of the fight. That's when Bolt collapsed onto the ground. Everyone gasped. Dillan had enough of this fight. He left the box and made his way quickly down to the arena. Hazel followed him. They both went straight to Ryan. A new pokemon entered the field from the first row of fans. Hazel and Ryan didn't take notice of the new pokemon. Hazel got down on her knees and searched her bag. Dillan put his claw on Ryan's chest. He was breathing. He was bleeding slightly from his skin being rubbed raw.

"He's not hurt that badly." Hazel said calmly. She pulled out a revival herb from her bag and began crushing it in her hand. "Open his mouth." Dillan obliged. Hazel put the flakes into Ryan's mouth. It took a few seconds, but Ryan jumped up and began to cough up the bitter herb.

"How are you feeling?" Dillan asked.

Ryan coughed up the last of the herb and said, "Energized, disgusted, happy, take your pick."

Hazel went over to Bolt. That's when Dillan got a look at the pokemon that was next to him. It was a pokemon with massive blades for hands. Judging by th fact it had an abdomen and a thorax, Dillan guessed it was a bug pokemon. The pokemon was green. It had thin, see-through wings. It was about four feet tall. It was a bipedal pokemon.

"Move aside, please." Hazel said to the scyther.

"What are you gonna do?" the scyther asked.

"Help." Hazel said flatly as she pushed the scyther away from Bolt. His cheeks were sparking. She rummaged around for another revival herb. She then crushed it and gave it to Bolt. The pikachu didn't respond to the herb like Bolt.

"Stop." Ryan said to Hazel.. "With my nuzzle attack as well as his move, he's got too much electricity in his body. A revival herb won't do much."

"Then what do you suggest?" the scyther asked.

Ryan inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "Stand back. I'm not sure what this will do." Everyone stood back. Ryan put his paws on Bolt's cheeks. Electricity started arcing out of Bolt's cheeks, along Ryan's arm, and into Ryan's body. Ryan started grimacing. Dillan wanted to do something, anything. If Ryan was taking Bolt's electricity, then wouldn't he have the same effects? _There has to be something I can do! I won't stand around and do nothing... Again..._ Dillan thought about what he could do. He thought about himself and his potential abilities. _That's it!_

He put his claw on Ryan's shoulder. The electricity started moving through Dillan's arm and dissipated. Ryan looked around quickly to see who was on his shoulder. When he saw it was Dillan, he smirked.

"Nice one!" Ryan complemented. "Keep going!"

Dillan thought it would feel worse than it actually was. It seemed to tingle his insides. He felt the electricity in his body being dispersed through the ground. They kept at it for about thirty seconds. Bolt started opening his eyes. That's when Ryan stopped. Dillan took his claw off of Ryan.

"Wh-" Bolt tried to say. "What happened?"

"These two helped you." the scyther said.

"You did?" Ryan asked.

"It was nothing." Dillan tried to said.

"Nothing short of awesome." Bolt finished. He smirked and began to stand up. The crowd cheered as Bolt stood on his feet. Bolt put his paw out to Ryan. Put 'er there, Sparky."

"Sparky?" Ryan asked with a smirk.

"I like to give pokemon nick-names that suit their personalities."

Ryan grabbed Bolt's hand. Bolt raised it into the air and said to the crowd, "Ladies and gentemon, Ryan Simon! This pokemon gave me and you a great battle! Give it up for Ryan!" The crowd started chanting Ryan's name. Even the announcer was cheering. Ryan took a bow. Bolt dropped Ryan's hand and went over to the scyther. He said something that Dillan couldn't hear. The scyther shook his head sadly. Bolt's smile faltered. He began to walk off of the field leaving Dillan wondering what he said.

* * *

_9

"Ryan!" Hazel shouted at the pachirisu. It had been twenty minutes since they were in the arena. They were in the box. Dean, Haily, and Garth had already left and headed back to the guild. "What were you thinking?"

"I wanted to compete." Ryan stated. "What's wrong with that?"

"The competition is about beating the other pokemon into submission." Hazel said.

"I don't think the competition was a bad idea." Dillan said calmly. "I think that you should have at least told us instead of going off on your own."

"What's wrong with wanting to prove myself?" Ryan asked Hazel.

"Prove yourself to who?"

"Everyone!" Ryan stated. "People think that because I'm a pachirisu, I'm small and weak! It get's on my nerves! Why can't I be someone who others respect?"

"Why does it matter what other's think?" Dillan asked calmly

"Because if pokemon think you're small and weak, they bully you for being better!" Ryan looked mad.

"This isn't about Dean, is it?" Dillan asked. "This is about your brother."

Ryan didn't respond.

"Ryan, please open up to Hazel. She's your friend just as much as I am." Hazel looked at him, trying to convince him to let her into his life.

"Fine." Ryan said. "On one condition."

"Name it." Hazel said.

"You open up as well. Tell us why you're afraid of ghosts."

"Anything but that."

"No. It has to be that. You want me to open up about my past, you have to as well."

Hazel looked ready to break down from emotions.

"Hazel," Dillan said. "Please. We're a team. No secrets."

Hazel looked at Dillan, then Ryan. She looked very sad. She gave a sigh and said, "Fine."

"Alrighty." Dillan said. "Who's going first?"

"I might as well start." Ryan said. He told hazel about his family. He told her about his parent's expectations and about Leo. "Dean reminds me of Leo..." Ryan stated sadly. "He would fight me because I wasn't intimidating... it took a while to get him to stop bullying me, but eventually, I literally beat sense into him. Let me tell you, it was not a fun month... I fought in the arena because I wanted to show Dean that I am NOT someone he can simply push around; someone he can bully to have fun. If we're going to be guildmembers, then we need to respect each other; otherwise we can't work together. Before you ask, I'm positive that we're going to need to work together eventually. When that happens, Dean needs to know he can't mess with me." Ryan gave a sigh of relief.

"Ryan," Dillan said. "It's fine."

"He's right." Hazel stated. "I don't know if I could handle pokemon ridiculing me for my flame; let alone have someone bully me for it. I get that you went into the arena to prove yourself, but I don't think you needed to."

"What makes you say that?" Ryan asked Hazel.

"Well... We respect you and I know that anyone who will get to know you will respect you as well; plus, Dean doesn't respect anyone. He's bad news to begin with. I think you need to relax just a little. It's not like Dean makes up everyone in Ganderosa."

"Thanks Hazel." Ryan said with a smile. Hazel smiled back. "Now then. It's your turn to reveal your past." Hazel looked at the ground. She did not seem ready to tell them about her past. That's when a color flashed in Dillan's peripheral vision. He looked out the box's window onto the arena. Fear took hold of him as he glanced down at a figure he seemed to recognize. There was a pokemon with a white mane. It looked like it was made of wood. It's brown arms ended with leaves for fingers. Its feet looked like a puppet's. Its yellow eyes seemed to gaze at Dillan evilly with hatred. The one thing that made this pokemon look truly unnatural was the burns. _Oh the burns._ They were all over its body. Its leaves were charred as well as its mane. Scorch marks were all over the pokemon. Its mane seemed chopped by fire. It was short and frizzled.

His ankle seemed to ache again. Dillan breath was shaky and shallow. He felt his body start to shake. He recalled the abuse he had endured a week ago. He remembered the pain on his chest as it was rubbed raw in the gravel. He remembered his ankle and how it had buckled from underneath him.

The pokemon grinned wickedly, unnaturally.

"Kieth..." Dillan said. it was the only thing he could say. He didn't know how he could tell it was Kieth. Maybe it was his evil eyes that had looked at him with hatred. Maybe the evil grin that echoed in his mind like a reminder of his torture.

"What did you say?" Ryan asked with urgency.

Dillan thought about his pain. He then thought about the pokemon that had endured the same pain that were missing. He had left them behind. Now, he looked upon the pokemon that had the information he needed to correct his mistake and he was standing there, shaking. Dillan called all of his courage to his body and forced it to move. He ran out the door and looked at Kieth. Kieth laughed and started running away. He made his way up the stairs, swiftly and disappeared in an alley. Dillan rushed to pursue him. His friends called out his name from behind, but he didn't care. Kieth was his key to redemption. He needed to catch Kieth. He needed to save the pokemon that had suffered. He needed to.

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys! MasterKnight here! Shout out to the new fans! (Leugium2002, Sky Hooves, TheOrangeLatias, TheTophattedCreeper1, OhMyGevalt, and nicopop) Hope everyone liked this chapter! One second. Let me get my announcer-voice on. Ehem. "With Kieth on the run and Dillan in pursuit, the fans are left to wonder if Dillan can capture Kieth or if Kieth is leading Dillan into a trap! Find out in the next chapter of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon! Shadows of Ganderosa!"

Thanks for reading! See you guys in the next chapter!


	14. Night Terrors

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 14

Night Terrors

* * *

Dillan ran through the street with a ferocious speed. His eyes swept through the strangers, trying to keep his sight fixed on the white locks of charred hair as Kieth blended into the crowd. Dillan plowed between pokemon, shoving some to his left and others to his right. Pokemon were shouting at him, "Watch it!" or "I'm walking here, buster!". Some shouted profanity. Dillan didn't care. His mind was directed towards Kieth. He ran as fast as he could. His source of energy was the feelings of self-resentment. He hated himself for not trying. _Always not trying! I never try! I don't try to defend my friends, I don't try to make a decision until I have to, I don't try to help others! I can't NOT try anymore! I need to fight for the pokemon I left behind!_

Dillan watched as Kieth laughed maniacally and leapt with surprising agility and power onto the brown, wooden roof of a building to Dillan's left. Dillan looked for a way up. Lucky for him there was a group of painters standing on the brown roof Kieth had leapt to. They had a ladder leading to the roof from the ground. Dillan darted towards the ladder and climbed it as fast as he could. The painters looked at Dillan with curious glances as he climbed the last ladder rung and started scanning the surroundings. He took a thee-sixty degree turn. He saw no sign of the shiftry.

"What 'cha think you're doin'?" one of the painters asked Dillan. The first painter was a small pokemon with a spring at its base that it used to stand. The pokemon had the snout of a pig and two pointed ears that supported a pink gem. The pokemon had stubby paws with no fingers. It also had no mouth. Its eyes were black with the sun reflecting off of it, giving it white pupils.

The spoink's partner was a little bigger. It had a short, white skirt with green legs protruding from its body. It had white arms and a white head that was covered by long strands of green hair. The hair was parted at its eyes, revealing a smile. Its eyes were red with black pupils. It had two pink discs coming off of the top of its head. Its hands were covered in brown paint. It was holding a paint-brush that was also brown. The pokemon reminded Dillan of Reya.

Dillan looked at the painters with a hopeful gaze. "Do you know where that pokemon went?" he asked.

"What pokemon?" the kirlia asked.

"The brown one with the white hair!" Dillan said persistently. "It literally just came through. Please, this is very serious!"

"I haven' seen anyone up here except for us;" the spoink said as he gestured to himself and the kirlia. "and, of course, yourself. Ain't that right, Ignus."

"That's right." the kirlia replied.

Dillan looked on with confusion. Before he could protest, Ryan shouted out to him from the ground. Dillan looked to him and Hazel. He saw there was a crowd of pokemon staring at him from the cobblestone path. The pokemon were giving him dirty looks. They were whispering to each other. Ryan palmed his face. Hazel looked relieved for some reason. Dillan wasn't embarrassed. He had a good reason for going onto the roof. Kieth was up here.

"You need something from us?" Ignus asked.

Dillan looked at the kirlia. "You had to see something." Dillan insisted. "He's a pretty big pokemon!"

"Again," Ignus said again. Based on his tone, Dillan could tell the kirlia was starting to become annoyed. "I haven't seen anyone. Now, if that's all, please get off my roof. Me and my friend have some more work to do and your shenanigans have made our job harder."

Dillan looked at his feet. He didn't notice it while he was chasing Kieth, but now he could tell he had stepped in a new coat of paint. The bottoms of his feet were stained brown. The while situation felt wrong. Even if these pokemon saw Kieth, they seemed intent on keeping to themselves. Dillan decided it was best to leave. He gave one more quick glance around at the surrounding buildings for a sign of the burned shiftree. When he couldn't find anything, he apologized to the two painters and left down the ladder as carefully as he could as to not track paint on the ladder.

When he got to the ground, Dillan found the crowd that was previously gawking at him had dispersed, leaving Ryan and Hazel giving Dillan a couple of confused glances.

"What's wrong?" Hazel asked worriedly. She could tell by Dillan's expression that he was disturbed.

Dillan tried to answer, but he couldn't make out any words. He started to grimace slightly. His mind was racing to Kieth's torture. He started unintentionally leaning on his right leg. His left one became sore.

"Where did he go?" Ryan asked quickly. He looked like he could tackle a bull.

"I-" Dillan started. "I'm not sure. He jumped onto that roof and vanished..."

"Who are you two talking about?" Hazel asked.

"Kieth." Ryan said to Hazel quickly. He turned his attention to the roof. "Did they see him?" he asked Dillan. Ryan pointed towards the painters. They were working on the roof again.

"No." Dillan told Ryan. "No, they didn't."

"Are you sure you saw 'Kieth'?" Ryan asked.

Dillan turned to him. He wasn't annoyed with the question, even though he knew what it implied. "I don't know..." Dillan said. "He looked... Different... He had burns all over his body... And he wasn't small anymore. He had a white mane and big, yellow eyes like his boss." Dillan started to grimace. The pain in his ankle started to spike.

"Kieth wasn't a Shiftree, I know that." Ryan stated. "How could you tell it was him?"

"I just could!" Dillan said harshly.

Ryan looked annoyed by the sudden outburst. "All right." he said. "Don't snap at me. I'm only trying to help."

Dillan started breathing heavily. His ankle started hurting even more.

"Who is Kieth?" Hazel asked.

"He was me and Dillan's care taker when we were prisoners." Ryan said. "He was nice enough to put me into that coma you helped me out of."

Hazel looked worried. "And he's here?!" she asked quickly.

Dillan fell into a sitting position and started groaning. He grabbed at his leg. It felt like splitting open. He began to push on it in an attempt to numb the pain.

"Dillan?" Hazel asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"It's my ankle!" Dillan shouted. Pokemon walking by stopped to see what was wrong with Dillan. Other's stopped to see what they were looking at.

"How does it hurt?" Hazel asked as she kneeled next to him. She started searching through her bag.

"What do you mean?" Dillan asked through gritted teeth. The pain was getting worse by the second.

"Is it a burning pain, sharp pain, or a dull pain?" Hazel questioned hurriedly.

Dillan thought about it for a second. "Sharp!" He yelled. The pain was becoming intolerable. The pokemon around started whispering amongst themselves. Some broke free of the crowd and left while others continued to gawk.

Hazel pulled out a seed. "I need you to eat this." she told him. Dillan grabbed the seed quickly and ate it.

"What does it do?" Dillan asked.

"It's a heal seed." Hazel said quickly. "I think it'll help, but I'm not sure. Can you stand?"

Dillan tried to get up. His ankle started hurting even worse until he felt a "snap" followed by his rear hitting the ground. Dillan shouted as loud as he could. His ankle folded in on itself. He looked on in horror as his disfigured ankle tilted sideways. Hazel gave a gasp. Ryan looked on in horror. The crowd was giving them confused glances.

"Move aside!" a massive voice demanded with such volume, a window could crack. "Move right now or so help me I'll throw each one of you out of my way!" A gap parted in the crowd. Dillan didn't seem to notice, nor care. His mind was focused on the crevice that seemed to grow with the pain in his ankle. Dillan's vision started to go black from the pain. He could hear voices around him. He felt paws and claws trying to grasp his body. He instinctually tried to struggle out of their grip.

"Dillan!" Hazel shouted.

"Miss, we need to get him to a hospital." a new voice said.

"We need you to move or be moved." the booming voice proclaimed.

"We're coming with you!" Ryan shouted.

"Dillan?" a female voice called out to him. He recognized the voice almost instantly. "I need you to let us help. We can't help you if you struggle."

"It hurts!" Dillan shouted.

"I know, but struggling won't help. You need to trust us. Your friends are going to be with you every step of the way. Do you understand?"

Dillan thought about it for a few seconds; but how hard can you think when it feels like your leg is rejecting your foot?

"Alright!" Dillan shouted. "Just make the pain stop!" He stopped struggling. He kept his claws pressed against his ankle. The claws and paws started grabbing at his body again. They lifted Dillan up and put him on a cloth. They then carried the cloth away with Dillan on him.

"Dillan?" Ryan asked worriedly. "Can you hear me?"

"Ryan!" Dillan called out. "It hurts so badly!"

"I know, man." Ryan said. "Hazel is going to be with you. I need to get help. I promise I'll be back."

Dillan felt a surge of pain in his ankle. He felt the scales start to tear away from each other. Dillan gave another yell of pain. Dillan couldn't tell you what happened afterwards. Everything became a blur of noises and intense pain. He felt himself slip into the void of his mind. Dillan blacked out.

* * *

Dillan bolted upright as he woke up. He could feel himself sweating heavily. His breathing was rapid. His eyes darted around his room. There was a pokemon leaning against a wall. It was a bipedal pokemon with two yellow stripes going vertically from his shoulders and ending at the waist with a set of three yellow stripes that were perpendicular. Its fur was a brick-red with tan fur markings on its stomach and muzzle. The pokemon had a thin, brick-red tail that had a tan, fluffy end. The pokemon had its arms crossed. The pokemon had big, puffy cheeks. It also had a set of bucked teeth protruding from its mouth. Its eyes were closed, as if it was thinking. Dillan thought differently when he heard the watchog snore. He looked at the room he was in.

He was in a bed made of hay. He had a red blanket covering his lower-half. The room was a small room. His bed was the only piece of furniture. There was a window to Dillan's back. It was the only light source. The floor was made of wood and the ceiling was stone. The walls were made of green wood. Dillan was facing a spruce door with a yellow only thing that worried Dillan was his lack of company.

"Ryan?" Dillan called out. "Hazel?" He didn't get a response. He started thinking about the previous events. His eyes drifted to his foot. He looked at the blanket. There were two lumps. Dillan tried to move his left foot. It responded without any pain. He flung the blanket from his feet. Dillan gasped from what he saw.

His foot was fine. It looked as good as new. Nothing seemed out of place. Dillan was very shocked. Dillan looked at the watchog who he had awoken with his gasp.

"Wha's happening!" the watchog shouted as his eyes darted around the room. When he didn't find anything important, he looked to Dillan. "Well?"

"I-" Dillan tried to say. He couldn't seem to think of anything to say. His attention then turned towards his ankle. "What's wrong with my ankle?" he asked.

The watchog put his hand up as if to answer, but he didn't. "One second." he said as he left the room.

Dillan had seconds of the quiet room before Hazel came in. She looked worried, which was understandable considering her friend was fine one second and the next, his ankle was ripping in two for some unexplained reason.

Dillan waited for Ryan to come in. He wanted to talk with his whole team. Sadly, the watchog was the only other person who came. He shut the door behind him.

"Where's Ryan?" He tried to ignore the pain so he could talk properly.

"I'm not sure..." Hazel said with a frown. "But what happened to you?"

"I was hoping you could tell me that."

"Are you in any pain?"

"Not anymore..." Dillan turned his attention to the watchog. "Who are you?"

"Oh, me?" he asked. "W-well, I'm Wallace. I work at the guild."

"Nice to meet y-you." Dillan held up his claw and waved. The watchog waved as well. He then looked around the room again. "Where are we?"

"The guild." Hazel said.

"Why are we at the guild?"

A large "thud" came from outside the room. Dillan jumped from the noise. Wallace threw his hands up into a fighting position. He tried to look confident, but his eyes and jaw betrayed him. His yellow eyes were dilated and his teeth were chattering together. Hazel looked at the door with curiosity. About three seconds went by before the door to Dillan's room flew open. Hazel jumped up as the door slammed against the wall. Wallace gave a shriek of fear and leapt at the doorway. He flew over the small pokemon who had forced the door open.

Ryan was standing in the doorway, looking at Wallace soar over his head. Wallace skidded on the floor. Ryan looked half way between confused and disturbed.

"He's suppose to guard Dillan?" Ryan asked Hazel.

"Why are you being so loud?" Hazel asked Ryan. She sounded annoyed.

"I wanted to see how the 'guard' would handle an attacker." Ryan answered. "Apparently, he wouldn't do so well." He turned his attention towards Dillan. "Sorry I left. I went to get the guild's help." Ryan answered.

"What for?" Dillan asked.

Ryan gave a grim look towards Dillan. "I'm not sure what exactly happened to you, but if I were to guess, I think you were led into a trap."

"By who?" Dillan asked.

"I'll give you three guesses."

"Kieth?" Hazel asked.

"Yup," Ryan acknowledged. "though I'm not sure how. He didn't attack you visibly which leads me to believe that you were attacked with a psychic-type move. Kieth was leading you into a trap." He looked towards the doorway. "Wallace, can you get a doctor?"

The watchog was on his feet, leaning against the doorway. He gave a quick nod and left Dillan's view.

"Hey," Dillan began. "Why are we at the guild?"

"Because of Kieth." Ryan said. "The hospital wasn't a safe place to be. Since the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with you physically, they decided it was safe to move you here. Who would attack someone if they were in the guild?"

Ryan had a point. If Kieth was targeting Dillan, the guild was probably the safest place to be.

"Yes?" a pokemon called out with a deep voice. Dillan looked at the doorway to find a quadrupedal pokemon. It was a feline with a red gemstone on its forehead. Its fur was tan with black marks on the tips of its round ears. The pokemon's eyes were white with a red outline to its white pupils. The pokemon was about three feet tall.

"Doc., can-" Ryan began.

"Doctor Valentine, Mr. Simon." the persian interrupted.

"Whatever-"

"No, not whatever. Doctor Valentine. Address me properly because one of these days, you will be in my care."

"Sorry, Doctor Valentine," Hazel interrupted. Ryan was about to say something before Hazel interrupted, but she didn't give him the chance. "but what happened to Dillan?"

Doctor Valentine took a deep breath and then stuck his head up proudly. "Dillan is your name?" he asked.

"Yes sir." Dillan responded.

"Are you prone to night terrors?"

"Night terrors?" Dillan asked. _What's that?_

"Yes, night terrors. It's like a nightmare, but it happens while you are awake. You start to see things that aren't really there. These visions look real to you, but they don't exist."

"I'm not making this up!" Dillan said accusingly.

"Oh, I do believe you." Doctor Valentine said calmly. "I just do not believe it was real."

"Then how do you explain my ankle? It was messed up."

"No it wasn't. Have you had any past trauma involving your ankle?"

"W-well... Yeah. But-"

"Dillan, understand that nothing was wrong with you or your ankle. You should not have been in any pain. The night terror could have been brought on by remembering a traumatic experience."

 _If what he's saying is true, then does tat mean I made up Kieth, too?_

"Ryan," Dillan looked towards his friend. "You saw Kieth as well, right?"

"W-well..." Ryan said awkwardly. No, not really..."

 _I'm not making any of these things up! I have a sister! I met Reya! I did..._ Dillan stared at his foot. _I met someone last night in my dream... He told me things that only I should have known... He told me that I felt like I didn't belong... Because I don't._ This was the first time Dillan's thoughts truly felt complete. _He told me I was..._ "Human..." Dillan whispered to himself.

"I'm sorry?" Doctor Valentine asked.

Dillan looked up from his foot. Doctor Valentine looked confused. Hazel's face was full of worry. She was obviously concerned about Dillan. Ryan looked pale, like he was horrified by Dillan's mumbling. Dillan realized he was causing an upset. He straightened his back in a confident way. He looked at Doctor Valentine and said, "Alright. You're probably right... It was just a... Night terror... My leg is alright, right?"

"Correct." Doctor Valentine said suspiciously. He was eyeing Dillan with concern. "Are you feeling alright?"

Dillan swung his legs to the side of the bed. He was about to plant his foot on the ground when he hesitated. _Will it hurt? I need to believe it won't. I need to get out of this room and think things over._ He jumped out of bed for effect. HE winced when his left foot hit the ground, but he didn't feel any pain.

"Dillan." Hazel started.

"I'm fine." Dillan proclaimed. He put all his weight into his left foot. "See?"

"Alright." Hazel said. She smiled.

"Thanks Doctor Valentine." Dillan said.

"Your welcome..." he said with concern. "Are you sure you are feeling alright? Usually patients don't accept they were seeing things that aren't there very well, but you're alright with that."

"Doctor," Dillan started. "I'm fine. It was all in my head. I feel great and my team has work to do. Bye!" Dillan turned towards the door and pulled on the handle. He walked out of the room with Hazel and Ryan reluctantly following.

* * *

Dillan recognized the room he walked into. It was the lobby room of the guild. They were at the west wall. To Dillan's right was the guild's exit. Janette was at her counter talking to the Guildleader. Team Force just walked out of the guild. Dillan started walking towards the exit when Hazel grabbed his arm. He turned around to face her.

"What's going on with you?" Hazel asked. "You're acting strange."

"No, I'm not." Dillan said. "I was just told I keep seeing things. My brain seems to be at war with itself, making things up in order to make sense of things I see. I mean, why not? I don't belong. Period. I don't know where my home is. I don't know what I am. I don't even know if my own sister exists. I could have made her up."

"Dillan," Ryan started. "Stop it."

"Stop what?" Dillan asked. "Thinking? My brain is messed up. Why else would I have amnesia. Kieth wasn't really there, I get that. The painters from before can prove that much. Should I just give up? Should I not try to make sense of things?"

"No-" Ryan started.

"Then what should I do?"

Ryan just sat there, staring at him.

"Well?"

He didn't answer. He just kept staring.

"Ryan?" Dillan asked. "Stop staring at me."

No response.

"Ryan!" Dillan looked at Hazel. "Hazel."

No response.

Dillan walked up to her. He waved his hand in front her eyes. She didn't flinch. _What in Ganderosa?_ Dillan put his hand under her mouth. She wasn't breathing. Dillan looked at the Guildleader and Janette. They seemed to be frozen in time like statues.

"What's going on?" Dillan asked. "Dang it! Why is this happening?" Dillan felt like breaking down. He was tired of being here. He was tired of not being able to remember his family or any friends he used to have. _Do they even know I'm not with them? Why is nothing making sense?_

"Dillan?" a female voice called to him. Dillan turned around to face the exit. Reya was standing in the doorway.

"Reya?" Dillan said. He turned away from her. He looked at the ground. He felt mad and confused. "You're not real."

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"None of this is real. Something is wrong with all of this."

"What makes you say that?"

Dillan looked at her. He walked up to her. He was about one foot from her face. She was taller than him by about six inches. He looked her eye to eye. "Remember the art gallery in my mind?"

"Yes." Reya said nervously. She didn't know where this was going, but Dillan could tell she was afraid to find out.

"Someone else visited me last night."

She looked terrified. "Who?!" she asked fearfully. "Who visited you?!"

"Someone who will give me answers."

"Who is it?! You need to tell me!" Her eyes drifted to Dillan's buff. Her face grew even more terrified. "Where's the Star?" she asked slowly.

"The Star?" Dillan asked.

"The Sapphire Star! Where is it?!"

"It was stolen." Dillan said. "Someone took it from me in Kerroshia Castle."

Reya turned away from Dillan. "No no no no no!" she started mumbling to herself.

"What's wrong?" Dillan asked. He was getting frustrated. "It wasn't that important."

Reya turned to him. "You are the stupidest pokemon I have ever met! How could you lose the Sapphire Star and be ok with it?! You don't know what it even does, do you?!"

"Should I?" Dillan asked. "I didn't get an instructions manual."

"That is your tie with... With... Augh!" She turned towards the ceiling. "You make it very difficult to do anything with this numbskull!"

Dillan had enough of her nonsense. "Why are you here?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be in my dreams?"

"Oh, believe you me! I would if I could, but since you decided to lose the Sapphire Star, I need to talk to you in person, which is very annoying!"

"What do you mean?"

"The Sapphire Star is my way to communicate with you from far away! Since you lost it, I can't do that!"

"So you knew I lost the amulet?" he asked.

"I hoped I couldn't talk to you for a different reason!"

Dillan's eyes drifted towards a string on Reya's neck. A small stone hung from a chain around her neck. It was the same color as the Sapphire Star.

"What's that?" Dillan asked. "You didn't have it before."

"It's a gift. It's like the Sapphire Star, but it's not as powerful." A groan came from the room. Reya looked above and said, "I'm sorry! I'll stop!" She looked towards Dillan. "now then, who did you talk to in your dream?"

"Why is it important?" he asked.

"I can't say!" Reya said. "Don't you understand? I'm not allowed to say anything!"

"Why?"

"Because of this!" She put her hand in the air. Dillan didn't notice it before. She had a massive slash from her wrist to her elbow. Judging by the scabbing, it looked fairly new. It looked like a razor blade sliced her.

"How did you get that?" Dillan asked with concern. He thought about it. _Is she getting hurt because of my questions?_

"I can't tell you. Right now, you need to understand that some really awful pokemon want the Sapphire Star and you need to answer my questions! If you don't, pokemon will suffer!"

"You were trying to help other pokemon the whole time, weren't you?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"No more questions!" Reya told him forcefully. "Just answer mine! Who did you talk to?"

Dillan felt bad. He didn't know or even think about why Reya kept asking him questions. He just wanted to know about himself. "Alright." Dillan said. "I'm not sure who was talking to me."

"Ok..." Reya said. "What did he tell you?"

"That I don't belong here. He told me things I should have only known. He told me that nothing felt familiar to me because I'm not from around here. He said I was human."

A massive "boom" came from the ceiling. Reya looked up with fear. She then looked at Dillan and said, "Anything else?"

Dillan thought about it. "No... Nothing else."

Reya looked around the room. Her eyes fell upon Ryan and Hazel. She looked at them for a while. She then turned towards Dillan and said, "It's true. You are human and you're not from around here." A massive, thundering roar came from outside the guild. Reya looked at the ceiling and said, "He needed to know! The enemy has gotten to him! If we kept it a secret, he would have trusted the enemy more than us! We can't fail again!"

"Fail again?" Dillan asked. Another roar sounded. Reya gave a groan. She slapped her hand to her scar. Blood started leaking from the re-openned wound.

"Are you ok?" Dillan asked with concern.

"I-" Reya started. "I'm fine." She looked at Dillan. "I need to leave." she said. "Don't tell anyone about you being human. I'm begging you." Reya started walking to the exit.

"Reya!" Dillan called out.

Reya turned towards Dillan. "Yes?"

"Please tell me one thing."

"What is it?"

"If I'm not suppose to be here, why am I in Ganderosa?"

Reya thought about the question. "I'm very sorry..." A tear started falling down her cheek. "I can't tell you. Dillan, you need to go to the Castle Ruins. Not now, but in four-days time. You need to go there alone."

"Alone?" he asked. "Why?"

Reya turned towards Dillan's friends. "One of your friends works for the enemy. I'm not sure which one, but the aura of your team is tainted with evil. Be careful." Reya left the guild. Dillan ran towards the door. He looked outside. She was gone. He stared at the blue sky.

"Dillan?" Ryan said.

Dillan looked back at his team. He wanted to say something, but he was too surprised that they were moving again.

"How did you get there?" Hazel asked as she and Ryan approached him.

"I-" Dillan stopped himself. _Reya said I can't tell them about her... Should I trust her? Even if she is lying, that slice was real... If I tell my team about her, she would fail whatever job she was sent to do; that would mean she get's hurt... I can't do that. I can't tell them._

"Dillan?" Ryan said.

"What were we talking about?" Dillan asked Ryan.

"Uh..." Ryan was caught off guard with the question. "You were asking me if you should give up on thinking things through."

"Thinking what through?" Dillan asked.

"Dillan," Hazel said worriedly. "Are you sure you're all right? Do you know where you are?"

Dillan was confused. "Yeah. I'm in the guild at Palando Town. Why?"

"You were just yelling at Ryan a few seconds ago, yet you don't remember it."

"Oh, right." Dillan said. He felt stupid. _To them it feels like a few seconds ago, but to me it feels like ten minutes._ "Ryan," Dillan looked towards the pachirisu. "I'm sorry. I lost it back there. Things are just confusing right now."

"Hey, I get it." Ryan said. "Not being able to recognize anything sucks. So do pe-..." Ryan stumbled, then added, "Pokemon. Doctor Valentine needs to work on his pokemon skills."

"So do you." Hazel said with a playful tone.

"Ha ha." Ryan said with a grin.

"Guys," Dillan started. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Why don't we go and get a job for the day."

"What day?" Ryan asked. "It's practically gone. Sure there's light, but by the time we find a job and get to where we need to be, it'll be night. Best to just hang out until tomorrow."

"But we don't have any money." Dillan said. "Right?" he asked Hazel.

"Don't worry about it." Hazel said. "The guild gives us free meals every night. We don't have to worry about food, just flavor."

"Excuse me!" Janette cut in from her counter. Team Rapture looked towards her. She was smiling. "Don't judge the food until you try it. Adelina's a really good cook."

"Adelina?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah. She's our cook." Janette said.

"I know that much." Ryan said. "Where does she come from?"

"Castellum Town. Why? Do you know her?"

"Which way to the kitchen?" Ryan asked.

"Down the door behind you is the dinning room. The room at the end of that room is the kitchen. If you're hoping to see Adelina, she's there cooking."

Ryan broke from the group and ran towards a door at the west wall. He pushed it openned and disappeared into the room.

"What's with Ryan?" Hazel asked.

"Want to find out?" Dillan asked.

"Gladly." Hazel took the lead. She pulled the door openned and went inside followed by Dillan.

* * *

The dinning room was pretty big. There was an elongated, sycamore table in the middle of the room with eighteen matching chairs surrounding it: eight chairs on one side, eight opposite that one, and a single chair at the other two ends. The table had berry-filled plates at every chair. The walls were stone with Ganderosa's purple banners hanging from them. The banners were of a dragon's skull with two golden spears making an "X" below it. The banner said "All Hail the Arvaine's" below the spears. Dillan could hear talking coming from an exit from the dinning room on the north wall. He and Hazel started walking towards the exit. He could hear Ryan's voice coming from the next room. He was talking with a person who had a higher, feminine voice. Dillan turned the corner to find Ryan was face-to-face with a pokemon that disturbed him beyond words.

The pokemon was about four feet tall with light pink skin. It had a yellowish-tan striped pattern on its stomach. Its body was big and elongated. It had stubby arms that ended with paws that had tan palms. Its legs were also stubby with a single, white talon coming from its small feet. It had a pink tail that came up to its neck and then folded in on itself and stretched downwards. Its face was a sphere with small black dots for eyes. The part that made Dillan wince was the massive tongue that draped itself down the pokemon's chest to the floor where it rested.

Dillan was surprised to hear the lickitung speak in coherent sentences with it's tongue hanging out.

"After everything I did for you and you expect me to treat you like a stranger?" the lickitung asked Ryan as it put its hand to its chest in a profound way that showed it was insulted.

"Addi," Ryan said. "That's not what I meant and you know it. I just don't want you telling my friends about you-know-what."

"Ryan," Adelina said with shock. "I wouldn't tell anyone that even if my life depended on it and you know that. You insult me with your assumptions."

"I just wanted to make it clear-" Ryan said feebly.

"I don't want to hear it." Adelina said as she crossed her arms and stuck her head in the air for effect. "You went missing for a month. No one knew where you went. I thought you went and got yourself killed tracking down that stupid "Amber whatever you call it"."

"You know that's not what it's called." Ryan said. He was obviously starting to get annoyed.

"You're correct. And I don't care! Hear me? I. Do. Not. Care! Why don't you go to your new team for emotional support. I am positive they'll at least tell you when you are no longer wanted!"

"Maybe we should leave." Dillan whispered to Hazel.

"And these must be your 'new friends'." Adelina said to Ryan. _Welp, there's no leaving now..._

Dillan and Hazel entered the kitchen. It had counters all around with pots and pans stacked in what looked like a sink. There was a massive pot at the back of the kitchen with a stepping stool for the chef to cook. It wasn't big enough to hold more than eight pokemon at a time and that's pushing it.

Hazel walked up to the lickitung and put out her right paw. "Hi. I'm Hazel. You must be Adelina the chef. Janette tells me your a great cook."

"Thanks." Adelina said. She sounded kind and polite. She then turned towards Dillan.

"I-I'm Dillan." Dillan said feebly. He tried not t stare at Adelina's tongue .

"Excuse the tongue ." Adelina apologized. "It's a curse for my species that makes us look barbaric, but it's what I am and not even a sword can change that."

"How would a sword help?" Dillan asked.

"It doesn't." Adelina assured. "Trust me."

Dillan gave a brief smile. Adelina turned away from them. She went over to the sink and washed her hands.

"Why don't you mons go into the dinning room and talk. I tried to make something special for you new-comers. Just don't eat until we've said grace."

 _Grace..._ Dillan thought. Ryan started waving his hands, pleading for Dillan to ask what grace was. He didn't intend to. He couldn't bring himself to ask what "Grace" meant. He wanted that word to be a special word that meant only one thing; his sister and his connection to his past. Dillan stopped dwelling on his sister's name as well as the probability that she didn't even exist. He decided to think about other things such as the earthquake going on in his stomach.

"Could you guys give us a minute?" Ryan asked his team.

Dillan was confused. He never thought about Ryan not wanting him to be in the same room.

Hazel grabbed Dillan by his arm and said, "They need a minute to themselves." She then started leading him out of the room.

* * *

They sat at the end of the table for about five minutes. Dillan tried to ignore the whispering that went on in the kitchen. It wasn't like he could hear what was being said. He just heard the sounds that came from the kitchen and thought it was annoying.

"That's it, Ryan Simon!" Adelina shouted. She sounded hurt. "I'm tired of you trying to cheer me up! You don't understand when you leave your friends, it hurts! Let me show you how it feels!" She stormed through the dinning room, waddling on her stubby feet with tears going down her face onto her tongue. A layer of saliva traced its way across the floor and out of the room. Ryan came running out of the kitchen. He slipped on Adelina's spit and slammed the back of his head on the wooden floor. He skidded across the floor and stopped behind Dillan and Hazel's chairs.

"Are you alright?" Hazel asked.

"What do you think?" Ryan asked through gritted teeth.

"Who is she?" Hazel asked.

Ryan stood up. The back of his fur was covered in saliva. "She's a friend of mine; at least, she was."

"What happened between you two?" Dillan asked.

"Sorry to say this, but that's none of your business. And don't tell me that we don't keep secrets from each other because we're a team. This has nothing to do with how I treat you guys or how well I do my job on this team, so it doesn't matter."

"Apparently it does have to do with how you treat us." Hazel said with concern. Dillan could tell she was making an effort to not get annoyed.

"It doesn't anymore." Ryan said. They sat in silence for a few seconds. Ryan then said, "You know what? I'm not hungry anymore. I think I'm gonna go get this spit out of my fur and then go to bed. See you guys tomorrow." Ryan left the room. Hazel and Dillan didn't try to stop him.

"I lost my appetite as well." Hazel said. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Hazel said as she got up from the table. She waved goodbye to Dillan and left the room. Dillan waved back, then turned his attention to the plate of food in front of him. He looked around the empty table. It was just him. _Is it going to only be me in the future? This sucks... I don't know if I can get to the Castle Ruins alone. What if Kieth really is here? Can I make the journey safely? Can I risk it?_

Suddenly, Dillan lost his appetite as well. He was too tired to eat. He decided he might as well go to bed earlier as well. Tomorrow, he would have to plan for the trip to the Castle Ruins. For that, he would need to be well-rested. Dillan got up from the table and departed for his bed.

* * *

With some directions from Janette, Dillan found himself in a big room filled with bunk-beds along the walls. It was made of hay supported by metal wires that extended from a metal frame. There were metal poles coming from the corners of the frame leading up to another frame which supported another bed. Each bunk bed had a mini shelf protruding from them to support the guildmembers items. There was a circular rug with Ganderosa's symbol in the middle of it. There was a pokemon in one of the bunk beds that Dillan recognized. It was the scyther from the arena. He was laying on his stomach with his arms to the bed for support as he read a book.

"You were in the arena today, right?" Dillan asked the scyther. The pokemon jumped from surprise. He slammed the book shut and his head darted to Dillan.

"O-Oh. It's you!" the scyther said. "You're one of the new guildmembers!" He jumped from the bed and walked over to Dillan. "I'm Koa." He stuck out his claw for a hand-shake.

"Koa?" Dillan asked.

"It means fearless, if you can believe that." Koa said.

"That's not what I meant." Dillan said quickly. "It's just a name I've never heard before... Like most names..."

"What do you mean, 'like most names'?" Koa asked.

 _Should I tell him? I don't know him... Then again, it's probably safe. He is a guildmember, after all... Then again, so is Dean._

"Are you teammates with Bolt?" Dillan asked Koa. He decided that the best way to find out if someone is trust worthy was to use your knowledge that's available; his team.

"Yeah..." Koa waited. "That isn't your answer, is it?"

"No. Just wanted to know if you two were a team."

"Well, it's not just us. We also have Adelina on our team, but you probably haven't met her yet."

"I have." Dillan stated.

"Do you like her?" Koa asked.

"She seems cool."

"Oh, she is. I like her!" Koa thought about what he said. "A-as a friend! Not as a girl-friend. What I mean is I like her as a friend who is a girl, not a girl friend. That would be weird... Not that she isn't attractive, just that I don't like her in that way... I did it again..."

"Did what?" Dillan asked.

"Rambled on about things... It's a problem I have."

"It's alright. I don't mind."

Koa smiled brightly at Dillan. His cheeks then grew red. "Sorry. Here I am rambling on about myself when you haven't even introduced yourself."

"I'm Dillan." Dillan said.

"Well, I should be off. I forgot about dinner. Adelina's probably waiting for me and..." His voice trailed off at the end. "Anyways, I'll just go. See you later, Dillan!" With that, Koa left.

Dillan smiled. _He seems cool and so does my other guild members... Other than Dean and his team. This should be cool._ Dillan walked towards a bed without things on the mini balcony. He got into the bottom bunk. He looked at the shelf. He had no personal items to place on it. He tried not to dwell on that. He thought about his sister's voice. He was starting to forget what it sounded like... Again... He hated that thought. _Please show her to me tonight..._ With that thought, he drifted off to sleep, wondering about what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys, MasterKnight here! I wanted to apologize for A. the delay on this chapter and B. the length of the author's notes. My family went out of town for Thanksgiving which made everything crazier than it needed to be which included my story. Now, this "author's notes" area is longer because I have a lot of important things to say. Special thanks and shout out to the new fans (ArchAngel319, Aatxe360, person316, and QuietKnight'sWrath)! You guys are awesome! Also, Thanks to everyone who's stuck around this long! When I started this, I wasn't expecting to have this many fans. I just want to thank everyone who's stuck around, even if you don't read this "author's notes" section. Also, just wanted to let you guys know that I am going to be going back through the story chapters and making some grammatical changes, so your inbox might be flooded with notifications from me. Enjoy! (No, seriously. I am making grammar changes and I'm sorry for the flooding that will occur over the few weeks)

Now, I found you guys love the action scenes. Maybe some of you like it more than others. You might have realized, "Hey, there wasn't a fighting scene in this chapter. I waited two weeks and a half to see some fighting, but all they did was talk and show their issues. What gives?" (This is not how I see you guys talking). Well, what gives is I have decided that I can't keep doing it like that. No action? Oh, well that's because this chapter wasn't about the fighting. It was about character development. Get bored? Sure. Skip the chapter. That won't help you. I drop hints about characters through the story and if you skim or skip the chapter, you could miss it. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Now, the reason I won't have a fighting scene every chapter is for two reasons. A. It ruins a reader and spoils them with what we call "Instant Gratification". Now, instant gratification ruins the story because it doesn't leave room for things like character development because all the reader wants to see is action in a chapter. The second reason (and the best one) is it gets clumsy. For instance, and I'm not sure if you guys thought the same, "A Test Of Strength". I'm gonna come clean. I came up with that fight scene out of nowhere. It felt too clumsy and just plain unneeded. I promise that every other things in this story is planned, but that wasn't because people wanted a fight and I wanted to oblige. And my final reason, C. Making up reasons for a fight doesn't work. It becomes a chore in its own and at that point, the story is no longer writing itself.

Hope you guys liked this chapter! I will attempt (Not a promise) to get another chapter up over the next two weeks. At the least, December 13th. Anyways, I'll see you guys in the next chapter!


	15. Trust

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 15

Trust

* * *

"Stop it!" a somehow familiar, girlish voice demanded. She sounded frustrated. Dillan identified the voice. _Grace..._ He was relieved.

Dillan tried to identify his surroundings. There was a tan, blur that Grace's voice came from. There was also a white blur was in front of Grace's blur. Dillan noticed he could see more detail. The last dream he had with Grace, everything was indistinct. Now, he could start to tell where Grace was. He could see more. Under normal circumstances, it would have made Dillan excited; but his mind drifted to Reya. _If I remember too much, will Reya get hurt?_ Dillan thought about it. His thoughts were interrupted by the white blur.

"Why?" the blur asked Grace. The voice was male. He sounded rude. Dillan felt the urge to fight this voice. He wanted to kick the new voice, but he didn't know why. "You gonna call you're white knight to stop m-" He gave a groan as Grace's form flew at the white one. They were too close together for Dillan to distinguish them apart. He heard the new mixed blur grunting and moaning. _H_ _ere I go..._ Dillan unintentionally thought. He started running towards the mixture of tan and white. He felt himself reach towards the blur and grab something, which surprised Dillan. _I can grab things?_ Obviously, a human had some form of paw. Dillan pulled the tan blur from the white one. The white one was still moaning while Grace was panting heavily.

"What are you doing here?" Grace asked with frustration.

"Helping." Dillan said. "We need to leave."

"No!" Grace shouted as she yanked her arm from Dillan's grasp. "You can't fight my fights for me!"

"Yes I can." Dillan stated. He didn't want to. He wanted to stop fighting with Grace. He wanted to remember something that was happy. "You're nine years old-"

"So?" Grace said. "I don't need my stupid brother fighting for me!" Those words echoed in Dillan's mind. _Stupid Brother..._ From Dillan's outside perspective, he felt like crying. Apparently, his body thought differently.

"You can't just fight bullies like this." Dillan's body said. "You would have killed him if I didn't step in." He watched as the white blur got taller, probably from standing up.

"That was the point!" Grace shouted. Dillan hated this side of his sister. _Aren't nine year old girls suppose to be sweet and innocent?_

Dillan walked over to the white blur. "Give me the doll." Dillan told the blur sternly. The blur stuck out a limb quickly. Dillan reached for the limb, grabbed something, and pulled his own arm back. The white blur ran off. Dillan walked up to Grace. He stuck out his arm. Grace reached with her own blurred limb and took whatever Dillan had.

"Do you think it worked?" Dillan said. He felt his lips curl into a grin. _What do I mean by "worked"?_

"I think it worked." Grace said confidently.

"For a nine year old, you have the mind of a tactician."

"You play that Fire Ember game too much." Grace said with a laugh.

"I'm not kidding." Dillan said. "That was a really good plan."

"It was nothing. I just convinced him that I'm a psycho-attacker and that if it wasn't for you, I would have killed him. Elementary, my dear Dillan."

"You're too young for Sherlock Holmes." Dillan said.

"And you're too old to be at an Elementary School." Grace said with a playful tone.

"Ooh!" Dillan said playfully as he pressed his arm to the left side of his chest. "Like an ice dagger to my heart!"

Grace giggled at the comment. Dillan was starting to understand what had happened. _Grace used me to stop a bully... So before, me and her fighting was an act? She's pretty devious. At least she seems to get along with me and vice-versa..._ Dillan dwelled on his sister's laugh. It sounded like a small angel, laughing heartily with its bright, heavenly tone.

* * *

"Everyone get up!" Dean shouted. Dillan jolted upright from his dream. He hit his head on the metal mesh that held the bed above him. Dillan keeled over, holding his head in pain.

"Dang it!" Dillan moaned. Ryan fell into Dillan's view. Apparently, he had taken the bed above Dillan. Ryan stretched his arms wildly in the air. Due to his size, it didn't amount to much. Dillan looked around the room. The guildmembers were getting up from their beds. He recognized Koa, Dean, and Wallace. Dean walked over to Koa.

"Hey, Stutters." Dean said roughly. "Where's butter-fingers?" Koa looked at Dean. He immediately shrunk down, looking up at the machoke's figure. "Well?"

"I-I. Um. W-well, he's-" Koa stumbled.

"Stop stuttering and tell me where Bolt is." Dean demanded.

"Hey!" Ryan shouted at Dean. Ryan's tail was twitching uncontrollably. "Leave him alone!"

Wallace seemed to not care about the impending confrontation. He left the room.

Dean looked at Ryan. He stared at him, as if evaluating his options of what he could do to Ryan that would get him to submit. "Alright." Dean said with a neutral expression. Dillan looked at Dean with shock. Ryan had the same reaction.

"What?" Ryan asked with surprise.

"I said fine!" Dean shouted. "Get your hearing checked, pipsqueak." Dean turned towards Koa. He gave him a sneer. Koa gave a squeak at Dean's expression. Dean turned towards the door and left the room.

Koa gave a sigh of relief. He turned to Ryan and said in a thankful tone, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Ryan said. "Dean's a jerk. Someone needs to stand up to him."

"Yeah..." Koa said. His voice was filled with concern. "Bolt usually stops him from bullying me, but when Bolt's occupied, Dean likes to pick on me."

"What's wrong with Bolt?" Dillan asked.

"N-Nothing!" Koa said quickly and loudly. "He's fine and so is his-..." He stopped himself. Koa turned towards the door and speed-walked out of the room, leaving Ryan and Dillan wondering what he was going to say next.

"Well," Ryan said. "Better go to get a mission." He walked out of the room and signaled Dillan to follow. Dillan walked with Ryan, thinking about how we wanted to spend the day planning to go to the Castle Ruins like Reya said, but it looks like the morning isn't a good time to plan.

* * *

Ryan was about to head down the hall that leads to the Lobby when Hazel called from behind him, "Where do you think you're going?"

Ryan and Dillan spun around to face Hazel. "We were going to meet you outside at the bulletin board." Ryan stated.

"Before you listen to the Guildleader?" Hazel asked.

"What is the Guildleader talking about?" Dillan asked.

"Come with me and find out." Hazel said as she ran up to Dillan and grabbed his arm. She started pulling him down the hallway in the opposite direction Ryan was going. Ryan gave a sigh and followed.

* * *

Team Rapture found themselves in a big room at the North side of the Guild. For how big the room was, Dillan thought it looked pretty barren. There was a stage at the back of the room, but that was everything. The walls had the symbol of Ganderosa on banners. Team Force, Koa, Adelina, and Wallace were all lined up in front of the stage while the Guildleader was in the middle of the stage. To the Guildleader's left was Janette. She was holding a piece of paper at the end of one of her legs. Dean looked confident, as if he knew exactly what challenges he was going to face today and how capable he was at taking them head on. Haily stood next to Dean, looking emotionless as usual. Jess looked as though a clown was about to give a speech in which it would inevitably fall over itself or squirt a stream of water from a fake flower onto the audience. Koa looked nervous. Adelina eyed Ryan as he came into the room. Saliva was shining off of her tongue. Wallace stood up straight, like a soldier. He kept his hands at his sides. He looked unmovable.

Team Rapture stood next to Team Force. Dillan was next to Dean, which made him nervous. Dean looked down at Dillan and smirked. Dillan involuntarily gulped. He didn't want to be Dean's next victim.

"Hello, everyone!" the Guildleader said. All eyes were directed towards him. "Everyone sleep alright?" No one answered. Under normal circumstances, Dillan would have, but this felt wrong. _Why is Garth being formal with me?_ "Good!" the Guildleader said as if someone had answered his question. "Now then. Wallace, the mother of that Jeremy child is coming in later today. This issue with that poor child being missing can no longer-"

"Sir?" Dillan interrupted. Ryan nudged Dillan's arm, urging him to stop.

"Yes..." Garth said. "Digger?"

Dean and Jess snickered at the Guildleader's mistake.

"Dillan..." Dillan said nervously. The snickering was unnerving him.

"My mistake." the Guildleader apologized. "Go on."

Ryan nudged Dillan again. Dillan didn't care. "We found Jeremy two days ago."

Ryan gave a sigh of defeat and Hazel looked shocked by Dillan's words.

"Oh?" Garth asked. "And did you help him?"

"Sir, he didn't need to be helped." Dillan said. He scanned the reaction of his fellow guildmembers. Dean looked joyed at Dillan's words and so did Jess. Haily's eyes widened slightly. Koa and Adelina started whispering to each other. Wallace looked half way between mad and scared. Dillan didn't know where Janette got her astrological book from, but she began to flip through the pages.

"What do you mean?" Garth asked. He didn't seem fazed by Dillan's response.

"Well, there was this team called Team K. P. and they were the ones who took Jeremy away from his mom. Apparently she was abusive towards Jeremy."

"And that's what they told you?" Dean asked smugly.

"W-well..." Dillan said. He realized now why Ryan didn't want him to talk about it. "Yes-"

"So you believed some potential kidnappers who said they didn't kidnap a pokemon?" The room started erupting with whispers about Team Rapture.

"That's not everything." Hazel cut in. "Jeremy told us he was abused from his own mouth and he had scars all over his back which proves he had been abused before."

"What's to say those weren't from this 'Team K. P.'?"

"Didn't you hear her?" Ryan cut in. "What are you, brain dead? They were scars which means they were healed as much as they could be. Team K. P. just took Jeremy recently. The marks wouldn't have had time to heal if Team K. P. caused them."

Judging from Dean's knuckles popping like rocks being smashed together, Dean was mad about that response.

"Then why kidnap the kid?" Jess asked as though she had trapped Ryan in a corner.

"Because they watched the mother abuse Jeremy first hand." Ryan responded

"Then there wasn't any time for the marks to heal." Dean said through gritted teeth.

"The abuse didn't have to leave scars when Team K. P. witnessed it." Dillan pointed out. Dean looked at Dillan. He gave him a hateful glare.

"Enough." the Guildleader said calmly. His tail was swishing back and forth. "Where is Team K. P. now?"

"They're making their way to Kerroshia Castle to inform the guild about the abusive nature of Jeremy's mother." Hazel proclaimed.

Silence filled the room. The Guildleader's tail started swishing back and forth faster than before. After a minute or two of silence, the Guildleader said, "Well then, Wallace. You have a new task. Go arrest Jeremy's mother."

"But, sir." Wallace said with chattering teeth. "We don't have enough evidence!"

"I think our new guildmember's have witnessed enough evidence to justify their claims. If Team K. P. has taken Jeremy to the Kerroshian Guild, we should get a letter tonight saying to call off the search, therefore proving their reasoning for taking Jeremy was justified. If they turn out to be kidnappers, they won't take Jeremy to the guild, in which case Jeremy's mother will be released and Team Rapture will be fired." Hazel inhaled deeply at that statement. Dean slapped the back of Dillan's back in a "Great job" sort of way.

"Now then." Garth continued. "Everyone else will go to the job bulletin board to get their jobs for today. Since Team Rapture is a new exploration team, allow me to explain what happens next.

"Now, we do the Guildmember's Directives. Afterwards, you go out and claim a job. Understood?" He didn't wait for Team Rapture to respond He cleared his throat. Ryan and Dillan remained silent as the rest of the guild, Hazel included, said "My king is my duty. To serve is what I deserve. My guild is my home. My fellow members are my family. Trust between us is a must. The pokemon I will help. To not save is grave. I will work to help the kingdom, not laze around. Fight, not might." Then they all chanted loudly, "All hail the Arvaines!"

the Guildleader turned towards Koa and Adelina. "I want you two to come with me to my office. I have something I want you to help me with."

With that, the Guildleader left the room followed by Janette, Koa and Adelina. Once they were gone, Dean slid his foot under Dillan and took his feet out from under him. Dillan landed on his tail which sprung him to his back-side. Dean snickered as he left with his team following him. Dillan jumped up and reared his head around to see if he had hurt his tail. It felt sore, but it didn't look broken.

"I'll beat the-" Ryan started.

"Let him go." Hazel said. "That's what he wants. He wants to get you two mad. Don't give him control of your emotions."

"I don't plan on it." Ryan said.

"Let's just go pick a job." Dillan stated.

"Agreed." Hazel said as she and the other two members of Team Rapture walked out of the guild.

* * *

Once Dillan was outside of the guild, he saw Team Force departing from the guild's grounds with a paper in Dean's hand. Dillan didn't think into it too much.

Ryan went to the board and stared. Dillan looked at the board. It was covered in papers for jobs; so much so that there were papers tacked to papers as well as papers on the floor. Ryan began to scan the papers. Hazel joined him. Dillan was watching the streets of Palando that had the occasional pokemon walking past the guild, eyeing it with suspicion. Dillan wondered why they were viewing the guild like someone would view a parasite.

"You gonna help?" Ryan asked. Dillan looked at his teammates. They were watching him, waiting for an answer.

"Uh..." Dillan started. His eyes drifted towards the job board. He found a piece of paper at the top-right corner of the board. His eyes widened upon the words. "Castelum Town Quarantined. No Pokemon Allowed."

"Castelum Town." Ryan repeated. "What?"

Dillan pointed towards the "Quarantine" note. Ryan looked at the piece of paper. Hazel reached up and removed it from the board.

"Castellum Town," Hazel began to read aloud. "Is under quarantine because of the outbreak of a..." Hazel stopped.

"A what?" Ryan asked.

"This can't be right..." Hazel said.

"What?" Dillan said.

"It says Castellum Town has been turned into a Mystery Dungeon." Hazel said slowly and gravely. "'So far, only one family has managed to escape the dungeon to tell other pokemon about the impending danger. The King is making preparations for a team of explorers to find out what has happened in Castelum Town as well as find the pokemon who were caught in the Mystery Dungeon.' But that can't be true. Mystery Dungeons stopped spreading centuries ago. This must be some kind of prank. It just isn't possible." Hazel said.

"What isn't possible?" the Guildleader asked from the door. Team Rapture turned to face the Guildleader. Dillan was caught off guard by his presence.

"This." Hazel said as she handed the "quarantine" note to the ampharos. Garth read the note. His eyes got wider the farther he went down the page. He flipped it to check if there were words on the back. There weren't any. Garth's lips scrunched together and his tail started swishing back and forth. His eyes moved rapidly to random things in the courtyard.

"Guildleader?" Hazel asked.

He looked at Team Rapture. "I'm afraid to say that this is true." Garth said depressingly. "Though, this is the only incident to affect a town. I assume that is why you guildmembers have been slammed with work. I hoped something like this would not occur again."

"Something like what?" Ryan asked.

"Mystery Dungeons spreading. Thankfully, Castellum Town is the only incident to occur, so it isn't spreading; but that can change quickly. I hope that is not the case.

"The last time this occurred, pokemon went into a mass panic."

"That's when Maxamillian stepped in and introduced the Guild System to help everyone." Hazel stated.

Garth smiled. "Good." he said. "You know your stuff. If I'm not mistaken, you were also reciting the Guildmember's Directives with everyone else. Am I wrong?"

"No sir." Hazel said.

"Hazel, was it?" Garth asked. Hazel nodded. "We need more members like you; members who know what they are doing and are open to helping anyone they can, even if other's assume they are the bad guys." Hazel started blushing. She smiled brightly.

"Now then," the Guildleader said. "You three should be off. Based on this outbreak, you guildmembers have a lot of work ahead of you. Don't let me get in your way. Be the best guildmembers. Help everyone you can today." The Guildleader walked away into Palando Town, his tail still swishing back and forth.

"Back to business." Ryan stated as soon as the Guildleader was out of sight. He grabbed at a random letter and pulled it out in front of him. He read it aloud. "'I, Leslie Bartholemule, am trapped in the Shadowed Brush with my accomplice, Nancy Remington. We are in need of assistance as soon as possible. Nancy has been pinned underneath a tree and has not been able to move. I dare not leave her behind for fear of a savage attacking her. Please come to our aid.' It says the pay is ten thousand pokes."

"That's a lot, right?" Dillan asked.

"Nah." Ryan said. "It isn't. It's pretty average for a job; though these guys are in trouble. I vote we help them."

"Me too." Hazel said.

"Than it's unanimous." Dillan stated.

"Well then." Ryan said. "Can I have the map, Hazel?" Hazel took the map out of her wonder bag and handed it to Ryan. Ryan unfolded it. "The Shadowed Brush is north of here." Ryan rolled the map back up and Hazel put it in her bag. "This way." Ryan stated as he led the team to their next goal.

* * *

They exited Palando about three hours ago. They were walking on a gravel path. Trees were spouting out of the ground all around the path. They weren't very dense. The snow-tipped mountains of the Palando Mountain Range could be seen through the leaves that shaded the path. Dillan looked through the leaves at the blue sky. There were white clouds in the sky. Dillan looked at each one of them. He didn't know why, but seeing them made him crave a sweet berry; preferably pink.

"I think we've made some progress." Hazel said. "We can stop here for breakfast."

Team Rapture went to a tree and sat down on its grass. Hazel dug in her bag and pulled out three pink berries. She gave one to Ryan and Dillan and then ate the last one herself. Ryan eyed the berry suspiciously.

Hazel saw Ryan's eyes and said, "The berry doesn't bite back." She smiled.

"It's not that." Ryan said. "It's just that I'm wondering if this berry is any good. You haven't bought anything since we met you, yet you seem to have an endless suply of these things. On top of that, they aren't going bad. It's just a little weird is all."

"Well, my father is a berry farmer and he's taught me a few tricks to preserve the berries. Also, these are from the trail. I picked them while we were walking and put them into the bag, but I haven't seen many. These are the only ones I found. Other than these, we don't have any more berries. Also, we don't have any money, so no food."

"That's alright." Ryan said. "We're getting money from this job. We'll be alright."

"Hey Sparky!" a voice called from down the path. Team Rapture turned to see a few familiar faces. Ryan stood up and grinned confidently towards the new exploration team.

Bolt ran up to Ryan. He grabbed Ryan's paw forcefully. Ryan met Bolt's force that pressed his paw. The bulging veins on the two pokemon's arms showed they were trying to crush one another's paws. They both grinned. Neither one looked as though they were going to give in.

"How are you dong, E. B.?" Ryan asked.

"Stronger than your grip!" Bolt said with a grin. The rest of Bolt's team came up the path. Adelina and Koa stared at the battle that ensued. The wind blew forth a few leaves in a way that seemed all too perfect to Dillan. He looked at the new team. He noticed something was different about Koa and Adelina. Koa was wearing a chain with a crystal at the bottom. The crystal looked like Bolt's, except it was lime-green. Koa was also wearing a bag around his shoulder. Dillan saw Adelina had a leather string around her neck. It looked as though it was holding something, but her tongue covered the end of the leather string. Dillan assumed it was a crystal like that which was found suspended from her teammates necks. Koa walked over to Dillan.

"Hi!" Koa said. He looked unnerved.

"Hi, Koa!" Dillan said.

"What are you guys doing here?" Adelina asked as she eyed Ryan with what Dillan thought looked like "want." She seemed to try and sound elegant. _What's her connection to Ryan?_

"We're on our way to the Shadowed Brush." Hazel said as she stared at the red paws of Ryan and Bolt.

"What a coincidence!" Bolt stated as he kept his eyes on Ryan's paw. He didn't look or sound fazed by Ryan's grip. "So are we!"

"Isn't that neat?" Adelina asked Koa. Koa nodded slowly. He started eyeing the shroud of leaves that hung above, casting shadows on the two exploration teams.

"Why are you guys going there?" Dillan asked.

"T-To help some pokemon who got lost." Koa said. He didn't take his eyes off of the sky.

"These pokemon don't happen to be researchers, do they?" Ryan asked through gritted teeth. Dillan guessed the pain was starting to get to his friend, but Ryan didn't back off.

"They most certainly do." Adelina pronounced rudely to Ryan. Ryan took his eyes off of Bolt and looked at Adelina. He looked at her briefly before his face contorted from pain. He drew his hand out of Bolt's grip and started examining his hand.

"That makes two, Sparky!" Bolt announced.

"My focus slipped." Ryan said. "Besides, we were going to eat breakfast. I'm not at full strength."

Bolt looked towards Hazel. "Do you mind if my friends and I join you, beautiful?" he asked her with a hand to his chest.

Hazel rolled her eyes. "I don't see why not." she said. Dillan was about to take a bite out of his berry.

"Wait!" Adelina shouted. Koa jumped from the sudden outburst. Dillan took the berry away from his mouth.

"What?" Dillan asked. He was very confused. "Is there something wrong with my berry?"

"Sorry." Adelina said. "That wasn't very lady-like for me. It isn't that something is wrong with the berries, only that they can be better. Ryan." Adelina said. Hazel and Dillan stared at Adelina in confusion. However, Ryan gave his berry to Adelina. He didn't meet her gaze and Adelina didn't try to meet his. "Thank you. Koa, can you get us some wood?"

"A-Alright." Koa told her as he walked off.

Dillan watched the scyther as he seemed to fly up a nearby tree. He began to hack at its branches with his scythe-like arms, cutting sticks and twigs that fell to the ground. After thirty seconds or so, Koa came back with a big pile of sticks.

"Here you go." Koa told Adelina.

"Can I have the bag?" Adelina asked pleasantly. Koa obliged. "Thank you, Koa." Adelina began to search through the bag. She pulled out a small, metal box that had bars for surfaces. Adelina pulled on the box until it unfolded into a big, metal skillet with foldable legs. She set the skillet on the ground. Adelina began to pull out all sorts of jars, pouches, and containers, all of which were only four inches tall and two inches in diameter. Koa proceeded to put the sticks on the ground and Adelina moved them under the rack. She then reached into her bag and pulled out a pot as well as some water. She set the pot on the skillet and the water in the pot.

"This is where the fun begins!" Bolt said as he sat down next to Ryan. Ryan looked uncomfortable while watching Adelina. Team Rapture took Bolt sitting down as a cue to follow his lead.

"Dillan, Hazel," Adelina said. "Would you both allow me to handle your berries?" Hazel gave her berry to Adelina with anticipation. Dillan gave his berry because everyone else had already done so. Adelina took the two berries and said, "Thank you." To both Dillan and Hazel's surprise, Adelina threw them into the air. They seemed to slow with time. Dillan watched as orange swords of light seemed to materialize out of thin air. They spun around, cutting every branch within reach. Adelina watched the swords with eyes of precision. She lunged at the swords. Both Dillan and Hazel gasped. _She's gonna get herself hurt!_ Dillan was about to move in to help Adelina, but he realized she hadn't been hurt. She had caught the swords and was now beginning to dance through the air like a professional diver, doing twirls and flips. The berries were with her. With each graceful move of accuracy, she cut the berries into pieces, each one smaller than the last. Dillan watched in awe as she made one final swipe with her swords. The berries were hit with the swords blunt side and flew into the pot of water. Adelina then floated gracefully to the ground where her swords flashed out of existence in a shower of sparkles. She took a bow. Dillan and Hazel, still in awe of the magnificent performance they had just witnessed, began to clap (Dillan did the best he could with his claws).

"Thank you both." Adelina said with a smile. "It's nothing, really. I need to work on cutting the berries. The bits turn out too small."

"If that was nothing, than I'm a mankey's aunt." Hazel said. Adelina looked at Ryan briefly before going back to the pot. She took the containers from the ground and poured its contents with precision into the pot.

"Hazel, would you please light the fire for me?" Adelina asked. "Normally Bolt helps with this sparks, but it would be faster for you to use your flame."

"No problem." Hazel said as she took hold of her tail flame and held it to the pile of sticks below the skillet. The sticks caught fire and started licking the bottom of the pot.

"What did you think of Adelina's skills, Sparky?" Bolt asked.

Ryan didn't answer. He stood up. That seemed to make Bolt slightly uncomfortable. Ryan looked down the path.

"I'm going for a walk." Ryan said.

"Why?" Adelina asked as she dug through Koa's bag. "Afraid I'll spit in your food?" She pulled out a wooden spoon and started mixing the contents of the pot.

"T-That's not it." Ryan protested. It surprised Dillan to find Ryan didn't sound the slightest bit annoyed with the comment. "I just need to... Take a walk." Ryan walked away from the group.

"That was weird." Bolt said awkwardly.

"That's Ryan." Adelina said as she bent over the bag and pulled out more berries. One by one, she cut them with a sword that materialized from the air.

"You know him?" Koa asked. Dillan was thankful someone else asked a question for once.

"We were once friends, yes." Adelina said. "But now he's no more than an..." She sliced the last of the berries quickly and not as gracefully as before. "Acquaintance."

"You haven't mentioned him, C. A." Bolt said. "What happened between you two?"

Adelina put the berry pieces into the stew. "Ask Ryan." she said coldly.

"How did you two meet?" Dillan asked.

Adelina turned to face him. "You're team name is Team Rapture, right?" she asked.

"Yeah." Dillan said.

"Tell me," Adelina began. "How did you get that name?"

"Well," Hazel said. "The Guildmaster of Ferricia told us that we were able to bring each other up, therefore creating a feeling of happiness between us. He thought that "Rapture" was the best way to describe us."

"Now then," Adelina began. "Surely after what you two saw last night, you asked Ryan about me. Did he say he wouldn't tell you? Explain to me this. If you all are truly feeling "Rapture" towards each other, then why has Ryan avoided telling you about me?"

Dillan felt hurt. _She's right. We're suppose to trust one another. If Ryan doesn't trust us enough to tell us who Adelina is and his connection to her, then does he truly trust us?_ Dillan felt even worse.

"C. A." Bolt said calmly. "Come on. Don't say that." Adelina turned towards him with annoyance. "I'm not saying Ryan is in the right, only that you shouldn't be destroying a team's trust. Besides, we fully trust you, but you haven't even mentioned you've even met Ryan."

"Sorry to change the subject." Hazel said, trying to sound cheerful. "But since we've started talking about team names and their meanings, whether they make sense or not, I have a question for your team. What's the team name?"

Koa jumped in. "Team B. A. K.! Bak! It's because we have the backs of everyone who needs help!"

"It's not BAK." Bolt said with a playful punch to Koa's arm. Koa gave a soft "Ow" and started rubbing his arm lightly. "It's Team Z because of our Crystals."

"We never really agreed to that." Koa said. "Just pointing that out."

"We are currently working on it." Adelina said.

"Didn't you have to put in a team name for registration?" Dillan asked.

"Nope." Bolt said.

"His dad was a friend of the Guildleader." Koa said. Bolt nudged Koa's arm.

"I told you not to mention that." Bolt said with a big smile, though his eyes contradicted his lips.

"Right..." Koa said as he looked towards Bolt with concern. "Sorry."

"It's cool." Bolt said. "I'm going to go looking for Sparky." Bolt looked down the path in the direction Ryan had gone. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Bolt left, leaving the two teams in silence for nearly five minutes.

"So," Hazel said. "What's wrong with mentioning Bolt's dad's connection to the Guildleader?"

"Two reasons." Adelina said. "For one, the Guildleader only likes Bolt and his dad for the strength they bring to the guild. The second reason is that Bolt's dad died two months ago."

Dillan and Hazel looked at Adelina with shock.

"I don't think Bolt would like you telling them that." Koa said to Adelina.

"If we're going to work on this assignment together, then they need to know that they cannot talk about Bolt's dad or the Guildleader." Adelina said calmly.

"Working together?" Dillan asked.

"Yep." Adelina said. "You guys are on the same mission we're on, right? Two researchers stranded in the forest. The Guildleader told us to rescue them after the Guild Directives; though he forgot to mention you three would be joining us."

"Is that a problem?" Dillan asked.

"Not at all." Adelina said with a smile. "It was just unexpected is all."

"What's so special about this professor that the Guildleader would let two teams take the job?" Dillan asked.

"Good question." Hazel commented. "Though, it should be cool getting to work with another team."

Adelina turned her attention back to the berry stew. A smell wafted its way to Dillan's nostrils. The only word Dillan could think of to describe the smell was excellent.

"Koa." Adelina said to her friend. "The food's almost ready. Could you be a gentleman and get six bowls out of the Wonder Bag?"

"O-Of course!" Koa said nervously. It took nearly three minutes for Koa to come up from the bag, but when he did, he had six wooden bowls with matching spoons. He placed two of them in front of Dillan and Hazel. Koa kept one for him and set the last three to the side. Adelina scooped the soup out of the pot and poured a serving into Dillan and Hazel's bowls.

"Hey." Adelina said to Hazel and Dillan. "Forget what I said about your team. Ryan has a hard past that he doesn't like to share with anyone. What I said was wrong and not needed. Take this meal as an apology."

"Adelina." Dillan said. "What's going on between you and Ryan?"

"I can't say." Adelina told him. "I made a promise to Ryan that I wouldn't tell anyone and I always keep my promises. I cannot help you."

Dillan didn't like that answer. _Ryan has a relationship with Adelina. He acts differently towards her than to us. Knowing why he's distant from her now could help us to help him with his relationship._ Dillan knew it wasn't his business, but he couldn't help wanting to help his friend with any potential issues. Ryan was his friend and he wanted to do everything to help, even if he couldn't do so at the moment.

"Smells good, C. A.!" Bolt said. Dillan looked down the path and saw Ryan and Bolt walking side-by-side; Bolt smiling and Ryan looking nervous. Ryan walked over to his group and sat down next to Hazel. Bolt ran up to one of the free bowls. He stepped on the lid, sending it into the air. He caught it with the flat-side of his lightning bolt-tail. It rolled on his tail towards his back. Bolt put his left paw in the bowl's path. It slid up his arm to his neck where it slid down his right arm and into his paw where he caught it.

"You guys are amazing!" Dillan said in awe at Bolt's mad bowl-rolling skills.

"It's a gift." Bolt said with a playful smirk.

"You sure it's not too much free time?" Hazel asked.

"That, too." Bolt shrugged.

Adelina filled the remaining bowls and handed one to Bolt and the second one to Ryan. She seemed very awkward about handing the bowl to him. Ryan took the bowl in the same manner.

Each team, listening to the chirping of birds overhead or the rustling of the leaves when air flowed through their branches, took a slurp of their soup. Dillan felt at peace. When the soup touched his tongue, it tasted fantastic. It seemed to flow over his taste buds like a tornado of flavor, blowing its warm contents to the far corners of Dillan's mouth; unlike the pecha berries he had been eating for the past few days, he didn't feel like throwing up from disgust. He felt like spitting it up because of the overwhelming power it seemed to force upon his mind, but the rustling of the leaves overhead filled him with determination; determination he used to force himself to swallow the delicious soup. He felt a warmth spread through his body. It seemed to soothe his very soul.

"Do you not like it?" Adelina asked with fear. "It's the spices, isn't it? I knew I put a dash more basil than I needed!"

"That's not it!" Dillan protested. "It's fine; perfect, even. I just don't remember tasting anything this delicious. It overloads my systems."

"Oh, hush!" Adelina said. "I'm not that good. Surely you can remember at least one thing that tastes better than my old soup." Dillan smiled lightly. Ryan and Hazel looked uncomfortable with the question. They seemed to want to explain, but not overstep some kind of boundary.

Koa stopped eating his soup. He looked at Dillan. Bolt either didn't care or was too absorbed in his soup to pay attention.

"Did I say something wrong?" Adelina asked.

 _Why am I hesitating? I can tell them. They're good pokemon. Then again, based on their team not having a name yet, they're fairly new. Even if Bolt seems like a good pokemon; if Reya's right about the enemy, whoever the enemy is, then I'm probably being targeted or something. Can I truly trust strangers I've just met? I mean, if they had been at the Guild for a few months, that's one thing; but if their team is new, then they probably haven't been there long._

"Sorry." Dillan said with a forced smile. "It's just too delicious! You're a really good cook!"

Adelina seemed satisfied with that answer. "Thank you very much." she said cheerfully. Koa didn't seem convinced of Dillan's act. Nevertheless, he resumed eating his soup and so did Team Rapture.

* * *

Not much was said after the meal, just some chattering from Hazel and Adelina. Bolt and Ryan seemed to get along with each other. Dillan, on the other hand, just helped out Hazel and Adelina as best he could. Koa was with Ryan and Bolt, talking about something along the lines of, "And then, I beat him senseless". Dillan wasn't into that kind of thing, but it seemed to please Ryan enough.

After everything was put back into Koa's wonder bag, Koa picked it up and the two teams decided to leave. Team Rapture and the no-named team walked onwards towards their destination.

* * *

It took nearly four hours of walking to reach the Shadowed Brush. The only distinguishable difference between the outside of the brush and the entrance was the density in the trees. The shadows seemed to shift further ahead, making a dimly lit corridor. The other indicator was the sign that said, "Beware the Shadowed Brush".

"Here we are." Hazel said.

"For a name like, 'Shadowed Brush', it looks pretty unintimidating." Bolt said with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"It's probably darker inside." Ryan said.

"I-I'm not so sure about this anymore." Koa said nervously.

"Neither are those researchers." Adelina said. "They need our assistance and we should be willing to help regardless of a silly name."

"I agree." Dillan said.

"W-Well, then who's leading?" Koa asked.

"I'll go first." Bolt said. "Should be a cake-walk with my expertise. Just you watch, beautiful." Bolt gave a wink towards Hazel. Hazel rolled her eyes and moved ahead of everyone. "Or you can lead." Bolt said with a shrug. He, Adelina, and Koa followed Hazel into the brush. Ryan and Dillan took up the rear.

Dillan didn't like being in the forest. There was no wind. The air felt dry, as if every tree had taken every dew drop for itself. Some trees looked healthy. Other's were dead and withered. Faces seemed to form from the shadows that were cast against the bark. Because of her tail-flame, Hazel was the obvious choice to be the leader. Other than the occasional beam of light that casted itself through the trees, it was dimly lit. There were roots that had grown from the trees and infested the path like vines. Dillan was careful to not trip on any of them. He didn't want to land on Ryan.

The group took lefts and rights. Dillan tried to remember where they had turned, but he was lost. The amount of turns confused his brain with information. He didn't know if they had gone left, right, right, left, right, or right, left, left, left, right. He decided to let Hazel figure that out. He would just have to remember two turns at a time. At one point, Hazel called back to the group that she had run into a dead end. Dillan decided it was his turn to lead, which scared him more than the forest itself. _You can do this. It's simply picking a path and going through it. Piece of cake. Just try not to think about screwing up._

Dillan led them down the path. He took a right at an intersection. He tried to hear Hazel or anyone tell him they had gone down this path before, but to his surprise, no one said anything. He felt content. Dillan moved forwards, trying to keep his mind focused ahead. He had to squint in order to see any further than three feet in front of him. A sort of dry fog seemed to hang in the air, creating an ominous vibe. Dillan had been trying to use his miracle sense in order to get a layout of the Mystery Dungeon, but it didn't work. He knew that since he wasn't in a cave, it wouldn't work; but he tried anyways.

Dillan walked for what seemed like minutes, when voices were coming from behind. Dillan looked back to see Ryan sanding still, keeping Koa and the rest of the group from moving. Ryan had his eyes closed, focusing on something. What it was, Dillan couldn't tell. Ryan's ears perked up. He looked left, away from the path. He stared off into the dense cluster of trees.

"Follow me." Ryan said as he strayed away from the path to the left. Dillan was shocked and so was Koa.

"W-What are you doing?!" Koa asked fearfully.

"Finding the egg-heads who decided the path wasn't good enough for them." Ryan proclaimed. He stepped back onto the path and faced Dillan. "Trust me." he said. _Trust you? You've been keeping secrets from the team about your past... No. I can't dwell on that now. He probably has a good reason. Besides, the mission has to come first, right?_

Dillan walked up to Ryan and put his claw out. Ryan grabbed his claw and started pulling Dillan into the forest. Once Dillan stepped off of the path, Ryan stopped.

"Alright." Ryan said. "Koa. Step in front of Dillan. Addi, grab Dillan's claw. We need to form a pokemon chain in order to stay together."

"To what end?" Adelina's voice called from the path. "What do you think you're doing?"

"The researchers strayed from the path." Ryan stated. "I can hear them now, but..." Ryan stopped talking. He perked up his head. His eyes changed to worry and concern. He looked at Koa on the path and said quickly, "Koa! Give me your Escape Orb!" Koa looked confused. He hesitated. "Stop hesitating and toss me the orb right now or so help me, I will go over there and take it myself!" Koa seemed terrified by Ryan's threat. He took his bag off and handed it to Dillan.

"Take the bag." Koa said. Dillan held the strap and slipped it on his shoulder.

"Now, get out of the dungeon!" Ryan said. "We'll meet you guys soon!" With that, Ryan started pulling on Dillan's arm, pulling him through cracks in the trees and branches. Dillan was very confused by what was going on. He wanted to ask Ryan what was happening, but he doubted he would answer. Ryan just kept on pulling.

After a minute or so of running, Dillan started hearing voices. They eventually became loud enough to hear.

"I don't want to hurt you! Just stop assaulting us!" a male voice said.

A nasty snarl-like vibration echoed through the trees.

Ryan and Dillan finally found a clearing. They came into a square room. Dillan saw no paths that could be distinguished from the gaps they had entered the room from. There were four pokemon surrounding two more pokemon. One looked hurt while the other was under a fallen tree.

The four surrounding pokemon were bug pokemon. Two of them had a purple body with no legs. It had spines with black stripes protruding from its cylinder-like body. It had purple rings on its body. Its eyes were yellow with black pupils. (Whirlipede)

One of the other surrounding pokemon looked like a miniature version of Janette, except it was green with a face on its thorax. It had yellow pincers in the front of its head. (Spinarak)

The last surrounding pokemon was pink with long arms held in a praying-mantis position. It had bulging, glassy, hot-pink eyes with black pupils. It's antenna were pink. It looked as though it had pink-striped pants on. It also had pink wings on its back. (Lurantis)

The injured pokemon in the middle was a quadrupedal pokemon. It was small and brown with white fluff around its neck. Its ears were brown and pointed at the tips. The pokemon looked like a normal, small animal with brown fuzz. Dirt clung to the scratches edged into the pokemon's skin along with the blood that poured from the wounds. The pokemon also had a round, white stone hanging from a string around its neck. (Eevee)

The pokemon under the tree was a quadrupedal pokemon. It had an elongated body with small paws. The pokemon's fur was divided into two sections: The top half was blue while the bottom half was tan. Dillan was surprised to see it didn't seem to have any back legs, just paws. The pokemon had red marks on the top of its head and its back-side. It didn't have a tail. Dillan couldn't tell if it had any nostrils. Its eyes were squinted together as if the pokemon was in pain. The tree was rested on the pokemon's back. (Quilava)

One of the whirlipede spun towards the quilava. The eevee jumped into its way. Its body began to glow and a barrier formed around the eevee. The whirlipede bounced off of the field. The eevee looked exhausted. He wasn't going to last much longer.

"Hey, you!" Dillan shouted at the pokemon. They all looked towards Dillan maliciously. Dillan felt his courage drain from his body. The eyes of the pokemon seemed to lock onto Dillan and Ryan.

"Finally." the eevee said. "I was wondering when the rapidash would arri-..." The eevee passed out on the spot. Dillan looked on at the eevee that seemed to have fought to protect the already incapacitated quilava. His courage might have left him, but his need to help most certainly stayed. Dillan ran towards the eevee at full speed. Ryan followed behind. The whirlipede began to roll towards the remaining members of Team Rapture. Dillan lunged at the ground, creating a hole as fast as he could. The whirlipede rolled at the hole and slammed into the edge, bouncing into the air. The second whirlipede was aimed at Ryan who quickly used a swift attack. The stars pummeled into the second whirlipede, but it didn't stop it. The whirlipede kept going until it hit Ryan. Dillan sensed the whirlipede's spines inserting itself into Ryan's arm. Ryan quickly grabbed the whirlipede. He rubbed his cheeks on the whirlipede's hard skin. He then let go of the whirlipede, letting it roll away. The whirlipede kept rolling until it hit a tree. Ryan ran over to the eevee. Dillan climbed out of his hole and did the same.

"Are you alright?" Dillan asked Ryan.

"Just focus on the job!" Ryan said through gritted teeth. Dillan noticed Ryan had his paw on his wound. He looked at the spinarak jumping through the air. Dillan jumped to the left, but his reaction time was off by a second. The spinarak shot a strand of web at Dillan's legs. Dillan tripped and landed on his chest. He looked back and saw the spinarak making its way up Dillan's leg. Dillan swung his tail at the spinarak. It hit the small pokemon off of Dillan. He looked for a new threat to see a glowing, green blade flying towards his head. Dillan moved his head to the right. The blade barely missed Dillan's head by half an inch. The blade came up, illuminating the lurantis' face with its green glow. The lurantis brought its blade down again. Dillan rolled his body right. He stopped rolling when his back-fin met the ground. Dillan focused on his arm-fins. They extended with a blue glow. He used the dragon claw on his bonds. Ryan tackled the lurantis before it struck at Dillan again. He then bit down on the lurantis' arm. The lurantis gave a cry that sounded like high-pitched vibrations. Dillan stood up. Ryan ran over to Dillan.

"Use your flame-thrower!" Ryan said. "It's super-effective against bug and grass types!"

Dillan nodded. The first whirlipede had recovered from his aerial adventure. It locked its eyes on Dillan. It started rolling towards its gabite foe. Dillan planted his feet, drew his head back, and exhaled a stream of fire. The flames flew forth towards the bug-type pokemon. The pokemon tried to avoid the attack. The fire burned the back of the whirlipede. The pokemon gave a cry and rolled away, off into the trees. The second whirlipede, still stunned by Ryan's nuzzle, followed its companion into the brush. Ryan started engaging in battle with the spinarak. Dillan tore his focus from that fight and turned it towards the new one that was about to brew.

He looked at the lurantis. It started to charge him. Dillan brought his head back once again and exhaled a new stream of flames. The lurantis vibrated its wings and jumped above the flames. It looked at Dillan with a hateful gaze. Its wings vibrated even faster, emitting an ear-splitting sound. Dillan's ears felt like shattering. He held his ear-drums in an attempt to shut-out the noise. It wouldn't work. His mind felt like splitting open. He tried to focus on the lurantis, but it seemed to disappear. He looked around until he found his target, but there was something wrong. Everything seemed to be bathed in a red light. Dillan decided it was due to his brain feeling like it was about to split and he couldn't dwell on it too much. The lurantis started attacking with random moves at random areas of the field. Dillan decided to take the opportunity to attack the lurantis while it was weak. Dillan rushed the lurantis. He extended his fins in a dragon claw attack. He struck out at Ryan. _Wait..._ He came back to his senses. Ryan was grabbing at his wound. He had a slash across his chest. Dillan looked on in horror. Blood started dripping from Dillan's fin. Dillan looked at his fin, then Ryan's wound, then his fin again. Ryan looked at his chest. He fell into a sitting position.

"Ryan?" Dillan asked.

"Wh-..." Ryan tried to say. "What... Did you..." Ryan was panting rapidly. Dillan looked at his friend. He felt a blade glide across the scales on his back. Dillan looked around to see the lurantis. It looked savage. Dillan drew his head back quickly and breathed a blaze of fire at the lurantis. The pokemon gave a shriek of pain as the fire engulfed its body. Dillan stopped the stream. The lurantis ran off. Dillan looked around for the last foe, the spinarak. He found it on the floor, passed out. Sparks were flying off of its body, probably from Ryan. Dillan looked at Ryan. He ran over to his friend. Ryan was still breathing, pressing his stained paws against the wound in his chest.

"Ryan-" Dillan tried to say. Ryan put up his hand to tell Dillan to be quiet.

He pointed to the bag and said, "Orb."

"Orb?" Dillan asked. "The Escape Orb?" Dillan asked.

Ryan nodded. He then pointed to the eevee and the quilava. "Get me-..." Ryan stumbled. He coughed. "To them..." he finished. Dillan did what he was told. _What did I do?_ Dillan brought Ryan next to the pokemon on the floor. "Use... Orb... Now..." Ryan said. He shut his eyes and started panting slower.

"How?" Dillan asked. Ryan didn't answer. "Ryan?" Dillan asked. He didn't respond. "Ryan!" Dillan felt like breaking down. _No! Stop!_ _Focus! Focus! Focus!_ Dillan racked his brain to ignore what had happened. _He'll be alight. He'll be alright. He'll be alright!_ Dillan searched through the bag for anything that looked orb-like. He found a blue, crystal sphere. He took it out of the bag. It was about two feet in diameter. _Alright... How does this work?_ He put his claws on the orb. "Escape." Nothing happened. "Work." It still didn't work. "Work!" Dillan shouted. It still did nothing. "Come on! Come on..." Tears started forming in Dillan's eyes. He slammed his claw into the orb. It cracked. Dillan looked at the orb with horror. The crack grew wider. And wider. Then, it shattered. A blue light enveloped the remains of the orb. It grew brighter and brighter until it engulfed the room.

(Warning! Important announcement below- The Author)

* * *

(Author's Notes)

There is a poll that has been created! Vote for your favorite character! The poll will be available pretty much until the story dies. So, vote now! While you still have the chance! Just kidding. Vote if you want. If you don't that's cool, too. I was just curious who your favorite character is. If you're wondering how to get to the poll, it's pretty simple. Just click on either my name or my profile picture and that will bring you to my page. From there, it's as simple as going to the poll section or clicking the "Poll" button at the top of my page. Another way is by putting, "MasterKnight2142" in the search box. That will take you to my page. I'm curious what your votes will be! Have fun! (That concludes the important announcement)

Shout out to the two new follower Kibago-FF! Again, I meant to give you a shout-out in the last chapter, but I messed up. Sorry! Also, thanks to everyone else who hasn't followed but has read the story up until this point; whether you be from five years in the future or right along with the suspense!

Welcome to another chapter of Dillan's horrible life! Sorry for the cliff-hanger. I wanted to give you guys something to look forward to in the next chapter. Here's some good news! The college semester is wrapping up; which means I'll have a lot more time to write! I never gave you guys a excuse why my writing hasn't been as consistent, but this is why.

Thanks for reading, guys! It's been a blast for me to show you my characters and my story! Hope you guys liked this chapter (even though it was probably boring). Hope to see you guys next time!


	16. Armageddon

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 16

Armageddon

* * *

Dillan opened his eyes. He was laying in a field of yellow flowers. The bright blue sky was cloudless. There were yellow hills as far as the eye could see. Dillan saw a town to the east. It looked pretty small for town standards.

"Hello?" Dillan called out. His voice echoed through the plains. "Is anyone there?" No response. _Where am I? I don't remember this place. When did I pass out in the middle of a field?_ Dillan decided to think for a moment. He recalled that morning, picking a mission in Palando town. He remembered leaving the town for a place called the Shadowed Brush. He and Ryan got separated from the group. _Ryan._ Dillan's realization hit him like a cannon to the stomach. He felt very sick; sick of his actions and sick of himself. _What did I do?_

"Ryan?" Dillan called out. He looked around for any sign of the pachirisu. He couldn't find anything. He didn't see any evidence of his friend. It was just him. _Where is he?_ The sky began to turn darker. Dillan looked at the horizon. He didn't see the sun. Clouds seemed to instantly form in the sky, shading the world below. Dillan felt something horribly wrong. He couldn't tell what it was. It was as if some primal feeling was telling him to run as fast as he could, but he didn't move. He felt something in the earth. It started to shake. Cracks began to form in the earth. Fire began to erupt from the cracks. The earth split open, engulfing half of the town in the distance. _._

Dillan started running as fast as he could to the town. He didn't care if it was three miles away or even fifty; he needed to help those pokemon. Someone could die. Dillan couldn't live with himself if he did nothing. He could hear the screams of pokemon reach his ears. Something had to be done. He ran and ran, not caring about his exhaustion. Fire continued to spew from the cracks, turning the flowers to ash. The flames lit the dark clouds, turning them into a shade of red. It spread its firey heat across the plains. Dillan looked at the sky. He stopped in his tracks. A gigantic shadow loomed over the remains of the town. Its red eyes casted a shade of scarlet on Dillan. It roared, making Dillan shake uncontrollably. Dillan didn't know how, but he thought this single creature was the cause for this destruction. This shadow made Dillan fear for everything he had ever cared for. Dillan looked at this creature. Fire filled the sky with clouds of ash. The shadow seemed to shrink into the town. Dillan watched for ten seconds. He tried to move, but he was too afraid. Fear seemed to petrify his muscles. As suddenly as the shadow came, the town was engulphed in a blaze. Dillan looked on with complete fear. The shadow came up from the town. It stared at Dillan and spoke.

"Rebirth." it said.

The shadow's very voice was enough to make Dillan fall onto his back-side. Dillan started clawing at the ashy ground behind him in an attempt to get away. He dared not turn around. He couldn't tear his eyes from the shadow. The shadow revealed a pitch-black limb. It flew to Dillan and smashed into the ground, a few feet from his tail. It punctured the ground, leaving a hole. Dillan watched as the hole began to get wider. It created a crack that made its way to Dillan. Dillan started screaming words that mashed together in an incoherent stream. Dillan tried to get away from the crack, but he could hardly move. It felt like the entire world was on top of his shoulders, pressing him to the ground. The crack came closer. Dillan gave one final scream of fear as the crack overtook him. The crack grew wider in seconds, revealing a fissure. Dillan began to fall into the fissure, staring at the endless void of darkness that consumed him. Not even his miracle sense could tell him what was in that void of rock and shadow. He just seemed to fall for all of eternity.

* * *

Dillan woke up screaming. Sweat covered his entire body. His head ached. He closed his eyes for only a second. In the darkness of his eye sockets, he saw that shadowy creature. Its limb was reaching towards Dillan. He opened his eyes in fear. The creature was gone. Dillan's breathing was wild. He looked for it frantically. He was on a path surrounded by trees. To his front was a thick forest. He saw a sign. It read, "Beware the Shadowed Brush". _I'm at the entrance._ Dillan took another look around. He saw Ryan. He was next to the eevee and the quilava from before. Ryan still had a slash across his chest.

"Ryan?" Dillan asked. His friend didn't respond. Dillan ran up to him. He checked for any sign of Ryan being alive. He put his arm under Ryan's nose. Ryan was breathing.

"What happened?" Adelina asked frantically. Dillan turned around to see Team No-name and Hazel coming out of the Shadowed Brush. Adelina ran faster than anyone else. She pushed Dillan out of the way and kneeled next to Ryan. "Ryan!" she screamed. Her breathing became quick. Saliva accumulated on her tongue. Tears formed in her eyes. "Ry? Can you hear me? Please, talk to me!"

Hazel gave a deep gasp when she saw Ryan's condition. Koa didn't look at the scene.

"What happened to him?" Bolt asked Dillan. Dillan didn't answer. He couldn't bring himself to say anything. He just stared at Ryan. "Dillan? Dillan! Dillan, look at me. I need you to tell me what happened, right now."

"Leave him alone." Hazel told Bolt sternly. She shoved him away from Dillan. Dillan looked at Hazel. She didn't have tears coming down her face. She looked calm. "Can't you tell he's not in it right now?"

"Oh, Ry." Adelina said through tears.

Hazel moved towards Ryan. She knelt down and started checking his body. Her paws stopped at Ryan's left arm. "He's poisoned." Hazel said.

"How can you tell?" Adelina asked.

"There's a puncture in his arm from a spine." Hazel said as she began to rummage around in her bag. She came up and had nothing. She cursed.

"What are you looking for?" Bolt asked.

"A pecha berry. I don't have any left."

"There should be one in our bag." Koa said.

"Where's the bag?" Adelina asked.

"I have it..." Dillan said slowly. He removed the bag from his shoulder and set it down. Bolt took the bag and started tearing through its contents; throwing cooking spices and battle items across the ground. He pulled out a pink berry and handed it to Hazel.

"Open Ryan's mouth." Hazel told Adelina. Adelina did as she was told. Hazel held the berry and squeezed its contents into Ryan's mouth. She waited a few seconds. "It's not working."

"Why not?" Bolt asked.

"He's not swallowing the juice." Hazel said.

"Does he need to be awake?" Adelina asked.

"That's one way." Hazel stated. Adelina nodded. Her fist began to glow. Strong smells began to fill the air. Dillan felt like throwing up. Adelina placed her fist under Ryan's nose. She kept it there for seconds before Ryan's eyes started drifting open. He gulped the juices sharply. He then began to cough.

"Wh-..." Ryan tried to say. His breathing became harsh. He started grabbing at his wound. "What... was that smell..."

"Oh, Ry!" Adelina said as she began to cry. She tackled Ryan in a saliva-filled hug. Ryan sharply inhaled from pain.

"Still hurt, Adi!" Ryan stated. "Still hurt!"

Adelina broke from the hug. "R-right..." She said as she sniffled.

"Is he going to be alright?" Dillan asked.

"He should be." Hazel said. "his wound looks bad, but it'll heal. He passed out from the poison, not from blood-loss, so he should be alright."

Ryan's eyes met Dillan's. Ryan gave him a look of emotional pain and confusion. Dillan stopped looking at his friend.

 _"_ What's wrong, gabite?"a cold voice asked. "Did you hurt your friend?"

Dillan jerked his head around. He scanned his surroundings, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Dillan?" Bolt asked. "What's going on with you?"

Dillan wasn't paying attention. He continued to scan his surroundings.

"You know, they're lucky." the voice continued. "They can feel the pain you bring them. If that's your worry, there isn't any reason to fear. I'll make sure none of you can feel anything; just like me!"

 _You're not real!_

"Of course I'm not." Kieth said. Dillan faced his friends. He reeled back at what he saw. His friends looked at him with worry. Dillan was terrified that they didn't seem able to see the burned pokemon that stood behind Ryan, Hazel, and Adelina. "I'm in your head!" Kieth sneered. "At least, that's what the doctor told you."

 _You can hear my thoughts?_

"Of course." Kieth went over to Ryan. He began to throw his heel towards Ryan's face. Dillan jumped up. Kieth's foot went through the pachirisu. Dillan stopped in his tracks, looking at the charred shiftree. "I can't touch them, gabite! I'm in your head, remember?"

"Dillan?" Hazel asked.

"I..." Dillan began.

"Dillan?" Kieth asked. "That's your name, huh? Well, Dillan. Go on and tell them. Tell them a ghost from your past is here! Tell them you're the only one that can see it!"

"I'm sorry." Dillan said.

"For what?" Adelina asked.

"Never mind that." Hazel said. "Do you three have a tent?" she asked the no-named team.

"We do." Koa said. He was eyeing Dillan worriedly. "Makeshift hospital, right?"

"Yes." Hazel said. She still sounded calm. "Can you and Bolt set it up?"

"Yep..." Koa said.

"Sure thing." Bolt agreed.

"Adelina," Hazel began. "I need you to make sure the two researchers aren't hurt."

"You have no need to worry." Adelina said.

Hazel stood up and walked towards Dillan. "Come with me." she whispered to him. Dillan nervously followed.

* * *

The two pokemon walked for about one minute. Hazel looked behind her to make sure there wasn't anyone following. She then turned towards Dillan. She looked very stern. "You need to tell me what is going on."

"What do you mean?" Dillan asked.

"You've been acting so strangely since we found you. You wouldn't respond to Bolt's questions, you acted as though something was in the trees, and you ran towards Ryan for some reason then stopped. What's going on?"

Dillan didn't know what to say.

"I do." Kieth said. "Tell her! Tell her you hurt your friend! Tell her I'm threatening your friends! Tell her you're losing your sanity!"

"Fine!" Dillan said. "I'll say it."

"Watching you suffer will be worth it." Kieth said.

"Hazel, I hurt Ryan."

"You-..." Hazel tried to say. "What?"

Dillan told Hazel about the fight. He told her every detail. He then told her about Kieth. He told her about how he's been seeing the shiftree.

"Dillan," Hazel began. "Hurting Ryan wasn't your fault. From your description, that lurantis used Swagger." To Dillan's surprise, Hazel sounded sympathetic.

"Swagger?" Dillan asked.

"It confuses an opponent as well as raises its attack. It's not your fault Ryan got hurt. Besides, you didn't hurt him too badly. He might have a scar, but it won't kill him."

"I should have realized something was wrong."

"Dillan. It wasn't your fault."

"Even if it wasn't, I can't forgive myself."

"Why?"

"So it doesn't happen again."

"But, it won't. Ryan and I be right by your side to help."

Dillan thought about what Hazel said. "How can you be sure you'll be there?"

"Because that's what an exploration team does. We stick together and help each other through our problems."

"How can you help me fight something that's not even there?"

"You need to rely on your friends to get you through your troubles."

"How would you know that?" Hazel bit on her lower lip. She seemed to want to tell Dillan something, but she didn't know how. "Hazel."

"Fine!" Hazel snapped. "I'll tell you; but you can't tell Ryan."

"Tell me what?"

Hazel told Dillan about her mother's death. She told him about the ghost attacking her. She told him about her father and how he killed a pokemon in front of her very eyes. Hazel's voice cracked during her explanation. She looked disturbed; yet relieved in a comforting way.

"I can't be around ghost-types." Hazel said. "Occasionally, they make me relive that night. I have to watch my father as he kills a creature to save my life. I have to see the image of my father with a fresh wound where his arm should be. Ghost types have an aura that reminds me of that night. I hate it. It didn't affect me as much when my friends were with me; when they knew what I was going through. I think what I'm going through is in some way the same thing that is happening to you. I have to relive my experience and you do as well. It might not be at the same extent, but you are reliving a pokemon that hurt you. Dillan, you just need to trust that me and Ryan can help you get through what ever is bothering you. Keeping it locked up doesn't help you; it hurts you. Please let us help you."

 _She's right. Even if it isn't the same thing, I can't deal with this alone. It won't help me. I need to rely on my friends; my teammates. But what if Kieth comes to me when I'm on the road to Castellum Town? What then? I would bring that up, but I can't let Hazel know I'm leaving. I'll have to play along with her for now._

"Alright." Dillan said. "I'll trust you and Ryan to help me."

"Good." Hazel gave a smile and a sigh. "Now then. We need to get back to everyone else. Those researchers might need help getting back on their feet."

"Hazel," Dillan began. Hazel looked back at him. "Why didn't you tell me about your past earlier?"

"I didn't want to relive it again. It hurts to see the scenes over and over. Talking about it use to be even worse; but this time, it felt more natural. It felt like I dropped a bag of rocks I've been carrying for a while. Now, I feel alright." Dillan gave Hazel a smile. Hazel tackled Dillan with a hug. "Thanks, Dillan. I forgot myself over the past week."

"In what way?" Dillan asked.

"I want to be a cheery pokemon. I haven't been that way for a while. I don't want to be the Hazel that's all doom and gloom. I want to be the Hazel that you met in Ferricia."

Hazel broke from the hug. She and Dillan went back to the entrance of the Shadowed Brush.

* * *

The tent was set up in the middle of the road. It wasn't the biggest tent. Ryan and Adelina were the only ones inside. Everyone else was sitting outside talking to the two researchers who had woken up while Dillan and Hazel were gone.

"And that's when we found a gigantic wailord that had ventured into the Mystery Dungeon to find its child." the eevee said. Dillan and Hazel walked up to the pow-wow.

"Hey, beautiful!" Bolt called out to Hazel. Hazel seemed to ignore the comment.

"Hi." Koa said to Hazel and Dillan.

"How's Ryan doing?" Dillan asked.

"Feeling better." Bolt said. "C. A. bandaged him up earlier. Right now they're talking in the tent."

"C. A.?" Dillan asked.

"It's a nickname for Adelina. It stands for 'Chef of Awesomeness'!" Bolt moved his paw through the air for dramatic affect.

"Based on Ryan's previous state, he's improving." Koa stated.

"Agreed." Bolt said..

"Hello, Mr. Gabite!" the eevee said. "I am Professor Leslie Bartholemuel of the A. R. F. M. D." Bolt started snickering, bringing attention to himself.

"Leslie?" Hazel asked.

"Quite." Leslie said with a scowl at Bolt. "Of the A. R. F. M. D."

"The what?" Dillan aksed.

"The Alkan Research Facility for Mystery Dungeons, otherwise known as A. R. F. M. D." Leslie told them. "Surely you've heard of my research regarding Mystery Dungeons."

"Professor Bartholemuel," the quilava said. She sounded quiet. "I don't think these travelin' folk know about your work; let alone anyone in Ganderosa."

"Poppycock." Leslie said. "Exploration Teams from all over Ganderosa know about the facts of the Mystery Dungeons; therefore they know my work."

"Sir, that was the work of you're pa and great-grandpa." the quilava said again.

"Too true; but I carry on their legacy." Leslie looked at Dillan. "I must thank you, good sir. If it wasn't for you and your little friend, me and my accomplice would have been as flat as a stunfisk."

"It was nothing." Dillan replied.

"Poppycock!" Leslie shouted. "Tell him, Ms. Remington!"

"He's right, ya know." the quilava said. "I'm much obliged to your good heart. By the way, I'm Nancy."

"I'm Dillan." Dillan said with a smile.

"Where is your friend?" Leslie asked. "I sure would like to thank him as well for saving my life."

"He's..." Koa began. "not able to talk at the moment."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"He wan poisoned and injured when he was helping you." Hazel said.

"Oh. Well, I am very sorry to hear that." Leslie said sincerely.

"Professor," Hazel began. "I want to ask you something."

"What is it, my fair lady." Leslie said.

"Are you a researcher in the field of Mystery Dungeons?"

"Indeed I am." Leslie stated. "The very best."

"Then can you explain to me what's going on in Castellum Town?"

"I'm afraid I do not know what you are referring to, my dear." Leslie said with a confused look.

"The Mystery Dungeon." Hazel said. "the one that's engulfed Castellum Town."

"What?!" Bolt asked with shock. "How? When?"

"My team just found out about it this morning." Hazel said. "The King issued a quarantine at Castellum."

"This is very troubling." Leslie said.

"You're the self-proclaimed top researcher on Mystery dungeons and you didn't even know about Castellum Town?" Bolt asked with confusion and worry.

"The Sir's been stuck in a Mystery Dungeon for four days protectin' me." Nancy proclaimed dignantly. "You can't expect him to know nothin' 'bout what's goin' on outside."

"Yes, but it was my fault we were in that dreadful position in the first place." Leslie told them half-heartedly. He stood up. "Aright, my good chaps. It's been a jolly good time, but I'm afraid that we will be needed once the King assembles an exploration team to explore Castellum Town."

"What's going on with Castellum?" Adelina asked. Dillan reared around to see the lickitung exiting the tent.

"C. A.," Bolt started. "You need to be calm when I tell you this."

"What's wrong with Castellum, Bolt?"

"It's b-been turned into a-a Mystery Dungeon." Koa said slowly and nervously. The words seemed to stick in his mouth while stuttering that sentence.

Adelina's face fell into a look of despair. "Has anyone made it out?" she asked in a soft voice.

"Only one family." Hazel said sadly. "They were the ones that told the King about the incident."

"I can't deal with this." Adelina said. She started shaking her head slowly. "This is too much for me."

"Addi..." Ryan said. To Dillan's joy, the little fuzzy pokemon walked up to Adelina. Ryan had a bandage wrapped around his chest, creating a mummy's tank-top. "They'll be okay. Trust me." Ryan looked very depressed, though Dillan didn't know why.

"I need to go." Adelina told Ryan.

"I know you do." Ryan said to Adelina.

"Bolt, Koa." Adelina said. "We need to leave."

"I know." Koa said.

Dillan was sad to see them leave; but based on the worried looks exchanged at the camp, he knew they would.

Leslie walked up to Dillan. "I must be taking my leave as well. Before I go, I want to give you the reward for saving me and my friend. Nancy," Leslie said as he turned towards the quilava. The quilava came over to Dillan with a parcel in its mouth. She set the parcel on the ground. Hazel picked the parcel up and set it in her wonder bag.

"This is for us?" Hazel asked.

"Thank you for your help, my dear. Now, if that is all, I'll be taking my leave." Leslie said. "Pip pip and cheerio." With that, the quilava and the eevee stood up and started making their way off.

"Wait." Dillan said. Leslie looked back. "Weren't you two hurt badly?"

"Oh, not at all." Leslie said. "My friend was merely incapacitated and I exhausted. Now then, good day!" The eevee turned away and walked off followed by the quilava.

"We're off, too." Bolt said. "It was fun, beautiful." Bolt took a bow. "You too, Sparky." He then turned towards Dillan. "You know, I haven't been able to talk with you, Dillan. Come to think of it, you don't even have a nickname. What to call you?"

"Bolt." Adelina told him sternly. "This is more important than your nicknames."

"Sorry." Bolt yielded. "I'll be off now, Slash."

"Slash?" Dillan asked.

"Yeah. Because of your fins."

"I'm not sure-"

"Bolt!" Adelina snapped.

"Bye, guys!" Bolt said as he ran down the path with Koa and Adelina trailing.

"What about your portion of the reward and the tent?" Hazel called out.

"Keep them." Koa said. With that, team no-name was gone.

"That was fun." Ryan said with a smile.

"They were a nice team, I'll give them that." Hazel said. "But Bolt creeps me out. He doesn't act normal when he talks to me."

"Ryan," Dillan began. "You and Adelina were getting along?"

"What in Ganderosa were you doing back in that Mystery Dungeon?" Ryan reared on Dillan.

"I-..." Dillan tried to say. He was shocked by the outburst, but he couldn't say he wasn't expecting it.

"Ryan-" Hazel said, but was interrupted.

"Hazel," Ryan cut in. "I don't mean to be rude, but I want Dillan to tell me what happened." Ryan turned towards Dillan. "So? What reason do you have for this?" Ryan gestured to his chest.

Dillan told Ryan what had happened in the Mystery Dungeon.

"So you're saying that the Lurantis used Swagger on you?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah." Dillan said.

"That's not possible." Ryan said calmly.

"Why not?" Hazel asked. "It's the only confusion move lurantis can know."

"What Dillan is describing isn't a Swagger attack. No, he's describing a Super Sonic attack. Swagger doesn't cause high-pitched vibrations. Dillan's story makes no sense at all because Lurantis doesn't learn Super Sonic."

"You're being harsh, Ryan." Hazel said calmly.

"I don't think I am." Ryan said. "I'm just stating the facts. Something doesn't add up."

The group sat in silence for what seemed like an hour, but was only five minutes.

Dillan broke the silence by saying, "I'm not sure what happened, but I'm sorry I hurt you. I truly am."

Ryan looked towards Dillan. He gave a sigh. "Yeah. I'm sorry for snapping at you. Even if your story doesn't make sense, that doesn't mean it isn't true. I should have thought about your reason for attacking me instead of assuming the worst." Ryan extended his paw towards Dillan. "Friends?"

"Friends." Dillan said as he stuck out his claw. Ryan took a hold of Dillan's claw and they shook hands. "Now then," Dillan started as he and Ryan ended their hand shake. "Should we pack up the tent and move on?"

"I can't go anywhere." Ryan said. "Not with my chest in this shape. Also, the poison's still left me drained. I'm going to rest for a little while." Ryan walked into the tent, leaving Hazel and Dillan alone.

Team Rapture stayed at the entrance of the Shadowed Brush for the rest of the day. They had decided that Ryan wasn't going to be in any condition to walk until the morning. Dillan and Hazel spent the remainder of the day wondering the path outside of the Shadowed Brush looking for berries. At the end of the day, the had six berries each; enough to last them for two days. They decided to call it a day and rest for the night.

* * *

Sleeping in a tent felt wrong to Dillan. He felt terribly exposed. He tossed and he turned. Dillan couldn't get himself to fall asleep, no matter how hard he tried. The sounds of the forest made it even worse. On top of that, Hazel's flame seemed to glow brighter than normal; but that could just be Dillan.

Dillan decided he wasn't going to get any sleep. He looked around the tent. It was pretty small. _Smaller than any den I would make._ Hazel was asleep. Her tail-flame flickered with each exhale. Ryan was sleeping on the floor as well. Dillan saw his objective. The Wonder Bag was on the floor next to Hazel. He crept over to the bag, being careful as to not make any noise. He slowly but surely made his way to the bag. He picked the bag off of the floor and slung it around his arm. He then carefully made his was towards the door to the tent.

* * *

The moon was shinning bright. Its light shot beams through the trees, illuminating the surrounding area. Dillan could see, which was the most surprising thing. He set the bag on the ground and started going through its contents.

It was the weirdest thing Dillan had ever seen. There were pockets linning the bag. When Dillan opened one of the pockets, it would expand to match the openning of the bag, revealing its contents. When Dillan tried to shut the pocket, its openning would shrink back down to the size of a pocket. Dillan searched through the pockets until he found his target. He pulled out the Map of Ganderosa. He shut the wonder bag. Dillan sat down and opened the map.

He looked around the map, not knowing where he was looking. He searched the contents of the map for the words, "Castellum Town". He couldn't find it. Dillan checked multiple times. He still couldn't see what he was looking for. His eyes made their way to the area of the map marked, "Kerroshia Territory". There were towns on the map labelled different things. Dillan didn't notice it before, but the strangest part was the fact that they had red "X"s over some of the towns.

"What are you looking for?" Hazel asked from behind Dillan. Dillan jumped and turned to see Hazel looking over his shoulder.

"I was looking for Castellum Town." Dillan admitted.

"Well, you're not going to find it on that map." Hazel said.

"Why not?" Dillan asked.

"Because that map is really old. It's practically a relic. See the towns with a red "X" over them?" She pointed towards the Kerroshia region.

"Yeah. Why are they like that?"

"Because this map is a war map. This map was made during the Great War of Ganderosa. There were two sides of that war; the Armadines and the Arvaines. Those towns have "X"s on them because those were towns that were attacked by a rogue general in the Arvaine Army. His name was Arthrax. He attacked those towns in a desperate attempt to leave the castle of Armadine open for attack. The castle deployed its reserve troops to help the innocent towns that were attacked, leaving the castle in a weakened state. The King of the Arvaines, Gunter Arvaine, used the opportunity to attack the castle, creating what we know today to be the Castle Ruins which is where Castellum Town is located." _That's where I need to be._

Dillan's eyes fell upon another red X in the Alka region, right below Palando Town. The words below the X said, "Armadine Castle".

"How did you learn all of this?" Dillan asked.

"My dad taught it to me." Hazel told Dillan. "He said it was important to know your history. Castellum Town has a lot of books on the History of Ganderosa. It's sad that it became a Mystery Dungeon. All of those people lost their homes and a bunch of history as well."

 _Seems like luck has been against me, lately._

"I'm heading off to bed." Hazel said. "Feel free to take a look at the map. Just be careful with it. It's a family heirloom. I think my great-grandfather was a general of some sort. Served the country until he died."

"I'll be careful." Dillan said.

Hazel gave him a bright smile. She went back into the tent, leaving Dillan alone with his thoughts.

 _We'll probably go back to Palando in the morning. We should get there a little after noon. We probably won't take another mission based on when we get back. That'll leave me with the whole day to plan on how I'm going to leave._ Dillan took a look at the gap between the Armadine Castle and Palando Town. _It'll probably take half a day to get to the ruins. What am I talking about? The ruins are a mystery dungeon now. How am I going to get there alone?_ He thought about it. _I might not be able to make it through alone, but I don't think I'll have to. Reya might be waiting for me outside of Castellum Town. If she is, then we can go through together. I need to make it there. I know this isn't my world, which means I'm here for a reason. I need to find out what that reason is. Based on the distance, I'll have to leave tomorrow night so my friends don't notice I'm gone._

"You are a sneaky gabite, aren't you?" Dillan turned around to face Kieth.

"What's it to you?" Dillan asked.

"You've been working with Reya." Kieth said.

"So?" Dillan asked.

"I just find it thrilling! You know, after Arlon took me away, he burned me to my core. It was the most excruciating experience of my life. I wish I could experience it again."

"What?" Dillan asked in disgust.

"I didn't know it then, but that single instance left my body in shock. I was in so much agony, that my mind simply snapped. It didn't like pain, so it made sure I couldn't feel any pain ever again. As a result, I can't feel anything. Doesn't that amuse you?"

"Should it?" Dillan asked.

"No. It should disturb you. Let me make something clear. I blame you for this lack of feeling."

"How does that work?" Dillan sounded repulsed. Kieth smiled like a maniac at the mere question.

"Simple. You were the most annoying thing. You were too innocent to be natural. I wanted to put the fear of arceus into you. You needed to understand your place. Arlon didn't see it that way, so he burned me. I will make you suffer just like I did until you can't feel anything anymore. Then, I'll leave you to rot in a cell for the rest of your miserable life."

"You aren't in my head." Dillan said defiantly.

"How is that possible?" Kieth asked with a grin.

"You know more than I do."

"Was Reya any less in your head when she visited you?"

"How do you know that?" Dillan asked.

"Quit being so naïve! I am in your mind, Dillan! Nothing in your head is beyond my reach! You are a simple pokemon who relies on others far too often. You're pathetic! That's all you'll ever be!"

"Leave me alone!" Dillan yelled as he slashed at Kieth. Kieth vaporized with the wind. Dillan looked around frantically for his target, but he didn't see him. Dillan was alone.

* * *

The night passed slowly for Dillan. Throughout the whole night, he felt as though he was being observed, like a bug in a jar. There was nothing he could do about the circumstance. All he could do was tell himself that his friends were near and he would be alright. With that thought in mind, he fell asleep; but it didn't last long. He went the whole night sleeping and waking up every half-hour only to feel as though he was being watched again. Every time, he would have to tell himself that his friends would help if he needed them in order to get back to sleep.

Other than waking up often, he was well-rested. Team Rapture packed up their new tent and moved on. Dillan was worried about Ryan throughout the walk. He was worried he would fall over from pain. Hazel had checked Ryan's wound before they left. It wasn't completely healed yet, but that didn't stop Ryan from walking. He seemed to be taking each step with as much vigor as normal; if not with more. That didn't stop Dillan from worrying.

Dillan started wondering about Palando Town. His mind drifted to the dream he had after he had used the Escape Orb. He wondered if the town being consumed by earth and fire had been Palando. He started worrying for the town. He knew it was pretty silly believing that something so horrible could possibly happen so quickly, but he couldn't help himself. The pokemon that caused it didn't feel like a dream. On the contrary, it felt more real than anything he could remember before. Those red eyes felt like hot coals burning their image into Dillan's brain. The shadow felt like the same darkness that shrouded his memories. The entire thing wasn't a pleasant ordeal. He wished he could remove the image from his head like everything else his amnesia had taken, but he couldn't. It seemed like it was the only memory that would stay with him until he died.

After a few hours of walking, Dillan saw Palando Town on the horizon. Nothing had changed. The earth was perfect. Fire hadn't consumed the town. There were no screams. Best of all, that shadowy creature wasn't there. Dillan felt at peace.

"What do you two want to do when we get into town?" Hazel asked.

"I don't really have a preference." Dillan stated.

"Personally, I want to go to the arena to get a good fight in." Ryan stated.

"In your condition?" Hazel asked. "Really?"

"Fine..." Ryan surrendered. "It would still be fun to watch some fights."

"I think we should take another mission." Hazel said.

"We just got back." Ryan pointed out. "Also, I'm in no condition to possibly help another pokemon, right Hazel?" he said sarcastically.

"Ha ha." Hazel said playfully. "Then what do we do?"

"We could hang out at a local diner." Dillan suggested.

"Sounds cool." Hazel agreed. Ryan nodded his head in agreement. Team Rapture made their way into the town.

* * *

After nearly ten minutes of walking around, Hazel pointed out a diner called, "Bob's Bar and Burgers". _Burgers..._ Dillan thought. The word stood out to him like a painter's masterpiece. It sounded elegant and delicious. He started craving a burger. Team Rapture walked inside.

The interior of the diner was pretty nice. There were numerous tables where pokemon played a card game. Some pokemon were sitting at a bar in the back. The kitchen was near the front, away from the bar. There were also tables with pokemon eating while chatting or kissing affectionately. The place was made of wood with a cobblestone floor. There was a balcony where pokemon observed the new-comers in a stalker-like fashion. Dillan found that disturbing to say the least. There was no one at the front.

Dillan followed Hazel. Team Rapture sat at a round table with four chairs. Dillan heard shouting coming from a nearby table. Cards and coins were flying through the air. Dillan guessed someone had won a game with a big reward.

"So Ryan," Hazel began. "Yesterday, you and Adeline seemed to be close again. How did that work?"

Ryan looked like he was contemplating what to say. He thought for an uncomfortably long amount of time. He then said, "I won't tell you everything, so if things don't make sense or if you feel like something's missing, that's why.

"Me and Adelina use to be close friends. If I needed help, she would do anything she could. It was the same with me. I remember when she showed me her sword performance. It was really choppy; no pun intended. She was wild and uncontrolled. It was if she was using the swords as a weapon to destroy the berries. I told her she was doing it wrong." Ryan laughed. "She was so mad at me. Eventually, I told her not to be so wild with her movements. I said she needed to treat the sword like her friend instead of a weapon. She needed to get to know everything about the sword. For a whole week, she had an orange sword in her hand. It became a part of her. She learned to let it flow like the wind itself. I won't forget the look of excitement on her face when she perfected her sword dance. She told me I was the best friend she could have asked for. We were so close..." Ryan's smile faded. "I left a week later. I didn't tell her that I was leaving. She knows why I did it; but that didn't make it hurt any less. She was my best friend and I left without a word."

"Why did you leave?" Dillan asked.

"Please don't think of me as a bad pokemon. I didn't mean to hurt her. I can't tell you why. Bad things would happen if I do."

"Alright." Hazel said. "I understand where you're coming from. You think it'll hurt us or our relationship with each other. I completely understand. I understand because it's the same way with me." Hazel told Ryan about her fear of ghosts. She explained why she was afraid. She told Ryan about her reliving her nightmares when she sees ghosts.

"That's why you didn't do anything in Poltress?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah." Hazel said.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Ryan asked. "I don't judge people because of their traumas."

"Telling people use to make me relive that experience. I told Dillan before and I was perfectly fine. I decided that this secret could hurt the team if it kept going. Also, keeping it a secret didn't let me be me. I'm usually a lot more cheerful, like when we met. I want to be me again."

"I would give a toast to the old you, but the waiter hasn't taken our order, yet." Ryan stated.

"I wonder what's taking them so long?" Dillan said.

Dillan looked around. He didn't realize it before, but pokemon were scowling at them.

"What's up with everyone?" Dillan asked.

"What?" Ryan asked. He and Hazel took a look around. They saw the scowling pokemon as well. When Team Rapture made eye contact with the scowling pokemon, they turned away and went back to their business.

"Excuse me, waiter!" Hazel called out to a pokemon. It came over to them. It was a pokemon with a white robe. It had a red face with a black, netting pattern on its skin. The pokemon was holding tray. It took a look at Hazel and walked away. "Mr. Waiter!" Hazel called out. The pokemon kept walking, not paying attention. "Really?" she said. "Whatever."

"Hey, buddy!" Ryan called out rudely. "Don't walk away from my friend! I'll report you to the manager!"

The throw looked at Ryan with a scowl and walked away.

"What's up with that?" Ryan said.

"I don't feel comfortable being here..." Dillan stated.

"Why?" Ryan asked.

"The waiters won't talk to us and we keep getting glares from other tables." Dillan said.

"I agree." Hazel said. "This place seems weird."

"Alright." Ryan agreed. "You guys just want to go and hang out at the guild?" Ryan suggested.

"Sounds cool." Dillan said.

Team Rapture got up from their table. They walked away towards the door. Pokemon continued to scowl at Team Rapture. One pokemon decided it would be a great idea to spit off of the balcony. The ball of mucus flew through the air and splattered on Ryan's head. Ryan stopped in his tracks. He turned towards the pokemon on the balcony. Two of them were smiling down at Team Rapture. They looked very amused with themselves.

"What are you two losers happy about?" Ryan asked the two pokemon.

"Let's just go, Ryan." Hazel said, urging Ryan to leave. Ryan gave a scowl at the two balcony pokemon as he turned to rejoin his companions. Team Rapture exited the building.

* * *

The exploration team walked down the cobblestone path.

"Why do you think they were acting weird around us?" Dillan asked.

"Honestly, I have no idea." Hazel stated.

"They needed an attitude adjustment." Ryan said. "I was about to brawl with that guy on the balcony. Did you see what he did?"

"Yeah..." Dillan said sadly.

Hazel noticed him. "What's wrong?" Hazel asked Dillan.

"Nothing." _That was a bald face lie. The rude behaviors of those guys reminded me of that bully who attacked my sister._ Dillan thought about how he wanted to see her again. Dillan couldn't hear her voice enough times. He loved her like family.

"Anyone hear that there was a parade?" Ryan asked.

"No." Hazel said. "Why?"

"Because of the road block." Ryan stated. There was a crowd of pokemon who were gathered around in the town square.

"How are we suppose to get through?" Dillan asked.

Ryan walked up to the group. "Follow me." Ryan said. He started walking under the pokemon; stepping on feet and fins in an attempt to get across.

"Ryan!" Hazel yelled. She took a hold of Dillan's claw and started pulling him along as she pushed through the crowd. There was shouting coming from the center of the crowd. Dillan could make out some of the things that were being said.

"... because they fear us! Why didn't word get to us sooner about the Mystery Dungeons spreading? They fear us taking a stand! They do not see the signs like we do! The apocalypse is upon us! He's seen it! The fire in the sky! The earth engulfing towns!"

Dillan stopped in his tracks. He looked at where the voice was coming from.

"They have hidden these facts from us!" the voice continued. "I said this before and I'll say it again!" Dillan started making his way towards the center of the crowd, towards the voice.

"Dillan!" Hazel shouted over the murmurs of the crowd. She followed the gabite.

"We will be oppressed no longer!" the voice said. "They tell you lies and lead you like children! They won't tell you the facts! Well, we're here to tell you that our organization is going to tell you the facts! The fact is that the government praise their oh-so-glorious Guild System like its a God-send! It isn't!" Dillan made his way to the inner ring of people. He found there was a wooden stage set up in front of the town square's fountain. The stage had three pokemon on it.

There was a pokemon that looked like a blue frog with a tongue spun around its neck like a scarf. Its chest was tan and so was its chin. The rest of its body was blue. The pokemon had sacks of water on its elbows and its knee caps. Its hands and feet were webbed. Its thighs were like sacks that ended at the knee caps. It then came to stick-like legs which led to its feet. Its eyes were white with red irises and white pupils. It had a symbol hanging from a chain around its neck. The symbol was a red, eroded "A" in the middle of a white circle that flared out at the circumference. (Greninja)

There was another pokemon that looked like a purple blob. It had black, marble eyes and a plain expression on its mouth. It had a band over its forehead like a fighter. The band had the same symbol that was on the greninja's chain. (Ditto)

The last pokemon looked like a black dragon. It had a tan stomach and red wings. It had two black horns on the back of its head. There was a flame coming from the tip of its tail. The pokemon was bigger around the waist. It had two straps coming from its shoulders that wrapped itself around the pokemon's chest making an "X". It had the same "A" symbol on the middle of its chest. (Charizard)

The greninja started speaking again. "The guildmembers don't seek to help you; they want to make you into a form of currency! They don't help you for the sake of helping you! They want to use you! They hide the most terrifying facts from you! They keep them right under your nose! It happened a week ago, yet the king hasn't informed you about it! Castellum Town has been turned into a Mystery Dungeon!" Whispers and worried glances were being thrown about the crowd. "Bob."

"Yeah boss, yeah." the ditto said. He took a hold of some papers on the stage and threw them into the crowd. Hazel caught one of them. Dillan looked at it. It looked like the quarantine note that was posted at the guild job bulletin board.

"Guildmembers have known about this! The king has known about this! Everyone who is part of the corrupt government knows, but does nothing! They wish to keep this information from you, but we have found the truth! Rise up against the oppressive rule! Protest in front of the guild! Make sure the king knows that we won't be oppressed any longer! For those who want to join the ranks of Team Armageddon, come forth onto the stage. For everyone else, spread the word! Let it be known that the people will no longer be kept in the dark! Let everyone know that the Mystery Dungeons are spreading once more!"

Some of the crown began to cheer. Other pokemon looked as though they were contemplating what had been said. Most of the pokemon left. About one fourth of the crowd created a line that snaked its way towards Team Armageddon's stage.

"What on Ganderosa?" Hazel stated.

"Who are they?" Dillan asked.

"I'm not sure."

"Hey!" Ryan called. Dillan and Hazel turned around to find the pachirisu. "Dean just passed me."

"What did he say?" Hazel asked with an annoyed tone.

"He told me that the Guildleader wants to see us."

"Why?" Hazel asked.

"He didn't specify." Ryan said. "Wanna find out?"

"Sure." Hazel said with a smile. Team Rapture continued on their way to the guild.

* * *

It was a madhouse. Pokemon were protesting all over the place. They held up signs that said, "Let the Oppression End!" or "The Guild can go to Hell!" The guild's entrance was surrounded. It took too much effort for Team Rapture to get passed. They were stuck at the gates of the guild's courtyard. Dean and Haily were standing there. They looked like guards.

"Hey."' Ryan shouted towards the two.

"Badges." Dean said.

Haily nudged him. "Dean." she scolded.

"Fine." Dean said. He pressed his hands together. A force field surrounded Team Rapture and the gate. The gate swung inward, allowing Team Rapture to walk into the guild. Dillan looked back.

"That team caused this?" he asked. "How?"

"The Guildleader is in his room." Haily stated.

"Thanks." Ryan said cautiously to Haily. Haily didn't seem fazed by Ryan's tone.

Team Rapture made their way into the guild.

Even as they walked through the lobby, chanting could be heard outside the walls. Team Rapture saw Janette standing by a door. Team Rapture walked towards her.

"I knew this would happen!" 'Janette said.

"What?" Dillan asked. "How?"

"The stars!" Janette said. "They didn't show last night or the night before that! No stars means that dark days are ahead of us!"

The door to Janette's left opened. Garth was standing in the doorway. "Janette." Garth stated. "Stop saying things like that. It helps no one. Not even you."

Janette held her head down in shame. "Yes, sir. Sorry sir."

"It's quite fine." the Guildleader said. He turned towards Team Rapture. "You three look dreadful. Won't you come in?" Garth stepped to the side and let the team inside.

The room was pretty big. It had a queen-sized bed at the back of the room. Next to the bed on either side were night stands. At the foot of the bed on the floor was a rug with the Ganderosan symbol on it. There was a map of Ganderosa hanging on the back wall. A fire place crackled as the fire licked at the logs. There was a violin on a stand near the door. Dillan was surprised to see it.

"Guildleader," Dillan started. "I didn't know you played violin."

"I do indeed. In my spare time, which hasn't been very much as of late." The four pokemon stood in the middle of the room. Dillan couldn't help but notice Garth's tail was swishing back and forth, just like yesterday.

"You wanted to see us?" Ryan asked.

"I did." Garth said. "I am sorry to say that you all have been charged with ten years imprisonment."

"What?" Dillan shouted. He and his teammates were very shocked. "For what?"

"Oh, I'm just joking!" Garth laughed. "I'm sorry about the scare! Being a Guildleader can be fun if you know how to use your position!"

"Sir?" Hazel asked.

"Oh, yes. Sorry about that." Garth said. "I just wanted to congratulate you on achieving a new explorers rank!"

"A new rank?" Dillan asked.

"You mean we've been promoted?" Ryan asked.

"Yep." Garth said. "Here's your new badges!" He pulled a box from under the bed and set it on the ground. He then opened the box. He revealed three new, shiny badges. They were silver with a white circle in the middle of it and yellow wings on the sides.

"We're at silver rank already?" Hazel asked. She sounded very shocked. "I never thought..."

"You guys have shown guts in the last few days." Garth said. "bolt told me that you saved two important researchers. Most importantly, we received a letter from the Kerroshian Guild last night. Team K. P. Sends their regards. You three did trusted your judgement and weren't afraid to call me out when I was wrong. You three deserve this."

"Sir?" Dillan asked.

"What is it, Dillan?"

"What do you know about Team Armageddon?"

"For one thing, I know that they're bad news. They don't like us guildmembers. They also like to rally pokemon against us. I thought they had disbanded months ago."

"What makes you say that?" Ryan asked.

"For one thing, the fact that they weren't active at all a few months ago. Now, we've been getting reports of protesting in front of guilds across Ganderosa."

"So they're not an exploration team?" Dillan asked.

"No. They're a group. They have stations all over Ganderosa. This time, they seemed to have found out about Castellum Town before we even had time to tell anyone. Now, they're spreading lies about us to the public. Because of this, I have one thing to tell you all. I've ordered a shut down of Palando's guild activities."

"You did what?" Ryan said.

"For your own safety, you are all to stay inside the guild's perimeter. Things are looking too violent outside."

"They're just protesting." Hazel stated.

"Wallace thinks otherwise." Garth said. "He's in the hospital ward at the moment, recovering. I don't suggest you leave this place until it settles down.

"Anyways, that's all. Congrats on the new rank!" Garth walked over to the violin and picked it up. "If you three don't mind, I think I'll play the violin. Feel free to stay and listen if you would like." Garth walked over to his bed and sat down. He set the violin on his chin and began to play a dreary tune.

Hazel picked up the box of badges and left the room followed by her teammates.

* * *

"What now?" Dillan asked. Team Rapture sat in the boy's dorm on the carpet.

"I'm not sure." Hazel said. "If we're confined here, than there isn't really anything we can do." "What's up with Team Armageddon?" Ryan asked. "What's their problem?"

"I'm not sure." Hazel stated. "Whatever it is, they don't like us very much."

"True that." Ryan said.

"I'm pretty tired." Dillan stated.

"You are?" Hazel asked. "It's only in the after-noon."

"Well, it feels like it's seven."

"Like it's what?" Hazel asked.

"Seven." Dillan said again. "You know. Like seven... Seven... Seven something. I can't remember the other part. It just feels late."

"Alright." Hazel said. "Suit yourself."

Dillan knew that wasn't the truth. It didn't feel late at all. In fact, he didn't feel like sleeping; though he knew he would later. He knew that he would feel tired when he was on the road to Castellum Town. It would affect him there. It wouldn't work. Nothing would work. He would be alone for the first time. He would have to rely on himself and only himself. He needed to; otherwise, he would fail. He couldn't fail.

"I'm goin to take a nap." Dillan stated. "See you guys when I wake up."

"You're serious about this?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah." Dillan said.

"Alright." Ryan shrugged. "Don't let me get in your way. See you when you wake up." Ryan got up and walked out of the room.

"Have a good sleep." Hazel said as she left the room.

Dillan felt the loneliness creeping in on him. This was the first step. Dillan knew from here on out, he would be alone. His shadow would be his companion. He would come back; he knew that. He would be back here eventually. For now, he needed to do things alone. He would probably have to lie to his friends. It may hurt, but it was necessary. It was something he had to do. He didn't want to keep is friends in the dark, but what choice did he have? If Reya was to get hurt because of his recklessness, nothing but pain would come out of it. He needed to play Reya's game in order to save her and help himself. It was his goal.

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys! I say this almost every (if not every) week. I wanted to say thanks to everyone who's stayed thus far. I wanted to say sorry to those in the UK. I do not think you say "Pip pip and cheerio" as well as "Poppycock". I wanted to add that to give character to Leslie. To anyone who I insulted with stereotypical dialogue, I apologize. It wasn't meant to offend anyone. **Also, I have a tip if any writers who trusts me enough to give it.**

Shout out to Boruto101 and Gamerj14! You guys made my day wen you followed me. I'm not even exaggerating when I tell you guys that seeing my story get follows or favorites or even views makes my day. It tells me that my work is appreciated. So, a special shout out to those who haven't followed my story. Even though you remain anonymous (you know who you are), you guys are awesome! :D

(Friendly Advice from me. Take it or leave it)

I wanted to give you guys who are writing some advice. Before I tell you this, I want to make it clear that I am not a great writer. I just started out and this is my personal belief. Take it or leave it, just don't tell me I gave you bad advice if you use this technique and are criticized over it. Now, I have been told that I build on characters that would only be shown once, and this is true. The thing I don't agree with is that this is an issue. Sure, it creates a little extra reading, but think of it this way. If Leslie (the researcher eevee) acted like everyone else, than he would be a bland character that was just introduced to create a mission for Dillan. No one would care about him. If this was the case for every character, than the world would seem fake. Nothing except the main characters feel real, which does not make a great story. By introducing character to characters that would only be seen once makes them feel realistic and life-like. It feels like someone you would interact with. Now, whether I portray this in my story through my writing, I can't say. I'm not the best judge of my own writing. I just wanted to say that for my own reason.

Thanks to everyone for reading the story! If you haven't been able to tell, things are going to get a little crazier from here on out. In the words of the pokemon announcer, "The journey continues". See you guys in the next chapter!


	17. The Ruined

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 17

The Ruined

* * *

Dillan felt himself walking. He heard two voices shouting at each other. Dillan didn't know what they were saying, but something felt familiarly awful about the circumstance. He turned a corner and entered a room.

"Grace..." Dillan said sympathetically. Dillan found himself in a blurred room. He couldn't make out many details. Colors were spliced together. The only thing that made sense to him was the tan blur in front of him. Dillan felt himself shut a door behind him, making the shouting barely audible. The blur was sniffling. "Are you ok?"

"N-No..." Grace said through sniffles. _Why is Grace crying?_ Dillan walked closer to Grace. He felt himself sit down next to her.

"What's wrong?"

"Y-You know wh-what's wrong..." Grace said as she started weeping.

"Hey." Dillan said softly. "It's going to be alright."

"How is anything alright with momma and papa fighting all the time?" Grace shouted at Dillan.

"Parents are stupid sometimes, you know that just as much as I do." Dillan said. "Nothing is going to happen."

"You can't say that." Grace said. "Y-You don't know."

"Know what?" Dillan asked.

"M-Momma was t-talking to one of her friends on the ph-phone and she said she and p-papa were getting a div-vorce." Grace started weeping. She grabbed Dillan around the waist.

"Do you know what that means?" Dillan asked Grace softly. He could feel his heart beating faster in his chest.

"M-Ms. Louis t-told me today in school." Grace said

"Grace..." Dillan said. He wrapped his arms around Grace. Dillan felt two arms wrap around him. "It's going to be ok. Momma and papa aren't going to get a divorce. They love each other too much." Dillan felt tears build up in his eyes. His lower lip started curling. Dillan felt the scene around him begin to vibrate. He felt nausea overtake him. Dillan felt himself falling, but his body didn't follow. He watched as he faded into the floor. He fell as the darkness surrounded him and consumed his consciousness.

* * *

Dillan jolted upright in his bed. He was in the boy's quarters. He looked around. He saw Dean and Wallace sleeping in their respective beds. Bolt and Koa were nowhere to be found _Wonder where they are._ Dillan heard breathing from above him. He got out of his bed slowly. He looked at the top bunk. Ryan was sleeping. Dillan felt wrong. He stared at Ryan. _You were my first friend when I lost my memories. Even though it's been a little more than a week, I feel like I know so much about you. You're my best friend._ Dillan was hit with a wave of guilt. _I hadn't thought about it much, but I wish I could tell you about me leaving. It would make everything easier with you by my side. You've been there for me from the very start. I wish you could be with me on this journey, but I know that's not possible. If you or Hazel come, Reya might be hurt._ Dillan's claw drifted towards his bandanna. _This is our team symbol. I'd leave it with you as a sign, but that would convey I don't plan on coming back. I will return to the guild. I just need to find out more about myself._ Dillan turned towards the exit and walked out the door.

Dillan exited the Guild. He looked out at the streets of Palando. Trash filled the streets from yesterday's protest. _How could pokemon be convinced so easily that the guild is a problem?_

"Where are you going?" a voice asked calmly. Dillan turned around to face Hailey.

"Why do you care?" Dillan asked.

"Just interested." Hailey said without emotion.

"Is it any of your business?" Dillan asked.

"Yes and no." Hailey said.

"What does that mean?"

"It means whatever you make of it." Hailey said. "I was just wondering if you were going to leave your team."

"Like you care." Dillan said.

Hailey didn't answer. She scowled at Dillan.

"I'm not like him." Hailey said calmly.

"Like who?" Dillan asked.

"Dean. I'm not like him."

"Yeah? Then why did you take Hazel's bag in Kerroshia?"

"I had to." Hailey sad. Dillan saw her beak twitch slightly.

"No, you didn't." Dillan stated. "You know what? Forget it. It doesn't matter." Dillan turned away and began to walk towards the streets.

He got to the gate when Hailey said, "Don't do this to Hazel."

Dillan stopped in his tracks and looked back. Hailey had her head hung down. Her eyebrows were slightly tightenned. "Do what to Hazel?" Dillan asked.

"Don't leave her." Hailey said. "She'll be broken after that."

"What do you care about Hazel?" Dillan asked. "Didn't you and Dean leave her alone? Didn't you guys kick her from her own team?"

"Yes, we did." Hailey said flatly. "She was my friend; one of the only two friends I had. I hurt her. I broke her. You can't do that to a pokemon and not feel anything. It hurts us all in our own way. I destroyed our friendship. It was the worst decision I made in my entire life. Don't make the same mistake I did. Don't betray her trust."

Dillan was confused. "You care about Hazel." Dillan stated.

"I care for her well being." Hailey said. "I can't force you to stay, but I urge you to think about Hazel."

Dillan didn't know what to think. _Was Hailey truly a bad pokemon? Sure, she hangs out with Dean and Jess, but have I really seen her doing anything wrong to me or my friends?_ Dillan thought about it for a moment. _She did take Hazel's bag, but that's it. I can't remember her joining in on insulting us or hurting us. She always seemed to remain silent._

"If you really care, why did you let Dean and Jess bully me and my friends?"

"Don't misunderstand me." Hailey said sternly. "I don't care for you of your little, white mouse. As long as Hazel isn't hurt, I don't care what those two do."

"Fine." Dillan said. " Then you'll help me."

"What makes you think I'll care enough to help you?"

"Because helping me helps Hazel." Dillan said with a nonchalant tone.

Hailey stared at him without expression. She seemed to be contemplating. "What do you want me to do?" Hailey asked.

"I need you to tell Hazel that I left, but I can't say where to. Tell her that I'm going to come back when I can. Tell her I'm not abandoning the team."

"Anything else?" Hailey asked.

"No." Dillan told the staravia.

"Fine." Hailey said. "I'll tell her when she wakes up." Hailey turned towards the guild doors. She went inside the guild, leaving Dillan outside, listenning to the splishing of the water fountain.

 _Guess that's it._ Dillan turned towards the guild's gates. He stared at the streets of Palando. He took a deep breath and walked into the streets, heading south towards Castellum town.

Dillan left Palando three hours ago. He was on the road. The gravel path seemed to stretch forth for miles along the grassy expanse. There was the occasional tree spouting from the soil as well as the Palando Mountain Range to the east, but other than that, there was nothing but plains as far as the eye could see. The grass was about two feet tall creating a nice border for the gravel path.

Dillan looked at the sky. There were some dark clouds above, casting their shadows on the ground. Dillan felt his stomach growl. "Hazel," Dillan said. "Do you mind if we stop for-..." Dillan stopped himself. _Right... I'm alone. Dang it. It's been hours since I left and I'm expecting my friends to be with me. How am I going to get through this?_

"You're not alone." Kieth said. Dillan turned around to face the shiftry. He was still disturbed by the shiftry's sudden intrusions, but he was beginning to get use to it. "I'm right here."

"Oh joy." Dillan said sarcastically as he turned his attention back to the road.

"You're worried about your friends, aren't you?" Kieth asked with a false sweetness. "Pathetic! Then again, what do I expect from an amnesiac?"

"Are you only here to torment me?" Dillan asked. He didn't take his eyes off of the road ahead. He kept on walking.

"Yes, Dillan. That and so much more!"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm here for you and Ryan! You both got away from me!"

"You made sure of that." Dillan said.

"Don't taunt me, boy!" Kieth roared. "I did nothing of the sort! You two should have died that night; been nothing more than two useless husks of bone and flesh waiting to be examined!"

Dillan stopped at those words. He turned around to face Kieth. "What are you talking about?" Dillan asked.

Kieth was seething with a lust for violence. "You thought you could get away, didn't you? You thought everything would be fine and dandy when you joined a guild! You thought pain would be an illusion, just like me! Tell me, Dillan; is this an illusion?" Kieth's foot planted itself in Dillan's stomach. Dillan recoiled from pain. The air was knocked clean out of him. Dillan fell to the gravel path from pain. His scales dug into the tiny rocks that littered the path.

"Y-" Dillan tried to say through gasps for air. "You- You- aren't-"

"Real?" Kieth asked. "Are you this naïve? Even on the floor, you think I'm nothing more than a pain in your side! Tell me," Kieth kicked Dillan in the side of his chest. Dillan felt his bones bend from the impact. "Do you think you can ignore me?"

Dillan focused on his fin. It began to glow and extend into a dragon claw attack. Dillan swiped his arm at Kieth. Kieth jumped away from the attack. Dillan used this as his chance. Dillan got up as quickly as he could and began to run into the grass.

"You can't run from me!" Kieth stated. "I know where you're going to be! I'll be waiting, Dillan!" Kieth started laughing maniacally. Dillan didn't look back. He kept on running, gasping for air when his body would allow him. Rain started to fall from the sky. The droplets pelted Dillan's scales with their icy touch. Dillan tried to keep running. He began to feel the lack of oxygen his lungs would allow him to take into his body. Dillan couldn't breath. He started wheezing for air. He felt light headed. Dillan collapsed onto his knees. His claws dug into the earth as he tried to stop himself from falling on his head. Dillan tried to breath. The world began to spin around him. Dillan fell over, into the long grass, and passed out.

Dillan shakily opened his eyes. He was in the middle of the art room. Dillan stood up. He took a look around. There was no one in the room. Dillan looked at the paintings. There were new ones lining the white walls with their colorful depictions of Dillan's past.

One of the new pictures attracted Dillan's attention. It was massive. It loomed over the other pictures. It was of the shadow creature from Dillan's nightmare. Fire shot out of the ground on either side of the creature. Cracks formed in the middle of the earth where the shadows spewed forth. Its red eyes continued to tear at Dillan's heart. The room seemed to darken around Dillan, making an ominous shadow. Dillan wanted to tear his eyes from the creature, but he couldn't. He continued to stare at its shadowy form, staring at Dillan.

 _"What is your goal, Dillan?"_ A chill ran down Dillan's spine as the ominous voice spoke its question.

"Wh-" Dillan stumbled. "What do you mean?"

 _"You came here for a reason, correct?"_

"I'm not sure..." Dillan admitted. He thought about the voice. He had heard it before, but Dillan couldn't remember when. "Who are you?"

 _"I'm more interested in you, Dillan. Tell me, what do you remember of your past?"_

Dillan remembered why the voice was familiar to him. "You're the one who said I was human." Dillan stated.

 _"Yes. I am glad your amnesia hasn't taken complete control over you. Now then, why are you here?"_

"I told you," Dillan said calmly. "I don't know."

 _"He hasn't told you yet?"_ the voice asked. _"This is truly fascinating!"_

"Who hasn't told me yet?" Dillan asked.

"Get back!" Reya shouted. Dillan looked from the painting to his left. Reya was in the room with him.

 _"Reya!"_ the voice shouted. _"You foolish girl! Don't interfere!"_

"Not until you stop spreading your evil through the lands of Ganderosa!" Reya shouted.

"Reya?" Dillan asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't talk to The Enemy." Reya said to Dillan. She shot a glare towards the painting of the shadow creature. "That's The Enemy." Reya said. She turned towards Dillan. "Take my hand." Reya held out her right hand towards Dillan. Dillan looked at Reya. He looked at her right arm. He noticed something different. Reya was no longer sporting the slash she had gained during her previous meeting with Dillan.

"Where's your wound?" Dillan asked.

"No time to explain." she stated. "Trust me."

 _"You talk of trust, yet you don't tell him his purpose in this world. You don't share anything with him. You expect Dillan to blindly follow you into the fray. You will lead him to his death just like the last!"_

Reya's expression faltered. She looked unsure. That unnerved Dillan. Reya fixed her expression quickly and looked at Dillan. She reached out to Dillan.

"Please Dillan," Reya stated. "Trust me."

"What is he talking about?" Dillan asked.

"You know I can't tell you anything and you know the reason for it. Don't believe The Enemy. Trust me, please."

Dillan thought about the words of Reya. He thought about the voices words. He looked at Reya. He then looked at the painting of the shadow creature. That creature that loomed above him. Its eyes seemed to stare at Dillan with anticipation. Dillan looked at Reya and put his claw in her paw.

 _"You're making a mistake, Dillan."_ the voice proclaimed with annoyance.

"I've made my choice." Dillan stated. He knew Reya had secrets, but he also knew that she had a reason for keeping them that was beyond her control.

"Thank you." Reya said. Dillan noticed a lone tear fall from her eye and roll its way down Reya's cheek. The world around Dillan fluctuated. Dillan felt nauseous.

 _"That was a mistake..."_ the voice said with hatred and malice. Dillan felt his spine vibrate uncontrollably. That voice sounded as evil as anything could be. Dillan looked at the painting. The creature seemed to move with the world around it. _Wait a minute._ That was wrong. The shadow creature moved of its own accord. Dillan was petrified to see the creature come out of the painting. It seemed to cast shadows through the room. It faced Dillan and flashed its red gaze. A shriek echoed. Dillan fell backwards. He was very shocked to find himself falling through the floor. He began to do somersaults through the air. Dillan gave a yell of fear as the darkness seemed to consume everything around him.

Dillan woke up. He inhaled sharply as he went into a sitting position. He began to breath deeply. He felt a paw on his back. It felt like silk. Dillan looked behind to find Reya kneeling next to him.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"What happened?" Dillan asked.

"The Enemy tried to keep you there with him. He didn't want you to leave."

"You keep calling it 'The Enemy', but what is it?"

"No one knows for sure, only that it kills anything that opposes its goal."

"What is its goal?" Dillan asked.

"I doubt that anyone knows." Reya said. "All that I know is that The Enemy is pure evil. It decimates entire towns to achieve its goal. The only one to know anything more is-..." Reya stopped herself. "My master." she finished.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Dillan asked, "Why did I have to come to the Castle Ruins tomorrow?"

"To give me time."

"Time for what?"

"For this." Reya reached behind her. Dillan saw she had a bag. She pulled out a green crystal. It looked like a spike with rough edges. It had a hole in the top where a brown string suspended it. She handed the crystal to Dillan.

"What is this?" Dillan asked as he held up the crystal.

"This is a crystal from-" A roar echoed from the sky. Reya moved her paw to her right arm. She winced. Dillan moved forwards, but Reya held up her left paw. "I'm fine." she reassured. "The crystal helps you find the Sapphire Star. I needed time to get that from my master."

"And you can't tell me who your maser is?" Dillan asked.

"I can only say so much."

Dillan looked at the crystal. "How does this work?" Dillan asked.

"I will explain that to you after we get to the ruins. For now, let's walk."

Reya helped Dillan up. She turned to the south and began leading Dillan. The two began walking.

"The Enemy knows about you?" Dillan asked.

"I do not wish to speak of it right now." Reya said. Her eyes didn't meet Dillan's. She focused on the road ahead, though Dillan could see she was hiding something.

"They don't just know about you-"

"Dillan," Reya interrupted. She turned her head slightly in Dillan's direction. "Please. I do not wish to go down this road."

"Alright." Dillan said, though he didn't want to stop. _She's hiding something from me; something important... Should I really trust her? What if this is a set-up?_ _No. She's helped me before. Why should she change her mind now?_ Dillan knew he shouldn't have trusted her, but his gut said otherwise. Something told him she was keepng something important from him that would lead him to believe she was not what she seemed, but that didn't seem to matter.

"Where's Kieth?" Dillan asked.

"Kieth was here?" Reya asked.

"He was chasing me." Dillan said. "I couldn't breath so I passed out. That's when you found me."

"That's not good..." Reya said slowly.

"Why?" Dillan asked cautiously.

"Did Kieth say anything before you passed out?"

"I don't know. Running away takes its toll on my hearing."

"Well, Kieth's mission is probably to capture you."

"I thought it was to torture me."

"What do you mean by that?"

"He kept telling me about how he wants to make me suffer like he did."

"From that description, I have a theory. If Kieth wants to make you suffer, then he doesn't want to kill you. He's probably waiting for you at Castellum Town."

"What do we do?" Dillan asked.

"Don't worry. Kieth is all talk. A simple fairy of fire attack will finish him easily."

"You know him." Dillan stated.

"What?" Reya said loudly. "N-no! I've fought him before. That's all."

Dillan wasn't convinced. "Fine." Dillan said. "But I know you can tell me things that you're keeping a secret."

Reya didn't say anything. She just kept walking.

Dillan and Reya walked for hours. Reya pulled two berries from her bag and handed one to Dillan for lunch, but they didn't stop to eat. They kept walking. The sun was beginning to go down, turning the sky orange. The sky was cloudless. Dillan looked to the horizon.

"Is that Castellum Town?" Dillan asked.

There was a stone town in the distance. The ruins were about twenty miles away, so it looked pretty small from Dillan's perspective.

"Come, Dillan." Reya said. "We need to pick up the pace if we want to get there before night fall."

"There's no way we're making it to Castellum before dark." Dillan stated.

"Maybe so," Reya agreed. "But we need to get as far as possible."

"Why's that?" Dillan asked.

"Castellum Town has been turned into a Mystery Dungeon. As such, we will have a better chance of exploring in the day when there is light. The longer we spend outside of Castellum, the shorter our supply of sunlight."

"I thought time was distorted in a mystery dungeon." Dillan stated.

"Not this one. It's too new for time to be distorted yet."

Dillan thought about Castellum Town. He thought about the pokemon who were trapped inside of the mystery dungeon.

"Reya," Dillan started. "Do you think the pokemon who lived in Castellum Town will be alright, or do you think they've gone..." Dillan tried to think of the term Ryan had told him about.

"Feral?" Reya asked.

"Yeah. That."

Reya thought about the question. She scowled at the town ahead. "Well... I'm not sure what to expect."

"Why?"

"You'll find out when we get to the ruins. Just keep in mind that the pokemon that were once there are lost. They've been replaced by creatures of malice; creatures who lack the emotions of love and empathy. All they know now is hatred."

"But what if there are pokemon in the town who aren't feral?" Dillan asked. "We can't just leave them there."

Reya smiled. "I'm glad you can hope, Dillan. Hang onto it for as long as you live."

"You don't think we'll find anyone who isn't feral?" Dillan asked in an annoyed tone.

"I've learned to expect the worst when it comes to The Enemy."

"How many times have you fought them before?" Dillan asked.

"Many times. I've been hunted by the enemy. Someone named Thalia. Me and her use to be friends. Actually, being hunted was the reason I had to leave you so many times when you were dreaming."

"Wait. You use to be friends with someone who works with The Enemy?"

Reya looked uncomfortable with that question. "Do you mind if I don't go into that subject? It's kind of personal."

"Alright." Dillan said. He didn't mind stopping. He was just trying to make small-talk. Dillan tried to think of another topic, but he couldn't think of anything. Instead, he continued to follow Reya towards Castellum Town in silence.

Reya and Dillan walked for two hours. The night had taken the sun's light, but Reya didn't seem to mind. They were outside of Castellum's walls. Dillan could see a lot more of the town from this distance. It was surrounded by a stone wall with turrets. The entirety of the wall was either run-down or rubble. It gave the town an old look. The buildings that were visible were strange. They had flat roofs. Some were taller than others with colored tops. Others were as grey as the brick foundation. The walls stretched thirty feet upwards. Rubble from the crumbling wall littered the base. There were some pieces that were as big as Dillan. Others were as small as gravel. Dillan eyed his surroundings cautiously. _Kieth and his friends could be anywhere. Got to be on high-alert._

The group decided to rest for the night. Dillan decided he would build a burrow for the two to sleep in. Reya was impressed to see Dillan's skills with the move "dig". He built a burrow in no time. Once Reya was inside, she decided to covered up the hole with a piece of rubble so no one could stumble upon their safe place. Dillan and Reya didn't talk much. They decided it was best to call it a night and continue in the morning.

Dillan was in the painting room. He looked around quickly. He found what he was looking for. The picture of the shadowy creature still made Dillan shudder. He looked at it for any signs that it might move. Nothing happened.

"Reya?" Dillan called out. He got no response. Dillan looked at the walls. He looked at the back one. It was different. Dillan noticed a door. He walked up to the door. It had a knob. Dillan tried to rotate the handle. His claws slid over the knob. _Curse my fingerless hands._

 _"Do you need assistance?"_ an eerie and familiar voice called out. Dillan turned around. The shadowy picture was looking at him. It's red eyes gazed at Dillan.

"Why should I trust you?" Dillan asked as he tried to find his courage.

 _"There are a number of reasons; though I am curious. Why do you trust Reya?"_

"Why shouldn't I?"

 _"Because she won't give you answers. I will."_

"She hasn't turned a town into rubble."

 _"You are truly naïve. Reya put that lie in your head so you wouldn't turn to me."_

"How can I trust you?"

 _"I was the one who told you of what you truly are."_

"So what?"

 _"So everything. I want to assist you in revealing your past."_ the creature gestured a shadowy limb to the blurred pictures lining the east wall.

"What do you get from it?" Dillan asked.

 _"It does not matter what I get out of it, only what you get from my assistance. All you need to do is ask and I can help you through any struggle you may endure. I can help you open any door."_

Dillan looked at the door ahead of him. "What's through there?" Dillan asked.

 _"I do not know. Would you like to find out?"_

"What will it cost me?" Dillan asked.

 _"Nothing."_

Dillan thought about his options. _Should I trust him?_ He felt a feeling in his stomach urging him to ignore the voice.

 _"How much are you willing to give in order to remember your past?"_

"Everything." Dillan stated.

 _"Then all you need to do is ask."_

Dillan thought about it. He knew that everything inside him was telling him "no", but he had to. "Can you open this door for me?" Dillan asked.

 _"Yes, I can."_ The shadows reached out with a tendril. Dillan stepped out of the way. The tendril surrounded the door handle. Dillan heard a "click" and the tendrils opened the door. Dillan looked inside the room. There was a lone pokemon inside. Dillan looked at the pokemon.

It was a small pokemon. It stood at three feet. It had a thin, yellow body that got bigger near the legs. The legs were short and burgundy. The pokemon had burgundy arms that looked like hanging fat. It ended at it's yellow paws. The pokemon's head was yellow and round. It came to a muzzle with a red nose. It had red eyes that reflected light off of them. It was scowling at Dillan. It had grey ovals above it's eyes. Its ears were round. It had two short whiskers on the side of its face.

Dillan stared at the mienfoo. It seemed to be frozen in time.

"Hello?" Dillan called to it. It didn't answer.

 _"Does this pokemon mean anything to you?"_ the shadows asked.

"No..." Dillan said sadly. He looked towards the shadows. "Who are you?"

 _"You may refer to me as Jake."_

"You and Reya are enemies?"

 _"Yes."_

"I'm sorry."

 _"Do not apologize. I understand. You do not trust me. You were merely using me to achieve your goals. I do not wish for you to apologize."_

"You didn't intend for me to trust you?" Dillan asked.

 _"Good. But now you must ask yourself 'why? Why did he wish for me to use him?'"_

Dillan thought about the question. He looked at the mienfoo. He continued to stare at it.

"I know you." Dillan said. "But why? Who are you?"

"Dillan." Reya called out. The dream began to fluctuate. He felt the room begin to shake. "Dillan, wake up."

Dillan opened his eyes. He was back in the burrow. He looked around.

"You're up?" Reya asked.

Dillan looked at the gardevoir. "You're stretching?" Dillan asked. Sure enough, Reya seemed to be in the middle of some aerobics.

"Just until you woke up. Now then, let's get a move-on. We have a tough road ahead of us."

Dillan and Reya packed up any supplies that may have been used for the night. Reya then removed the rubble that shielded their hole from view. The two moved out of the burrow and began walking around the edge of the castle.

They walked until Reya motioned for Dillan to stop. The two moved up cautiously. Dillan saw a dirt road that led up to an entrance in the wall. There were gates that were wide open. There was also a lone pokemon standing in the middle of the entrance. Dillan was disturbed to see that the pokemon was a nuzleaf.

"So Kieth really is here." Dillan said softly.

"He probably has that guard stationed there waiting for us. We can't come in through the gates. We'll have to find a crack in the wall that will lead inside."

"Or I can just dig under the wall." Dillan stated. Reya turned towards him with curiosity. "Will that not work?"

"I'm not sure." Reya stated. "I've never thought of that."

"Wanna try?" Dillan asked.

"Might as well." Reya shrugged. Dillan began to dig under the wall. He dug about three feet down. The wall was still in the way. Dillan had guessed it sunk into the earth from it's own weight. He continued to dig. Once he cleared the wall, Dillan dug underneath, then up towards the surface. Reya followed from behind.

Dillan broke through the dirt and found himself face-to-face with a wooden plank. His miracle sense revealed the plank as part of the flooring in a small house. Dillan used a dragon claw attack on the board, splintering the wood. Dillan emerged from the ground. He turned to help Reya out of the hole.

"Thank you, Dillan." Reya said softly with a blank expression.

Dillan and Reya scanned the room. It was completely barren. There was a few windows lining the stone walls revealing a thick layer of fog. There was also a door to the outside.

"This is it." Dillan stated.

"Follow me." Reya said. She moved towards the door. She opened it and exited the house. Dillan followed.

Everything about this place would probably make the bravest pokemon shiver. Castellum Town's cobblestone streets looked as though they should be bustling with noise and activity; yet there was no one on the streets. The entire town was void of any source of noise. The lack of activity made Dillan fearful. He would give his left eye for his miracle sense to work inside of the fog. The idea of Kieth lurking behind every corner scared him more than Kieth himself.

Another thing that bothered Dillan was the fact that Reya seemingly took random turns. He knew it was a mystery dungeon, but going in random directions seemed wrong inside of a town.

"Hey Reya." Dillan said.

"What is it?" Reya asked.

"Where are the enemies?"

"Do you wish to fight?"

"N-No!" Dillan said quickly, obviously embarrassed by the question. "It's not like that! I'm just wondering where they all went."

"Here's one!" a voice shouted from behind Dillan.

Dillan and Reya stopped in their tracks. They both turned around cautiously. Dillan saw two nuzleaf. He relaxed a little when he realized Kieth wasn't with them.

"Hey, Ned." the left nuzleaf said. "Isn't that the gabite Arlon told us to look out for?" _Arlon?!_

Dillan's face tensed up in shock when he heard Arlon's name. _Arlon's alive? I thought Kieth killed him!_

"I think you're right, Ted." the right nuzleaf, Ned, agreed. "But I don't recognize the gardevoir."

"HAAAA!" Ted yelled. "IT'S MISTRESS REYA!"

"That's Reya, huh?" Ned said coolly. "Keep your leaf on!" Ned slapped Ted in the head.

"What was that for?!" Ted asked angrily.

"Flipping out, you numb skull! Arlon warned us about Reya showing up, remember?"

Reya pulled on Dillan's arm. Dillan looked at the gardevoir. She began to walk away. Dillan started following.

"Hey!" Ned shouted. "Don't turn your back on me!" Dillan looked back. Ned ran up on Dillan. He was like a speeding dart. Dillan had no time to react. Ned slapped Dillan on the sides of his head. Dillan doubled back. He was stunned by the sudden attack as well as the pressure that was just forced upon his eardrums.

"Don't turn your back on me!" Ned shouted.

"That was a mistake." Reya stated sternly.

"Oh, really?" Ned said with a mock tone.

"P-Please, stop!" Ted shouted. "Don't hurt us!"

Ned slapped Ted in the face again. Ted flew onto his back-side, holding the red mark on his face.

Dillan looked at Reya. She walked up to the two nuzleaf. "Stop it, now." she commanded. "I know why your tribe fights for The Enemy. He wishes to use you. I will deal with Kieth today, which makes you free to do what you wish. Do not fight us."

"What?" Dillan asked as he got to his feet.

"R-really?" Ted asked dreamily.

A green glow emerged from Ned's hand. A grassy blade formed from thin air. Ned quickly swiped at Reya. Reya split in half. Dillan was surprised to find two Reyas present.

"Screw you, lady!" Ned shouted.

"You have now proven to be my enemy." the Reyas stated in unison. The two gardevoirs put their hands together. A white light emerged from their hands. Their hands moved farther apart to reveal a grey sphere. Ned used Leaf blade on one of the two Reyas. The one Reya vaporized. The second one gave a shout as she unleashed a moon blast on Ned. Ned looked at the attack in horror. He took the attack face-first. Ned flew through the air and went into the fog.

"Ned!" Ted shouted. Ted ran into the fog to get to Ned. Reya looked on at the fog. She then turned to face Dillan.

"Are you ok?" Reya asked.

"Yeah." Dillan said.

"Good." Reya stated. "Let's move on. We need to reach the Ruins quickly."

"We aren't in the ruins right now?" Dillan asked.

"No. The ruins are at the center of Castellum Town. If I were to guess, the ruins are at the end of the mystery dungeon as an M. P."

"Alright." Dillan said. He and Reya started moving again. "Will those two be alright?"

"Yes." Reya said. "I hope you don't expect me to kill."

"That's not what I meant." Dillan said. "I was just wondering because of how fast that battle ended."

"Well, they aren't at their full evolution yet, so it makes it easy for a pokemon like me to beat pokemon like them."

"Alright." Dillan said. "Well, I have another question."

"What's that?" Reya asked.

"That one nuzleaf called you 'Mistress Reya'. Why?" Reya looked frightened at that statement. She began to stare at the road as she and Dillan walked. "Reya?"

"I don't feel comfortable with this topic." Reya said.

"Alright." Dillan subdued. _I know why he called you that, I just wanted to hear it from you. You worked for The Enemy before, didn't you? That's how you know what to look for when it comes to aura in my friends. You have first-hand experience. That's why Kieth knew you and why those nuzleaf knew you as well. Now the only questions are have you left The Enemy and can you be trusted._

"This is worse than I thought." Reya stated.

"What is it?" Dillan asked.

"Something bad happened here."

"Well, yeah. The pokemon who lived here are missing."

"No." Dillan was shocked at her answer. "That's not it. Something else happened here."

"What?"

"Look around. In the ten minutes we've been here, there hasn't been any sign of anyone in this mystery dungeon. An entire town that was once bustling with activity isn't making any noise in the slightest. Something else happened to the pokemon of this town."

"What do you have in mind?"

Reya thought about how she would answer the question. She thought about it for nearly ten seconds. She broke the silence when she said, "Never mind that. We've arrived at our destination."

Dillan looked ahead. The two had come across a set of stairs. As the two ascended the stairs, the fog began to clear. At the end of the fog, Dillan saw a spectacular sight. It looked as though Dillan had stepped into an old library. The place was massive. It had pillars with an ionic pattern holding the ceiling that was two stories up. There were isles of bookshelves along every wall other than the back one. The roof had a massive stalactite that suspended a crystal object. The object was circular. It had crystals jutting out from its sides like a massive mace. The crystal had a fire inside of it that illuminated the entire room. _It looks like the crystal in Team K. P.'s base._

The back wall was the most amazing part. Dillan walked up to the wall. He stared at it with amazement. It was a mosaic painting. There were two white forms surrounding a massive black beast. The beast had tentacle-like tendrils coming off of its body. There was fire surrounding the black beast. The two white forms seemed to be engaged in physical combat with the beast. At the bottom of the painting was another white form. Behind the white form, there was a massive wave of clear water that flowed forwards. At the opposite end of the mosaic, there was a black form that was followed by dark water that seemed to spew dark flames. At the top-left corner, there was a lone white object that seemed to spray light upon the entire left side. On the right-side, there was another black form that threw balls of fire at the left side. There were patches of the painting that seemed morphed, yet it looked as though the artist who did this work wanted it to be like that.

Dillan looked at the battle with awe. "What is this?" he asked.

"A distant memory." Reya said. "Most pokemon who visit this place see this art-work and dismiss it as the art of an old race doomed to believe in false gods and demons. I see this and think of things to come." Reya walked up and looked at the two white beings. She reached up to touch them. "This is the art of a prophecy from so long ago; back from when the idea of guilds and Guildleaders weren't even conceived. The complete prophecy has been lost to time itself, but I do remember bits and pieces."

Reya cleared her throat. "A great shadow will come and engulf the world. It will consume everything and replace it with hate and death. The world will be on the verge of collapsing. One pokemon will be the decider of the fate of everything. It will decide whether the world lives or falls. That single pokemon will form a team of four: The one who will see the future, the leader of an army, the deceiver, and the one who will bring an end to everything that exists.

"Pokemon use to think this prophecy was fulfilled when Maxamillian built the guild system. They wanted to believe the mystery dungeons were the evil that consumed everything and left death behind. They wanted to believe that Maxamillian brought the team of four together; the four being the Guildmasters. They didn't want to believe things would get worse. As a result, they stopped believing in the prophecy. Eventually, most pokemon forgot about it. Those that didn't think of the prophecy as the religious ramblings of a dead society. What they don't understand is that this prophecy still exists. Idiots."

"The massive black creature," Dillan started. "Is that The Enemy?"

"Yes." Reya acknowledged. "The two who are fighting the creature are the deceiver and the one who will end that which exists. The deceiver is said to bring an end to the team of good while the one who brings an end to that which exists, otherwise known as the ender, is believed to only bring an end to the evil, therefore ending that which exists today. That's one interpretation."

"And the other?" Dillan asked.

"He is said to destroy everything!" Dillan and Reya were disturbed to hear the voice of Kieth standing behind them. They looked around to face the burned shiftry. "Reya. It's been too long."

"You're Kieth, correct?" Reya asked.

"Please, I prefer the name Arlon. As you may recall, it was the name of my predecessor."

"Why are you so persistent in leading your tribe to their own destruction?"

"Reya, you should know as well as I do. My master does not wish to destroy his followers. He only wishes to cleanse the world."

"Lies!" Reya shouted. "He will destroy everything, including you, to achieve his goal! You're just hastening your own destruction!"

"Do you honestly think I care for my own life?" Arlon asked. "I feel nothing! Pain is part of my past; not my present! But it will be my future! All I need to do is bring that whelp to my master!" Arlon pointed a shriveled leaf to Dillan.

"You're not getting to him without getting through me." Reya stated.

"I have no problem killing an old superior!" Kieth stated with a wide smile.

"Kieth," Dillan started as he took a step closer to the shiftry. "Why are you hunting me?"

"I told you before!" Kieth snarled. "You caused my burns! You took everything from me! I should have killed you when I broke your ankle!"

"You did that?" Dillan asked frantically.

"I did. You have amnesia, so you don't remember. Allow me to fill you in! When my group decided to take a rest, I wanted to check for stragglers on the road. You almost escaped, you know. I found your useless body passed out in a nearby field. You tried to escape! My guess is you had a stroke which is the cause of your amnesia. I decided to make sure you couldn't run from us! I broke your ankle! I dragged you back to our camp and threw you into a corner!"

"You did that to me?" Dillan asked.

"Why shouldn't I? You were just an objective. But now, you're so much more! I'm going to make you pay for my agony. Every step of the way, you will suffer!" Arlon's smile grew into an unnatural grin of malicious intent.

"Arlon," Reya stated. "You won't capture him."

"You intend to follow through on that threat?" Arlon asked.

Reya looked at Arlon dead in the eyes. "I do." Reya moved her hand to the blue crystal suspended around her neck.

"What are you doing?" Arlon asked worriedly. His grin dropped.

"Making sure you can't touch us." Reya grabbed the crystal. Arlon didn't say anything. Reya turned to Dillan. "He won't be able to touch us now."

"Why not?" Dillan asked.

"He's suspended in time."

"You used that at the guild, didn't you?" Dillan asked.

"Yes. Let's move back to the task at hand, shall we?" Reya asked. Dillan was disturbed to see Reya turn her back on Arlon. Nevertheless, he decided to trust her. Dillan followed Reya.

Reya walked down the isles, scanning the books.

"What are you looking for?" Dillan asked.

"Some books on Ganderosa's history."

"You're going to give me a history lesson?" Dillan asked.

"I'm not teaching you, just pointing you in the right direction."

"What direction is that?"

"Here we are." Reya walked over to a shelf and grabbed a big book. She showed it to Dillan. The book read, "The History of Ganderosa". The book was pretty big. Dillan involuntarily gulped.

"That's a big book." Dillan said.

"Don't worry. You don't have to read the whole thing, just different parts."

"How am I suppose to read this with my claws?" Dillan asked.

"Have one of your friends help you." Reya stated.

"Wait a minute. You're telling me we came all this way for a history book?" Dillan asked.

"No." Reya said. "I have another reason for today." Reya set the book in her bag. She then walked out into the open. She looked down at the exit.

"That's not good." Reya stated. Her face showed worry. Dillan understood the problem immediately.

"Where's Arlon?" Dillan asked. Sure enough, Arlon was gone.

"Gah!" Reya shouted. Dillan looked over at Reya. She fell to her knees. Reya began panting. Dillan looked behind her to see Arlon laughing with delight.

"Idiot!" he shouted. "Did you honestly think that parlor trick would still work here? The mystery dungeon settled days ago!"

"Arlon." a deep voice commanded. Dillan looked towards the exit. There was a new pokemon there.

It was a bipedal pokemon with a blue body. It had tan markings on its chin, chest, and waist. The pokemon had a horn on it head and spikes jutting out of its spine. The pokemon had small, pointed talons on its hands and feet. The pokemon also had big ears.

The nidoqueen walked forwards towards Dillan and Reya. Reya struggled to face the nidoqueen. "Thalia..." Reya said feebly.

"Three months, Reya." Thalia said "Three months I've been hunting you. Now tell my why. Why did you leave our master?"

"You know why." Reya said. Dillan notices she was losing pigment in her hair and her pink disk.

"Leave her alone!" Dillan commanded. Arlon kicked Dillan's knee. Dillan fell into a kneeling position.

"So you're the one the master's been hunting." Thalia said. "You could join us and make things easier on yourself."

"Why would I do that?" Dillan said.

"Good point." Arlon said. Dillan felt a blade cross the scales in his back. He jumped to his feet and turned to Arlon. Arlon had a green blade extending from his leaves. "That makes torturing you so much more fun!"

"Arlon." Thalia commanded.

"Shut it!" Arlon snapped. "You're here for Reya! I'm here for the human!"

"Potential human." Thalia corrected.

"It doesn't matter! I can toy with him all I want! As long as it doesn't kill him, I'll be fine!"

"D-Dillan..." Reya said feebly. "Run..."

"Not without you!" Dillan said. He focused on his fin. It began to extend into a blue blade.

"You want to tussle with us?" Kieth asked.

"With you." Thalia corrected. "My job is Reya."

"You're not touching her!" Dillan said.

"You're going to defend her?" Thalia asked. "Let her go. She isn't worth it."

"That's what you say." Dillan said.

"Last chance, boy." Thalia said. "Give her up or fight two fully-evolved pokemon."

"Are you ok?" Dillan asked Reya.

"I'm poisoned..." Reya stated. "I can't help you. Run while you have a chance..."

"Not happening." Dillan looked at Thalia. "I don't care about my chances! You aren't touching Reya!"

"Thank you so much for saying that!" Arlon exclaimed. He rushed Dillan.

Dillan waited a few seconds. Arlon struck with a jab. Dillan dodged the attack and slammed Arlon with his fin. Arlon took the attack head-on. The shiftry didn't seem fazed by the attack. Dillan cut Arlon above the eye. Arlon didn't even flinch. He swiped his blade at Dillan. Dillan jumped back. Arlon began an onslaught of jabs and swipes at Dillan's chest. It took most of Dillan's concentration to avoid Arlon's attacks. Dillan looked back at Reya. She struggled to get up. She put her paws together and tried to form a moon-blast.

"Reya!" Dillan shouted. Thalia had come from behind her. Thalia stepped in front of the moon-blast, taking all on the attack.

"Fool!" Thalia shouted. She grabbed Reya by the throat. Dillan dodged another one of Arlon's attacks. He dashed around the shiftry in an attempt to go for the nidoqueen. Arlon slammed Dillan in the head with the blunt side of his blade, sending Dillan skidding across the floor. He tried to get back up, but Arlon was on top of him. He grabbed the gabite by the head. Dillan tried to struggle free of the pokemon, but he was too strong. Arlon held his blade to Dillan's neck.

"You see that, Dillan?" Arlon asked. "No pain! Let's see if the traitor feels anything, shall we?" Arlon held Dillan's head in place, forcing him to watch Reya and Thalia.

"You abandoned your position. " Thalia stated. "You abandoned your master. You abandoned me. For what? A god who wishes to keep the horrid nature of this world alive."

Thalia tossed Reya to the ground. Reya slammed into the floor. She staggered to get up. "I left because of the horrid things we did in the name of peace..." Reya said softly.

"Things need to be sacrificed to achieve our goals." Thalia said. "You're a fool to believe otherwise, Reya." Thalia walked up to Reya. She grabbed the crystal around her neck. The nidoqueen ripped the crystal from Reya. "Your new master doesn't care for you. You think there's a difference between me and you? We serve on different sides, that's it. You're a fool to believe otherwise."

 _I have to do something!_ Dillan jabbed Arlon in the stomach with his elbow. Arlon's blade got closer to Dillan.

"I don't feel a thing, Dillan!" Arlon said. He pushed his blade into Dillan's skin. Dillan gave a cry of pain. Arlon brought his blade back. Dillan felt his blood begin to drain from his neck.

"Arlon." Thalia warned. She directed her attention to the shiftry.

"Shut it!" Arlon snapped. "I can have some fun if I wish!"

Reya used the opportunity. She removed her bag from her neck and tossed it into a nearby isle. Dillan saw it fly through the air. He timed the landing just right to say loudly, "Why do you need me alive?" His voice covered the sound of the bag hitting the ground.

"Shut up!" Arlon commanded. Thalia turned her attention back to Reya.

"I'm taking her back to base." she stated. "I'm assuming you're going to toy with the gabite?"

"That's why I'm here!" Arlon sneered.

"I'm warning you now, Arlon." Thalia said. "If you let him escape, the master is going to obliterate your tribe."

"I don't care about those whelps!" Arlon stated. "All I care about is getting my feeling back!"

"Fine." Thalia said. "Just don't screw this up." To Dillan's horror, Thalia slammed her foot into Reya's face. Reya passed out.

"Reya!" Dillan shouted. Thalia grabbed Reya and put her on her own back. She then began to leave the room. "No!" Dillan shouted. _This can't be the end! I can't let another person go for my own sake!_ "Reya!" Dillan brought his elbow up and slammed it into Arlon's chest. Arlon brought his blade to Dillan's neck. It began digging into his scales. Dillan didn't care. He continued to slam his arm into Arlon's chest. "Reya!" Dillan shouted. He watched feebly as the nidoqueen disappeared from sight. Dillan continued to hammer at Arlon. Arlon finally let go. Dillan whipped back and slammed his fin into Arlon's jaw. The shiftry laughed. Dillan didn't care. He began running towards the exit to the ruins.

"Fool!" Arlon shouted. Arlon came up on Dillan's side and slammed him away from the stairs. Dillan fell to the floor and started rolling on his fins. Dillan felt his body cry out in pain. Dillan tried to get up. Arlon planted his foot into Dillan's stomach. "How does it feel to know that another pokemon is going to suffer because of you?"

Dillan stood up. "Ha!" he shouted. Dillan drew his head back and used a flame-thrower attack. Arlon dodged the attack and rushed in. Arlon slammed his leaf into Dillan's chest. Dillan went skirting across the floor again.

"Thanks for this!" Arlon stated. He began tossing a crystal into the air. Dillan looked at it. His eyes went to his chest. The crystal was gone. "Thief is a glorious move! I get to take anything from you and it goes to me! I get to play with your emotions even in a battle!"

"I'm going to kill you!" Dillan shouted.

"Oh?" Arlon asked in surprise. "I didn't expect to hear that out of you!"

"You continue to take from me! You hurt me and my friends for no reason! You deserve it!"

"Good!" Arlon stated. "You feel that anger ripping at your heart? It will destroy you! You will truly know what it is to hurt when you realize that is all you are going to get from me! Everything else is gone!"

"Ha!" Dillan shouted. Dillan dug into the ground. He used his miracle sense to see where Arlon was. Dillan busted through the ground and sent Arlon into the air. The shiftry was staring at Dillan with malicious joy. Dillan threw his fin at the shiftry. Arlon caught the attack and held Dillan against his body. Arlon gave a shout as the two flew into the ground. Arlon landed on top of Dillan. The shiftry got up. Dillan tried to stand. He started struggling to get to his feet. Arlon grabbed Dillan and placed him in a sitting position.

"You're a fool." Arlon said. "Did you honestly believe you could beat me? Without your friends, you're nothing!" Arlon brought his foot back. He swung his foot at Dillan's face. In a fraction of a second, thoughts exploded into Dillan's head. _This is it. All of my work. All of my memories. Everything. It's over. I'll probably be taken to their master. At that point, I'll be executed. It's all over._

"What the hell?" Arlon stated. Dillan looked at the shiftry in shock. His foot was wrapped in a pink, shiny thing. It extended towards the exit of the ruins. Dillan looked on with so much joy, he could cry.

"Leave him alone!" Adelina said. She had caught Arlon's foot with her tongue.

"Koa!" Bolt said as he rushed in on Arlon.

"A-Alright!" Koa said. Arlon tried to yank on Adelina's tongue, but he was off balanced. Koa tossed a black and white crystal to Bolt. Bolt caught it and stuck his hands out. Koa and Bolt did the same movements. They moved their hands up in the air and did a sweeping motion. The crystal around Koa's neck began to glow.

"Savage Spin-Out!" Koa shouted. Arlon slammed a blade of grass against Adelina's tongue. Adelina gave a cry of pain and let go of Arlon. Koa began to spew a white web towards Arlon. Arlon made an attempt to dodge the attack, but he wasn't successful. Arlon was slammed with a strand of web. Koa began to yank on the web at different points, forcing Arlon to fall on the web. It began to surround him. In five seconds, Arlon was completely enveloped in a sphere of web. Koa took a hold of the web and used it as a mace. He flung Arlon into the air and slammed him into the ground. Koa did this three times before he pulled it towards him. He used his scythe to slice open the ball of web. Arlon broke free of the web and skirted across the ground. He slammed into a book shelf. Arlon didn't move.

"Nice one!" Bolt said. Koa moved forwards to the pikachu. He and Bolt high-fived. Koa used the dull-side of his scythe.

"Is he down?" Dillan asked shakily.

"He is." Koa stated.

"Are you ok?" Adelina asked. Dillan didn't answer. He struggled to his feet. He began to take shaky steps towards the exit. Dillan tried to stay coherent, but he felt himself slipping.

"Hey, Slash." Bolt said. "You're hurt."

"T-Tell me you saw a blue pokemon carrying a g-gardevoir..." Dillan said.

"Sorry, but we haven't." Adelina said. _No..._ Dillan felt his legs give out from under him. Dillan fell to the ground. The world slipped out of his grip. He slammed against the ground. Dillan blacked out.

* * *

 **(POLL)**

Just a quick announcement for those that don't know. There is a poll on your favorite character on my profile page. I'm curious to see who's the favorite character. Anyways, here's the author's notes!

(Author's Notes)

Merry Christmas, guys! Sorry for the delay. My friends just got me into a few anime shows on Netflix and time just kind of slipped. Anyways, I wanted to share a fun fact about Bolt's nickname with you guys!

(Fun fact)

Bolt's battle name, E. B. (or Electric Blur), was originally created ten years ago for my first pikachu from my Pokemon Fire-Red game. The name was originally Electric B. (the B. Was for Ball) but I decided to give it a better meaning and make the whole thing an acronym. Just a fun fact on Bolt's name.

Anyways, thanks to everyone who has read the story thus far! I hope this chapter wasn't too boring for you guys. Hope you have a great Christmas! The journey continues in the next chapter!


	18. A Lost Friend

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 18

A Lost Friend

* * *

Dillan openned his eyes. He felt weak from his battle with Arlon. Dillan took a view of his surroundings. He was still in the library. Adelina was talking to Bolt. Dillan couldn't tell what was being said, but he could tell it wasn't pleasant. Bolt looked disturbed while Adelina looked angry. Dillan looked behind the arguing pokemon. He saw Koa. Koa was standing next to an unconscious Arlon. _Arlon._

Dillan tried to get to his feet. He felt the spent energy taking its toll. Dillan's legs were shaking, but eventually, he stood up. Bolt and Adelina didn't seem to notice the gabite. They were too wrapped up in their conversation. Dillan didn't care. He had his mind set on one goal. Dillan started walking towards Arlon. Every step made Dillan feel like falling over, but he didn't care. His lack of energy didn't matter. He needed to get to Arlon. He had to.

Dillan passed Adelina and Bolt. "Dillan." Bolt said. "You're awake."

Dillan ignored Bolt's comment. He remained focused on his task.

"Dillan," Adelina said. "Are you alright?"

Dillan walked up to Arlon. He was inches away from the shiftry. Koa looked at Dillan with a worried glance.

"He can't hurt you." Koa said. "He's unconscious."

Dillan looked at Arlon. The shiftry had rope binding his feet and arms together. He stared at all of his features. The blank expression of his eyes and openned lips. His clenched jaw. The burns all over his body. His frizzled white mane that's burned at the tips. He could almost feel sorry for the shiftry. Almost.

"How long was I out?" Dillan asked.

"Thirty minutes." Adelina said. "Which reminds me, what were you doing here?"

"In that case, he needs to be awake." Dillan said.

"A-Awake?!" Koa yelled. "You can't be serious!"

"Didn't he try to kill you?" Bolt asked. "Why would you want to wake him up?"

"His friend took my friend before you guys showed up." Dillan said. "If it really has been thirty minutes, than she's..." Dillan's voice trailed off. He knew what he wanted to say, but it was hard to form the words. _Gone..._

"Dillan, think about this-" Bolt started.

"I have thought about this." Dillan said. "He's been trying to hurt me, my team, and my friends ever since I can remember. This poor excuse for a pokemon knows where Reya is and he's going to tell me. You three can either help or let me handle him. Either way he's going to be awake."

"This is a bad idea." Bolt said. "But count me in."

"Y-You can't be serious!" Koa said. "H-He'll kill us!"

"I am serious." Bolt stated. "If what Dillan said is the truth, then how can we turn our backs on him?"

"Is this the guy responsible for the nuzleaf we ran into?" Adelina asked.

"He is." Dillan answered.

"Then I'm in."

"You can't be serious." Koa said.

"He might know what happened here." Adelina said.

"Besides, what's there to worry about?" Bolt asked. "We beat this walking log before."

"With a Z-Move." Koa said. "I don't have the energy to do that again and neither do you."

"Can we just do it?" Dillan asked with an annoyed tone. "We're wasting time; time my friend doesn't have!"

"Alright." Bolt said.

"I've got this." Adelina told the group. She walked up to Arlon. She put her paw under the shiftree's long nose. Adelina's paw began to glow white. Smells radiated off of her paw. The smells were very strong. Dillan looked at Arlon with anticipation. The shiftree took a deep breath as his eyes flew open. Arlon began coughing. He looked at the group around him as his breathing became normal Arlon looked at Dillan. His face grew into a smile.

"Hello, Dillan." Arlon said. "Congratulations-"

"Save it, Arlon." Dillan said sharply. "I don't want to hear it."

"You seem confident in yourself." Arlon pointed out.

"Just tired of you and your threats." Dillan answered. "Now, where is Reya."

Arlon shrugged. "That traitor isn't my concern."

"So you know?" Dillan asked.

"Of course I know. I couldn't be a commander without that knowledge."

"So tell me." Dillan said.

Arlon hummed as if he was thinking. "And why should I help you find a traitor?"

"Stop calling her that!" Dillan said.

"Why should you care for her?" Arlon asked. "She worked for my master; your enemy."

"She's different." Dillan said defiantly. He felt his anger bubbling up inside of him.

"She is?" Arlon asked mockingly. "Are you truly this naïve? Do you honestly think she's such a goody-two-shoes?"

"Stop it!" Dillan shouted.

"Make me!" Arlon said with a wicked grin.

Dillan began to move towards Arlon. He pulled his arm back to punch that grin off of his face.

"Dillan!" Adelina shouted. She grabbed his arm. "What do you think you're doing?" Dillan looked at her with frustration. His eyes were filled with hate, but then he saw her eyes. Dillan felt shocked. Adelina's face showed many emotions: Anger, sorrow, worry, fear, loneliness, so many emotions. Dillan was shocked to see all of it on one pokemon's face. He felt the tension in his muscles. He felt the anger that bubbled inside of him soften at Adelina's face. "Were you seriously going to hit him?" Adelina asked.

"I..." Dillan said feebly. "I... I..." Dillan couldn't think of what to say. He turned to face Arlon. The shiftry seemed overjoyed at Dillan's reactions.

"What's wrong, Dillan?" Arlon asked.

"That's enough out of you." Bolt said.

Adelina squeezed Dillan's arm. Dillan looked at the lickitung. "Don't stoop down to his level." she said. "I'm positive that's not what your friend would want."

Dillan relaxed his muscles. He hung his head in shame. _What was I thinking? What did I hope to accomplish?_

"You." Adelina said sharply.

"Miss," Arlon said with a wicked grin. "Your interruptions need to stop. Can't you see I'm breaking someone?"

"Quiet." Adelina said. "You will talk when I ask a question. Otherwise, you'll shut it. Now, you and your goons seem to have control of this place, correct?"

"That's why you'll never make it out of this place alive!" Arlon stated.

"Where are the pokemon who lived here?" Adelina asked.

"Why don't you ask him?" Arlon questioned as he pointed towards Dillan.

"What?" Dillan looked at Arlon with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh." Arlon said in a mock tone. "That's right. You have amnesia. That's too bad. Ryan may know what happened."

"What did you say?!" Adelina shouted at Arlon.

Arlon gave a wide smile. "Did I hit a nerve?" he asked. "You shouldn't worry about it. When I'm finished with my task, that gabite and Ryan will suffer! I'll personally tort-" Bolt punched Arlon in the face, knocking Arlon unconscious.

"Shut it!" Bolt shouted at Arlon.

"Why'd you do that?" Adelina asked.

"The dude needed a vacation to the land of the sleeping."

"You make it sound as though he's dead." Koa pointed out.

"You know what I mean." Bolt said. "Besides, he wasn't giving us what we needed."

"Wait a minute." Dillan said. "Why are you guys here? I thought the guild shut down its member's activities."

"It did what?" Koa asked with wide eyes.

"When did that happen?" Bolt asked.

"Yesterday." Dillan said.

"We've been looking for-" Koa started. Bolt interrupted Koa with a bump from his arm.

"Ex-nay on the amilly-fay." Bolt whispered.

"It's fine." Adelina said with a straight face, though based on her eyes and clenched fist, Dillan could tell she was pained. "We were looking for my familly. Before I joined the guild, I lived here with my parents and my little brother. When you and your team told us about the mystery dungeon being here..." Adelina's voice trailed off. "I thought this shiftry might have information about what happened. Even if he does, it looks like he's not going to simply give it to us of his own free will."

"That's horrible." Dillan said. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." Adelina said with a forced smile.

"Sorry for the change in subject," Bolt said. "But what's this about the guild shutting down its operations?"

Dillan told the group about the riots as well as Team Armageddon.

"And the guild shut down just because of that?" Koa asked.

"The Guildleader says it's a danger to the guild's members."

"That's nonsense!" Bolt said. "Other pokemon could be hurt if we don't help. I don't know about Team Force or your team, but I signed on to help others, not to sit around when the going get's tough."

Adelina didn't say anything.

"I don't know." Koa said. "If civilians are rioting and hurting us, I wonder if they even want our help."

"Just because there are a few bad berries doesn't mean the whole bunch is ruined." Adelina added. "We can't just give up on Ganderosa simply because Team Armageddon wants to spread lies about the guild."

"Um, guys?" Koa said.

"Yeah?" Bolt asked.

"Wh-Who are they?"

"Lord Arlon?!" Dillan looked to the entrance. There were two nuzleaf standing by the exit. They were looking at the group. "You!" the left nuzleaf said as he pointed at Dillan.

"Not you two again." Bolt said. In an annoyed tone.

"Again?" Dillan asked.

"Not the time, Dillan." Adelina told him.

The right nuzleaf faced the exit and cupped his hands.

"Stop that nuzleaf!" Bolt shouted. _No time to think, got to act._ Dillan ran for a second before his muscles gave out. Dillan fell forward and slammed into the stone floor. Bolt and Adelina passed Dillan and began running towards the two nuzleaf, but it was too late. The right nuzleaf put his cupped hands to his mouth and tightened his chest. A whistle blew out into the fog for three seconds. Bolt lunged at the right nuzleaf. The left one intercepted Bolt with a protect attack. Bolt kicked off of the force field and landed a foot away from the nuzleaf. The protect vanished as Adelina ran towards the two grass types. The whistling nuzleaf didn't stop. He continued to blow a tune into the mystery dungeon. Dillan tried to get up. Even though his battle with Arlon was so short, it took too much energy. _Why do I feel so weak?_ Dillan got to his feet.

Adelina reached into the air and two orange swords materialized out of thin air. She spun around with the swords, swinging them like she did when she cooked. She didn't attack the nuzleaf with them, she just danced. _What is she doing?_ Adelina tossed the swords at the nuzleaf. The guarding one put up his hands instinctually to block the swords, but they seemed to pass right through him. Adelina flung her tongue at the nuzleaf. It wrapped itself around the nuzleaf. Adelina threw him to the side in a twirl. She then smashed the nuzleaf into the whistling one, let her mace-nuzleaf go, and they both flew into a bookshelf on the side of the library. The collapsing wood sent dust into the air.

"Dang it!" Bolt said loudly.

"Was that what I think it was?" Dillan asked.

"A warning." Adelina said.

"D-Does that mean the other nuzleaf know we're here?" Koa asked.

"I would assume as much." Adelina said. She looked at Dillan. She walked up to him. "Where's Ryan and Hazel?"

Dillan felt his face grow hotter. "W-What?" he asked.

"I'm sorry if I spoke too quietly. Allow me to ask again. Where is Ryan and Hazel?"

"Um..." Dillan looked at Bolt. The pikachu was staring with a confused expression. Koa was looking around, as if this was some kind of misunderstanding and the rest of Team Rapture was hiding behind a book shelf, waiting to jump out and say, "Surprise".

"There is a time and place for everything, but not now." Dillan said, trying to sound stern; though he sounded more worried.

"No, we have time." Bolt said. _Dang it. Is there any way out?_

"Tell them, Dillan." Arlon said from behind the gabite. Dillan looked at the shiftry. He was sitting down, looking at the group of four. "It'll be fun." Arlon sounded pleased with the situation. _Why shouldn't he be?_

Dillan looked at Team No-name. "I can't say." Dillan said feebly.

Arlon began to laugh. "Oh, the irony!" he shouted. "Isn't that the same response Reya's given you for all of your questions? You expect more, yet you won't give more."

Dillan stared at the ground.

"Shut it." Bolt said. The pikachu walked towards Arlon.

"You want me to be awake." Arlon said.

"And why is that?" Bolt said as he drew back his fist.

"Because you'll have to drag me out of here, when I could just walk." Bolt stopped himself. "Trust me when I say that I know how bad that is."

"Whatever." Bolt said. He turned to Dillan. "Tell us or don't. It doesn't matter right now. What matters is getting out of this mystery dungeon."

"You want the escape orb?" Koa asked.

"We don't have one." Adelina pronounced. "Ryan used ours in the Shadowed Brush."

"S-So we have to go out through the f-fog?" Koa asked with worry.

"Yeah." Bolt said. "And even better, you're going to guard big, dark, and crispy."

"Wh-What?" Koa yelled.

"I agree." Adelina said. "You have the type-advantage over him. You're the obvious choice."

"Alright. Now that that's settled, let's move."

"Wait." Dillan said. He looked at Arlon. He saw the crystal Reya had given to him in between Arlon's leaves. "Give it here." Dillan said sternly.

Arlon openned his leaves. Dillan walked up to the shiftry cautiously. _He's gong to let me have it? Just like that?_ Dillan reached out and picked up the crystal by its string. Arlon snapped his jaw quickly. Dillan jolted back, swinging the crystal through the air.

"Careful!" Arlon warned. "I bite!" Arlon began laughing. Dillan looked at Arlon with annoyance.

The gabite decided to turn his attention to one of the isles of books. Dillan walked down the isle. He walked over to the brown bag that rested on the floor. Dillan picked up Reya's bag and put the strap on his shoulder. _Reya. I'm not sure where you are, but that blue pokemon won't get away from me. I'm getting out of this mystery dungeon and finding you._

"We need to move fast." Dillan said.

"Why's that?" Bolt asked.

"My friend could still be in this mystery dungeon. If we can get out of here before her, we can stop the pokemon who captured my friend."

Dillan started walking towards the exit to the library. He was starting to regain his energy, so walking was becoming easier, though he didn't know how he would do in another fight, should it arise.

Koa carefully walked over to Arlon. "Get up." he told the shiftry.

"Don't kid yourself." Arlon said with a grin. "I could snap you like a twig!" Koa whimpered. Adelina stepped forwards.

"Don't try it." she said. Adelina turned to Koa. "I'll help."

"Thank you." Koa said sincerely. Dillan looked back at the team. They seemed ready to him.

"Let's go." Dillan said. The group walked down the stairs, with Arlon in tow, into the fog.

* * *

Dillan was on auto-pilot. He didn't think about anything he needed to do. He didn't think about the bag he was carrying or how much heavier it was than Hazel's. He didn't think about where he was turning. He just kept walking.

"You guildmembers are hopeless." Arlon said.

"Shut up and keep moving." Adelina said sternly.

"You follow the system, yet you don't even think about why it exists."

"What's your name?" Bolt asked Arlon.

"My name?" Arlon asked. "Are you paying attention? It's Arlon."

"Nah." Bolt said. "I knew a shiftry named Arlon once. You're not him."

Dillan was shocked to hear Bolt say that. He didn't stop walking, though he did listen intently.

"You?" Arlon asked. "How would a punk pikachu like you know?"  
"Bolt," Koa said. "I don't think it's a good idea to talk with-"

"It's fine, Koa." Bolt said reassuringly.

Dillan took a quick glance backwards. Bolt was walking backwards, keeping his eyes on Arlon.

"Fine?" Arlon asked. "You're all fools. You won't look at what's right in front of you!"

"I don't need to." Bolt said. "My friends will guide me. Can you say the same?"

"I don't need friends when I've got an army!" Arlon stated.

"Ah." Bolt said. "I think I understand now. Let me tell it to you straight."

"Left." Adelina said. Bolt looked forwards. Dillan took a left and Bolt followed.

"Thanks, C. A." Bolt said. He turned back around. "Now, Arlon. I met your old commander a while ago. About two months ago. Yeah. I just started fighting in the arena in Palando. There was a shiftry named Arlon who had come to Palando recently. He was big and confident in his abilities as a fighter. I met him on the battlefield. He told me his name was Arlon. He told me about his tribe that lived in the Labensia region. He told me that they were in a tough position and that he fought for his tribe. "

"His tribe?" Arlon asked. "Ha! That old fool did it for his own personal enjoyment!"

"You're wrong. That fight told me his true desire to help his tribe thrive. That shiftry was an excellent fighter. He was skilled with his leaf blade attack; an attack that all grass types strive to master. A pokemon like that is a good one; though his weakness was his weight."

"I know." Arlon stated. "How do you think I killed him?"

Bolt tripped on a piece of stone that was jutting out from the path. He tumbled over onto his back. The group stopped in their tracks. Dillan looked back. Bolt looked horrified.

"You killed him?" Bolt said.

"You expect me to let him live?" Arlon asked with a maniacal smile. "Your name is Bolt, correct? Tell me Bolt. When the time comes when your king asks you to kill, will you hesitate? Or will you strike down your enemy for the greater good of yourself? Will you do it for you tribe? Perhaps your country? Your world? You think the old Arlon was a good pokemon because of one fight? No. That shiftry is better off dead! He scarred me for that whelp you follow! Now, don't get me wrong; I don't blame the old fool for my scars. He was doing what he thought was best for the tribe, even though he was leading us all to our extinction! No, I blame you!" Arlon was looking at Dillan now. "Funny how it always comes back to you! That's why you need to die!"

"You're contradicting yourself." Dillan said. "If you think your old commander was leading your tribe to extinction, why are you following his path?"

"Because I don't care any longer! Life is pain! Without it, life is nothing more than a dream! Good or bad, feelings are the key to a world of happiness! I have lost feeling in my entire body! I feel dead inside; but alive at the same time! I can't taste the splendor of a tree's sap! I can't feel the icy chill of a winter's breeze! You think I care for my tribe? I've told you this before, Dillan! I don't care about them! I care about my feelings!"

"And they still follow you?" Adelina asked.

"It's the only thing they've ever known!" Arlon stated. "They follow me because it's the path they have always known! I follow this path for Dillan!"

"You're as evil as it gets." Bolt said with a scowl at Arlon.

Arlon began a fit of laughter. "Kid, you haven't seen anything yet!"

"Lord Arlon!" Dillan looked ahead to see a group of three nuzleaf blocking the way. "We're here to rescue you!"

"Too late, boys!" Arlon stated. Dillan looked back at the shiftry. To his surprise, Arlon's arms snapped the rope bindings like string. Arlon slammed his foot into Koa and brought a green blade of grass out almost simultaneously. He darted to Adelina. She put her hands up in a defensive posture. Arlon leapt onto Adelina and used her to vault over Dillan and Bolt. Arlon landed next to the nuzleaf. He turned around to face the opposing group. "I do have to thank you, Dillan. Your energy was very helpful in recovering from our battle. I wouldn't have had enough energy without you."

"What?" Dillan asked, thoroughly shocked by what Arlon had said.

"A Leech Seed attack is the perfect source of instant energy. Now tell me; are you feeling drained?" Dillan grimaced. "To be honest, I was hoping to weaken you until you passed out from pure exhaustion, then have you begging me to end your suffering as I break every bone in your useless body; but that no longer seems possible. Oh well! Guess I'll have to take you out the old fashion way!"

"What do we do, boss?" one of the nuzleaf asked.

"One of you take care of the gabite! He's weaker than the others! Two of you handle the scyther! He won't do well under pressure! I'll handle the pikachu and the lickitung!"

"Right!" the three nuzleaf said in unison.

"Don't get separated!" Bolt said.

"Got it!" Adelina said.

"A-Are you sure we can win?" Koa asked.

"Sure I'm sure!" Bolt said. "Have I ever led you wrong before?"

"Well, there was the time-" Koa started.

"Not the time, Koa." Adelina said.

 _Here we go!_

Arlon rushed in first. Dillan felt his adrenaline leave his body. Arlon had his sights set on Dillan. He didn't know why he felt so scared in that moment. Maybe it was his lack of energy. Maybe it was because he never felt so alone. Sure, Bolt's team was with him, but that didn't seem to be a factor. Reya was gone. He had left his friends back in Palando Town. They weren't with him. Arlon's face of malicious evil seemed to eat at his mind. All Dillan did was watch the shiftry run up on him. That's when he realized he wasn't Arlon's target. Dillan looked to the side as Adelina used Protect to shield her and Bolt. Koa seemed just as scared as Dillan was, but that didn't seem to stop him. Koa ran pass the shiftry and confronted the nuzleaf. One of the three nuzleaf parried off of Koa's attack and started rushing in on Dillan.

 _Stop this! Stop being scared! You need to figt them! You need to get over your fear, now!_ Dillan tried to muter up some courage as the nuzleaf attacked with a thrust. Dillan dodged the attack. _Now._ Dillan focused on his fin. A blue light emitted from his right fin as Dillan swung his arm at the nuzleaf. Dillan took a deep breath. He felt himself moving too slowly, probably from his lack of energy. The nuzleaf grabbed Dillan's arm. He used Dillan's momentum to throw Dillan onto the ground. Dillan rolled over a couple of times, feeling his back fin bend, and got up to face the nuzleaf. His eyes drifted to Arlon.

To Dillan's utter surprise, Arlon was handling both Bolt and Adelina. Arlon smashed into the protect. Bolt jumped through the force field as it dispersed. He stuck his small paw into the air, creating a red glow that surrounded it as he came down at Arlon. Arlon didn't move an inch. Instead, he took the full blow of Bolt's attack. Bolt was very shocked that Arlon didn't even flinch from the move. Instead, Arlon's leaves glowed and a green sword came out of the air. He slashed at the pikachu. Bolt barely managed to dodge the attack. Adelina brought out an orange sword and rushed in on Arlon. Arlon slashed at the lickitung. Adelina blocked Arlon's attack with her sword and licked Arlon's face. Arlon smiled at the saliva that clung to his face. He slashed at Adelina again with his sword. Adelina blocked the attack and forced him away. Bolt ran up on Arlon and head-butted his chest. Arlon doubled back and smiled at Bolt.

"You can hide a Leech Seed attack and simply drain your opponent," Arlon started. "Or you can give them the full blast and make your enemy suffer for their mistake!" Bolt looked at his chest. There was a small seed sitting in the middle. It split open, shooting vines all over his body. Bolt gave a groan of pain as the vines seemed to electrocute him with a red flash. A ball of white energy floated out of the seed Bolt had on his chest and over to Arlon. Arlon touched the orb and absorbed it. The red lightning stopped attacking Bolt. "Of course it only lasts a few seconds." Bolt gave a yell of adrenaline and he was off to attack Arlon again. Adelina followed.

Koa wasn't doing so well. He found himself between a rock and two hard nuzleaf; the rock being a wall to a nearby house and the nuzleaf being self-explanatory. Koa slashed at the two nuzleaf. Both nuzleaf dodged the attack. One of the two decided to use an areal dodge. That one used a razor leaf attack and pelted Koa. Koa put his claws in a defensive stance. By the time he lowered his blades, the second nuzleaf attacked with its fist that was enveloped in a dark substance. The nuzleaf hit Koa straight in the face. Koa landed on his back. The scyther tried to get up, but the two nuzleaf started kicking their victim.

"Adelina!" Koa yelled. "Bolt! Someone! Help!"

"I've got it!" Bolt shouted. He dodged one of Arlon's blades and began running towards Koa.

"No, you don't!" Arlon stated. He swept his foot into Bolt's face and sent him flying in the opposite direction of Koa. Adelina used Arlon's attack to strike him with a Wrap attack. Arlon exhaled from the attack, but he didn't seem fazed. He swept his sword at Adelina's tongue. She let go of Arlon to avoid being hit.

Dillan was still having trouble with his own fight. The lack of energy was taking its toll on him. _Don't give up! You can fight this simple nuzleaf! One fire attack should weaken him. Then I can help Koa._ Dillan got up and planted his feet. He inhaled quickly and exhaled, releasing a stream of fire. The only problem was that the stream wasn't very big. The nuzleaf's arm was scorched while trying to dodge the attack, but it didn't look too bad. _Focus!_ Dillan tried to search his body for any extra energy he may have. He felt his adrenaline start to rise. He focused on his friends. _If I don't do this, I won't be able to see them again! Fight for them!_ Dillan took another breath and used his Flamethrower attack. This time, it wasn't small. It consumed the nuzleaf. It yelled from the burning pain it was experiencing. Dillan stopped his attack and the nuzleaf fainted. It didn't look badly burned. Dillan felt the flamethrower take its toll, but he was determined to stay in the fight.

Bolt got up. Another burst of red electricity flowed through Bolt. He gave a yell. Adelina looked back at her friend instinctually. Arlon took that as his opportunity. He slashed at Adelina with his blade. Adelina felt the sword's edge in her chest. She gave a cry of pain. The sword created a flesh wound, nothing too bad. Adelina looked back at Arlon. She rushed the shiftry with her swords once again.

"What are you trying to accomplish?" Arlon asked Adelina. He blocked her swords and slashed. She parried off of his sword and whacked the shiftry's head. "Your swords can't hurt me! Nothing can!" Arlon slammed his sword into Adelina's right arm. Adelina yelled. Her sword fell to the ground and dispersed in an orange glow.

"Adelina!" Bolt shouted. The pikachu began to vibrate as he ran towards Arlon. He started getting faster the more he vibrated.

"You'll all die here!" Arlon shouted as he and Bolt engaged in combat.

Dillan rushed to Koa. He tackled one of the nuzleaf to the ground. The nuzleaf recovered quickly, swinging his head-leaf at Dillan. The leaf felt like a razor against his scales. It didn't do much damage, but it still hurt. The nuzleaf seemed to be aiming for Dillan's head. Dillan started slashing at the nuzleaf with a Dragon Claw attack. He aimed his first attack at the nuzleaf's head-leaf. He slashed it, cutting a dip in the stem that connected it to the nuzleaf's head. The nuzleaf gave a yell of pain. Dillan then began slashing at the nuzleaf's head. The nuzleaf trusted a fist into Dillan's chest. Dillan recoiled from the oxygen forced from his lungs. The nuzleaf continued to attack Dillan's chest. Dillan got off of the nuzleaf in an attempt to get away, but the nuzleaf followed him.

"Get away from him!" Koa yelled. Koa came out of nowhere and slashed at the nuzleaf. The nuzleaf went through the air. He slammed into a building and fell to the floor. The nuzleaf didn't get up. Koa helped Dillan up. Dillan saw that Koa had handled the other nuzleaf.

"Thanks." Dillan said.

"No problem." Koa said.

"Now for Arlon."

"Not so fast, boys!" Arlon stated. Koa and Dillan looked at Arlon. Arlon had finished his fight with Bolt and Adelina. He was breathing heavily, as though he was weak. Bolt was off of the ground, being pressed to Arlon's chest by the neck. Arlon's left arm was holding the pikachu while his right held a green blade to his neck. Bolt was grabbing at the shiftry, trying to stay above his arm as to not suffocate. Dillan and Koa were horrified to see Adelina was gripping her arm at Arlon's feet. She was panting heavily. Arlon kicked her down to the ground. Adelina slammed into the stone floor and passed out. "I have your friends!"

"No!" Dillan shouted.

"Oh, yes! Isn't it sad how every road you choose leads to a friend suffering at your hands?"

"Leave them out of this!" Dillan shouted. "It's between you and me!"

"That's where you're wrong, Dillan! It was between you and me; until these three interfered by saving you! The moment the idea of intervention became an option in their pitiful minds was the moment they decided to suffer for you!"

"Please, leave them alone!" Dillan shouted. "I'll give you whatever you want, just leave them out of it!"

"Here's the deal, Dillan!" Arlon shouted triumphantly. "Your friends have put themselves in a sticky situation! Because they decided to help you, they will die! It's inevitable! It'll happen no matter what you choose! Now here's the fun part! At this point in time, I'm here for you and you alone! If you surrender to me, then both of your friends can live to die another day! If not, I will kill them all, starting with the pikachu!"

"You're saying that if I surrender, both of my friends live?" Dillan asked. "Just like that?"

"I'm only here for you!"

"Don't trust him!" Bolt shouted from between Arlon's arm and his chest. "He's lying!"

"Shut it!" Arlon shouted as he brought the sword into Bolt's neck. A small stream of blood trailed it's way down Bolt's neck. Arlon held the sword there. He looked at Dillan with a triumphant gaze. "What's it going to be, Dillan?"

Dillan didn't need any time to think it over. As much as he hated to do it, it was the only option. "Fine. You win. Let them go and take me."

"Them?" Arlon asked with a wicked smile. "What do you mean by, 'them'?" Arlon kicked Adelina like a foot ball. She skidded across the floor and over to Koa and Dillan.

"What are you doing?" Dillan asked with worry.

"I'm keeping my end of the deal!" Arlon said with a smile so evil, Dillan felt like hurling. "I said both of your friends live; not all of them!" Arlon brought the sword to Bolt's back. Dillan felt his heart fall out of his chest. He felt like he had been smashed in the side and he was falling to the ground. It was a horrible sensation. He watched the sword get closer to Bolt's back as the world began to flip on its side. That's when Dillan realized he was falling. He looked to the side and saw Koa shoving him.

"I'm so sorry..." Koa said softly. Koa became enveloped in a green glow. Dillan watched as the glow quickly flew towards Bolt. It touched Bolt. Bolt watched in horror as he became a yellow ball of light. It floated to Dillan's side and materialized. Bolt was standing next to Dillan's falling body. Dillan watched in horror as Arlon's blade went through the green mass. The mass materialized into Koa. Koa was facing Arlon in shock. Dillan felt the ground meet his side as the sword went through Koa. Koa looked at Bolt and Adelina with eyes of fear and worry. Arlon drew his sword out of Koa. Koa fell to the floor.

"Koa!" Bolt shouted. "Koa, no!"

"Koa!" Dillan shouted.

"U-Turn?" Arlon asked Koa. "You sacrificed yourself for your friend? I can't decide if that was heroically stupid, or stupidly heroic! Either way, that was an idiotic decision! Do you honestly think that'll amount to anything?"

"I'm going to kill you!" Dillan shouted. He got to his feet and rushed up on Arlon. He focused all of his rage and hatred for the shiftry into his chest. He fueled his inner fire. He exhaled. A blaze of fire illuminated the fog. The shiftry was enveloped by the fire. When Dillan stopped his attack, he looked on at the pokemon. The shiftry was still standing.

"That almost tingled me." Arlon stated. "Oh, wait!"

"Hey, Arlon!" a voice called out from behind the shiftree. Dillan recognized that voice. Arlon looked back. Dillan saw the shiftree's head move back from an impact. A red object bounced off of Arlon's head and into the air. It rolled over to where Dillan was standing. Dillan looked at the object. _An apple?_ Dillan looked at the shiftry. Stars shoved Arlon onto his back. Out of the fog came a blast of fire that attacked Arlon. A fuzzy white creature jumped from the fog and slammed into Arlon's stomach. Dillan instantly knew who it was.

"Ryan?" Dillan called out.

Ryan bit into Arlon. Arlon stood up as he grabbed at Ryan, trying to pull the pachirisu off of his body. Ryan hung onto the shiftree.

"Damn you!" Bolt shouted at the top of his lungs as he flew by Dillan. He went into a Volt Tackle attack. Bolt slammed into the back of Arlon's head. Ryan jumped off of Arlon just in tme. He avoided the shiftry slamming into the ground. Dillan watched as Hazel came out of the fog.

"Move!" she told Ryan and Bolt. The two complied. Hazel shot a sphere of fire at Arlon. It hit him as he was struggling to get up. Arlon was enveloped in a tornado of fire.

"I can't lose like..." Arlon's voice trailed off. The Fire Spin attack dissipated and revealed Arlon on the floor. He was down for the count.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Ryan said to Hazel. He went to high-five Bolt, but was shocked to see the pikachu ignore him entirely. Ryan watched as Bolt ran over to Koa.

"Koa!" Bolt shouted.

"Bolt?" Koa said softly. Koa was breathing heavily.

"Koa, don't talk!" Bolt said. Hazel and Ryan saw the scene Koa was in the middle of. Hazel gasped from shock. Ryan didn't say anything. He looked stunned. "Just stay awake!"

"I don't think I can..." Koa said. "I can't seem to do anything right."

"That's not true at all!" Bolt stated. "Just hold on!"

"Bolt, it's getting hard to stay awake. Can I ask you a question?"

"Don't say things like that!" Bolt said sternly. Dillan felt tears coming to his eyes. Hazel fell to her knees. She started weeping. Ryan stared at Koa with a sad look in his eyes.

"Why did you call me Koa?" Koa asked. "Why was that-" Koa coughed abruptly. "Why was that the nickname you gave me?"

"You know why!" Bolt shouted at Koa. Tears started flowing down Bolt's cheeks. "now save your strength!"

"No." Koa said. "I need to know. Koa means 'fearless', right? But you're the brave one; I'm the coward. So why did you call me Koa?"

"You are brave, Koa! You're one of the bravest pokemon I know! You survived so many hardships! You helped me out of a bad situation! You were always there for me! You saved me; so you can't say you weren't brave! I'm not brave at all! I'm more terrified than ever right now, so hold on!"

"Bolt..." Koa tried to say. "Thank you... for being my friend..." Koa stopped coughing.

"Koa!" Bolt shouted as Koa closed his eyes. "Koa, don't go! Koa! Koa!"

* * *

Koa died in the Castle Ruins. Team Rapture and Team No-Name took Koa's body outside of the castle walls. Dillan dug a hole as Koa's final resting place. The remaining members of Team No-Name were broken. Bolt and Adelina couldn't stop weeping; and how could they? Their best friend had been killed by a pokemon that still lives. Dillan buried Koa's body in the hole. Bolt found a piece of stone that he used as a head-stone. Adelina carved words into it.

"Here lies Tucker 'Koa' Jerome. Beloved Friend and Son of Ferris Jerome and June Jerome. May he rest in peace."

Team Rapture decided that Bolt and Adelina wouldn't be going anywhere right now. They needed time to rest. Dillan decided not to build a burrow for tonight.

"Why not?" Ryan asked.

"It's my miracle sense." Dillan stated sadly. "I see everything from down there. I couldn't..." Dillan's voice trailed off at the end.

"Alright." Ryan stated. "Then let's set up a tent."

Dillan searched through Reya's bag. _That's two pokemon lost in one day. It's my fault. I should have helped Bolt and Adelina when I had the chance. Then we could have helped..._ Dillan pulled out the tent.

"Where'd you get that bag?" Ryan asked.

"It's Reya's." Dillan stated.

"Reya?" Ryan asked. "Like the Reya from your dreams Reya?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Dillan stated.

"Where is she?" Ryan asked.

"Ryan," Dillan said sternly to Ryan. "Please. I'll tell you later."

"Alright." Ryan stated. "Well, let's set it up."

"Do you guys need help with setting up your tent?" Hazel asked Adelina.

"We're fine." Adelina said coldly. "Thanks for asking."

"If you need anything, just ask." 'Hazel told Adelina and Bolt.

"Yeah..." Bolt said sadly.

Hazel turned away from the two. Team Rapture began to set up their tent.

"How did you guys find me?" Dillan asked.

"We knew you'd be here." Hazel said. She sounded harsh. Dillan couldn't say he was surprised. He did ditch them earlier. "It was pretty obvious. You'd been talking about going to the Castle Ruins up until we got to the guild. Logically speaking, you would be here."

"You're mad I left, huh?" Dillan said.

"A little, yeah." Hazel said. "We didn't know what to think. Then Haily told us you'd be back. At that point, it was simple reasoning to assume you'd be here. We would have gotten here sooner, but the Guildleader held us up."

"That guy can talk." Ryan said. "Let me tell you, he wouldn't shut up."

"Anyways," Hazel started. "We can talk about it all later. Right now, let's just get some rest. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

* * *

By the time Team Rapture set up their tent, it was dark. They didn't talk very much. Dillan wasn't feeling up to explaining what had happened. His thoughts were clouded with guilt. Bolt and Adelina were silent too. No doubt they were dealing with their own struggles. Team Rapture didn't know Koa personally, so the pain seemed dampened for Ryan and Hazel; but for Dillan, it was worse. He couldn't say it was worse than Bolt or Adelina's pain, but it was close. He blamed himself. _And I should. It's my fault. It's my fault he's dead._

Dillan volunteered to watch Arlon to make sure he didn't escape. Ryan and Hazel told Dillan not to take the job alone and they should take shifts. He agreed, but he didn't mean it. He had to watch Arlon. It was his duty. Arlon was his problem. He walked out of Team Rapture's tent into the cold night. It was a half moon out tonight. Dillan walked over to Arlon. Arlon was awake. Bolt had tied him up to a tree. The shiftree was stuck there. Ropes were all over his body, binding him to the wooden surface.

"Hello darkness my old friend." Arlon said.

"Why did you do it?" Dillan asked Arlon.

"Do what exactly?" Arlon asked.

"You know what." Dillan stated. "Why did you kill my friend?"

"It's quite simple, really. I was helping out! In an exploration team, two is a couple but three is a crowd! Your friend was a third wheel!" Dillan whacked Arlon in the jaw. Arlon looked at Dillan. "Why did you hit me? Was it the same reason I killed the scyther?"

"That was for Ryan." Dillan said.

"Did you do it for fun?" Arlon asked. "I know I did!" Dillan hit Arlon again.

"That was for Reya."

"I get it now!" Arlon stated. "You did that for revenge! Does it feel good yet?" Dillan kicked Aron in the stomach. Arlon exhaled sharply.

"That was for Koa!" Dillan said forcefully.

Arlon struggled for a breath. When he got one he stated, "You can't hurt me. I'm immune to feeling!"

"You can feel!"

"Oh, your so right! I feel anger and joy! Other than that, my body has the highest tolerance for pain."

"You can fear." Dillan said.

"You're right." Arlon said as if a lightbulb turned on in his head. "Are you going to kill me?"

"Can't say the thought didn't cross my mind." Dillan stated.

"Then do it! Prove Reya wrong! You aren't the hero of this story! Become what you were always meant to be! Kill me and become the villain!"

"You want me to kill you?" Dillan asked. _I can do it right now. I can end it all. One jab and it's all over. He won't be able to hurt me any longer. But... What am I doing? No. This is wrong. Why am I contemplating murder? Why am I hitting him? This is wrong. This is all wrong. What happened to me?_ Dillan fell to his knees.

"Can't do it." Arlon stated. "You will be able to soon."

"No." Dillan said. "I won't. I'm done with this. Killing you would be giving you what you want. You want me to hurt. Killing you will have proven to you that you've broken me. No. I'm done giving you what you want. You killed Koa. You'll pay for that, but I won't bring you your just deserve. That's not my decision. That's the Guildleader's."

"You think you've won?" Arlon asked. "You will break! I'll break you! I'll kill everyone you care for! Do you hear me? Everyone will die!"

Dillan hit Arlon in the jaw one more time. This time, Arlon was out cold. "I'm done with you, Arlon." _I only hit you to shut you up. You won't hurt anyone anymore. Ever._

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys! Koa is dead. Do not have false hope. There is no getting him back. Accept it! ACCEPT IT! (I may be trying to convince myself... But that's not the point!) He's dead. Good luck!

Shout out to SleepyGoron! Thanks for favoriting and following the story! Glad you like it!

Thanks for staying with me thus far! Sorry for killing off Koa, but I want you guys to feel insecure about the characters. Anyone could die! Also, please don't leave just because Koa is dead. Things get better (or worse. Depending on your point of view). Anyways, see you guys in the next chapter!

P. S. Any posts on Koa's death will be removed, so don't even try it. Thanks! Have a good week!


	19. Renegades

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 19

Renegades

* * *

(Author's information on this chapter)

I've been attempting to avoid this issue, but right now, it isn't possible. For the sake of you, the reader, I'm not going to go into massive, excessive amounts of description. If I name a pokemon you don't know, look it up. Describing fifteen pokemon is going to be too difficult and tedious for me and you. So, to avoid the long descriptions, I am only going to name some pokemon. This does not mean that I'm not going to go into descriptions of new pokemon. I'm only going to use this way of writing in extreme circumstances. You'll see what I mean in this chapter. Have your browsers ready to look up some pokemon! Anyways, that's all. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Team Rapture had made their way back to Palando with Bolt and Adelina. Ryan became Adelina's emotional support while Bolt didn't seem to talk with anyone; including Adelina. Arlon was unconscious for most of the trip, being towed mostly by Dillan. Hazel helped whenever she could, but Dillan preferred to carry him alone.

When they all got back from their journey, the group went straight to the Palando Guild.

* * *

By the time they reached the guild, Arlon was awake. Dillan would have put him back to sleep, but they had other issues. There was another riot outside of the gates. The air smelled of body odor from sweaty pokemon who had been outside all day. A voice echoed from the front of the guild.

"Look upon this building as the structure of the oppressive rulers!" Dillan looked over the crowd and found the greninja from Team Armageddon was up front. He was being lifted above the crowd by a rope tied to his waist. The rope was being carried by the black charizard from before. "The guildmembers are horrid pokemon who will help you for themselves! You are their currency!"

"We don't have time for this." Bolt snapped. Dillan was surprised to hear his voice. He hadn't talked all day; but right now, he sounded mad. "Get out of my way!" Bolt tried pushing aside a protester in an attempt to move forwards.

"Watch it!" a pokemon told Bolt. The pokemon looked like a big, golden sarcophagus with a blue design on the top. There were red eyes scowling at Bolt. It frowned at Bolt with its sharp teeth. It also had four big, shadowy arms and hands. It didn't seem to have any feet. The cofagrigus shoved the pikachu back.

"I need to get through!" Bolt shouted.

"Well excuse me!" the pokemon said. "Wait a minute. I know you! You're that fighter, Bolt!"

"Yeah, I am!" Bolt snapped. Some pokemon stopped protesting and looked at Bolt. That caused others to look. And others. Dillan felt nervous at the eyes that settled on Bolt as well as the rest of the team.

"That's Bolt." some whispered.

"Isn't he a guildmember?"

"Does that mean he's bad, too?"

"What do we do now?"

"If he's a guildmember, than are the other's guildmembers too?"

Pretty soon, more than half of the crowd was muttering about Bolt.

"Careful Dillan." Arlon warned with a grin. "Mobs get restless! Especially those caused by Team Armageddon!"

"Quiet." Dillan told the shiftree.

"What's going on?" the greninja asked. Dillan looked up. He took a gulp as the charizard flew forwards. He lowered the greninja between the crowd and Team Rapture. The crowd fell silent as their leader stopped chanting. The charizard then went next to the greninja on his right. Dillan was shocked to see a purple blob squish its way over the feet of the crowd over to the greninja's left. Dillan watched as Team Armageddon looked at his group. Arlon gave a wicked smile.

"Please kill them all?" Arlon asked.

"Shut up!" Bolt shouted at Arlon.

"You're Bolt, aren't you?" the charizard asked. "The famous E. B.?"

"Step aside." Bolt ordered.

"Who are you to order us around?" the greninja asked. He turned towards the crowd. "This is what we in Team Armageddon wish to end! This pokemon thinks he can order us around simply because he's a guildmember!"

"That's not true!" Bolt shouted. Dillan saw Bolt's fist clench. Apparently, Ryan saw it as well. The pachirisu stepped up to the greninja.

"Hey, froggy!" Ryan said. "Leave him alone!"

The greninja faced Ryan. "You want to boss me around as well?"

"I want you to stop spreading lies about the guild!" Ryan shouted. "You should be ashamed of yourself! You all should!"

"Shut it, you twit!" a pokemon hollered.

"Yeah! Go back to the dump you came from!" a second one said.

"Wait!" the greninja said as he put his hand up. The crowd silenced. "Let's hear what he has to say."

"Go on, Ryan." Arlon said with a grin of malice. "Tell them how they're all wrong. Tell them-" Bolt turned around to Arlon. He quickly planted his fist in Arlon's stomach. Dillan winced. Arlon wheezed, trying to take in oxygen.

"Brutality!" the greninja shouted.

"Stop it!" Dillan said. "You have no idea what he's done to Bolt."

"And what would the crime be to deserve abuse?"

"Tell them, Dillan!" Arlon said through gasps of breath. "Tell them about your mistake!"

"I said shut up!" Bolt shouted again.

"Bolt, please." Adelina said as she grabbed Bolt's arm. Adelina had tears in her eyes.

"Tell them how you let me murder Koa!" Arlon shouted. Those words were like daggers in in the hearts of Dillan, Adelina, and Bolt. Dillan hung his head in shame, Adelina began crying, and Bolt tried to get closer to Arlon.

"He didn't let you do anything!" Hazel snapped.

"You know what?" Ryan said. "Fine! We're the bad guys!" The crowd looked at Ryan with mixed expressions. Some were shocked at what he was saying. Others were of a more triumphant nature. "Yeah. I said it. We're the bad guys, so listen up! We're hurting too badly to give a crap about a bunch of protestors who want things to get better for themselves. We just want to hand over this murderer to the authorities before he hurts anyone else. Now, you can all stand there and protest about how unfair living is, but our friend doesn't get that option because of this shiftree. You can beat us up and get arrested for assault. You can even stop us from proceeding and risk this murderer getting loose and killing you. Or you can all get out of our way so we can get to the guild. What's it gonna be?"

The crowd was silent. Signs that were held up were drooping into the crowd. The greninja looked at Ryan with a look of disgust. The charizard simply scowled at Ryan.

"What do we do, boss?" the ditto asked the greninja excitedly.

"I'll tell you what, Bob." the greninja said. "We're going to move."

"You can't be serious." the charizard said. "Molan, he's part of the guild!"

"Quiet, Titus." the greninja, Molan, ordered. The charizard snorted and stuck his head in the air. Molan kept his eyes on Ryan. "Bob, tell everyone to move aside."

"Yeah boss, yeah." the ditto acknowledged. Bob glowed white and transformed into a loudred. Dillan was surprised to see this feat, even though he had seen it before. The ditto-turned-loudred looked at the crowd. "Boss says clear a way!"

"Tell them," Molan began. "Tell them that the guild members have threatened us with a murderer."

"What?" Ryan asked, thoroughly surprised. "No, I didn't-"

"Everyone move aside!" Bob yelled. "Boss says the guild's gonna release a murderer on us if we don't move!"

"That's not true!" Ryan protested.

"You win this round." Molan told Ryan with a wicked smile. "But know that we won't stand for this!"

"Yeah!" the crowd shouted. Most of them looked very mad at the group; though there were some at the front who looked at Armageddon's leaders with confusion.

Molan and Bob stepped to the left while Titus reluctantly went right. The crowd parted, making a path straight towards the guild's entrance. Dean and Haily were both looking at the group. Dean looked mad. Haily looked like her general, unemotional self. Team Rapture began walking through the crowd. The members of the crowd were saying things like, "Cowards!" or "Users!", all of which hurt Dillan. _Do they truly feel that way? Are we really using them?_ The team walked onwards. About half-way through, one pokemon threw their sign at the group. It pelted Arlon in the side of the head. Arlon grinned at the hit. He didn't seem to feel it, but he did notice it.

"You're all an infection." Arlon said.

"Keep walking." Dillan told Arlon sternly.

"You think the tables have turned, don't you?" Arlon asked Dillan from the corner of his eye. "I'll be out in weeks. Once that happens, I'll start with your friend, Hazel. Then I'll move on to Ryan-" Arlon was interrupted by another sign that pelted him in the face. Arlon instinctually jerked back. Dillan was thankful for that sign, though things got worse. Pokemon began throwing signs all around, pelting the guildmembers. Adelina put her hands together and used protect to block the signs from hitting them. The guildmembers moved on for a few more seconds before reaching the guild.

"You threatened them?" Dean asked in an annoyed voice. "You think that was smart?"

"I didn't threaten them." Ryan stated.

"Yeah right, pipsqueak."

"Shut your trap, Dean." Bolt barked.

"What's your problem?" Dean asked.

"You're a member short." Haily pointed out. "Who's he and where is Koa?"

"Koa's..." Adelina tried to say. "He's..."

Haily's eyes widened. Her eyes darted between the members of the group. Dean looked shocked.

"He didn't." Haily said. "He isn't-"

"He's dead!" Bolt yelled. Tears formed around his eyes. "He killed him!" Bolt pointed at Arlon.

"Guilty as charged." Arlon said with a grin.

"You killed him?" Dean asked shakily. Dillan looked at Dean. He was shocked to find the machoke was shaking slightly.

"Why, yes I did." Arlon stated. "Do you want to know why?"

"Open the gates." Bolt ordered.

Haily and Dean opened the gates. Team Rapture, Adelina, and Arlon walked inside. Dillan looked back and saw Bolt hadn't.

"B-Bolt." Adelina said through tears. "What are you doing?"

"I can't do this anymore, C. A." Bolt said.

"Bolt-" Adelina tried to say.

"No." Bold interrupted. "I can't. Being on a team wasn't my idea. It was Koa's. And now he's gone..." Bolt had tears running down his cheeks.

"You're leaving the team?" Adelina asked.

"I don't know." Bolt admitted. "I just need some time to think." Bolt turned around and walked to the edge of the Protect.

"Butter fingers," Dean said. "You're giving up?"

"Just shut the gate, Dean." Bolt said.

Dean and Haily shut the gates, separating Bolt from the guild. Adelina dropped her protect. Bolt then walked through the crowd. The mob didn't close in. They just stared at him as he walked away.

Adelina turned towards Arlon. "You're a monster!" she yelled.

"I've been called worse, girly." Arlon stated. Adelina ran towards the guild's entrance. She entered the guild and disappeared behind its doors.

Dean walked up to Arlon. "You killed him." he stated.

"What do you care, Dean?" Ryan asked. "From what I saw, you bullied Koa."

Dean didn't pay attention to Ryan's comment. He grabbed Arlon by the mane and yanked him closer. The crowd gasped. Team Rapture were all shocked by Dean's action.

"Boy, learn something quickly." Arlon started. "I don't feel pain. Although, I assure you that you will."

"Come here." Dean let go of Arlon's mane and grabbed his arms. He then proceeded to pull the shiftree toward the guild's entrance.

"Be seeing you, Dillan!" Arlon called back.

"Dean, wait!" Haily shouted to him. Dean didn't care. He opened the guild's entrance and went inside.

"Come on." Ryan said. "Let's go before Dean does something he'll regret." Team Rapture followed Dean inside the guild.

* * *

It didn't take long for Team Rapture to see where Dean had gone. He had dragged Arlon into the Guildleader's quarters. Team Rapture entered the room.

"What is going on?" the Guildleader asked the group. His eyes rested upon Arlon. They widened upon seeing him.

"Tell him." Dean told the burned pokemon.

"You didn't say please." Arlon responded.

"Tell him or else."

Arlon gave a sigh. "Please. You have to pay attention. You can't threaten me with violence because I can't feel it."

"Enough." Garth said. "What happened to him? Why is he burned?"

"That's not the point-" Dean answered.

"Ask the gabite." Arlon interrupted. "It was his fault."

"Dillan?" Garth asked.

"Sir," Dillan began. "This pokemon is a kidnapper and murderer."

"Those are high accusations." Garth's tail began swishing back and forth.

"He's telling the truth." Ryan said. "He kidnapped me and Dillan a few weeks ago."

"He kidnapped you and Dillan?" Garth asked.

"Yes sir." Dillan answered.

"I assume this was before you joined the guild." Garth said.

"It was." Ryan acknowledged.

"Alright then. Who has he killed?"

No one answered.

"Do you know a pokemon named Bartholemuel Ferdinand?" Arlon asked.

Garth's eyes widened. "You killed a pokemon by that name?" he asked.

"You could say it was... Tantalizing." Arlon said.

"That's not who we're talking about." Dean said as he kneed Arlon in the stomach.

"Dean, stop it!" Hazel demanded.

"No, Sigourney!" Dean snapped. "He deserves it!" Dean looked at the Guildleader. "He killed Koa." Dean sounded hurt. He stared at the Guildleader.

Garth looked at Arlon with shock. There was a long period of silence. Garth broke the silence by asking slowly, "What is your name?"

"Arlon." Arlon told Garth. Garth looked at Arlon with horror.

"Tell me, Arlon, how did it feel?"

"Like I said before. It was tantalizing." Arlon answered with a grin. Garth stood up straight. He put his hands behind his back. His face turned into one that looked calm, yet stern.

"Arlon. Because Koa was a member of my guild, it is under my jurisdiction to judge you. I, Guildleader of the Palando Guild, find you guilty of the kidnapping of two guildmembers and the murder of Koa of the Palando Guild. I hereby sentence you to life imprisonment on Giratina's Isle. You will live out the remainder of your days on that island with no chance of a reduced sentence."

Arlon grinned. He turned to Dillan. "No jail can contain me. I'll be seeing you really soon, Dillan."

"Dean," Garth said. "Please take him to the cells."

Dean got behind Arlon and grabbed him by the arms. He began dragged him out of the room.

"Dean," Dillan began. "Wait." Dean turned around to face Dillan. The gabite walked up to Arlon. "Where did you take the prisoner pokemon after I escaped?"

Arlon looked at Dillan wickedly. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Tell me!" Dillan ordered.

"Don't worry, Dillan." Arlon stated with a grin. "You'll see them soon. For now, you'll have to wait." _He's not going to tell me no matter what I do._

"If that's all." Dean said. He pulled Arlon as the two exited the Guildleader's quarters.

When Dean was gone, Garth looked to Team Rapture. His face immediately changed into one of great sadness and worry. "Where is Koa's body?" he asked. Dillan turned to Garth sadly.

"We buried him outside of the Castle Ruins." Hazel told the Guildleader.

"What were you all doing there?"

 _I can't let the others take the fall for my mistake._ "It was my fault." Dillan answered. "I heard a rumor that Arlon would be at the ruins. I wanted to capture him, so I left the guild. Koa's team followed me out because they were my team realized I was gone, they followed as well."

"Koa is dead." Garth said. "Let me tell you a story. This story is about a boy. Let's call the boy Leo. Anyways, Leo was going up to every stranger that passed by and said, "Please, sir. Both of my parents are sick and my mother is pregnant. They can't work for any money, so we don't have any food. Can you please spare a simple berry?" Everyone said, "No. I couldn't possibly. Taxes have gotten higher, so it's getting hard for me to put food on my own table, so you'll have to find someone else." Leo went to fifty strangers, each of them said no. Even though this was the case, Leo still went on with his day, begging strangers for food. Each day he would get at the most two berries, but that was it. The family of three wasn't getting along too well.

"One day, Leo was going about on his daily routine, when a pokemon stopped him. Let's call the pokemon Josh. Josh was a kid. He was around the same age Leo was. Anyways, Leo begged Josh for some food. Josh told Leo that he didn't have any food with him, but he did have something better. Josh gave Leo a crystal. Leo knew exactly what the crystal was. See, that crystal was a Z-Crystal. It's an item that's highly sought. Pokemon love the item for the abilities it gives in battle. Leo asked Josh if he was sure about giving the crystal to him. Josh said it was more than fine. Leo thanked Josh for his kindness. Leo went to a shop and sold that crystal for fifty thousand pokes. He had enough money to help his family get back on their feet. Even better, he could afford medicine so his parents could get better. So, after three weeks, Leo's mother was full of health. But the same could not be said for his father. Leo was running out of money. So, he was back to begging on the streets while his mother took care of his father.

"There he was, back to begging for money. For two weeks he begged. But, just like last time, no one would help. Leo was about to give up. "How can I help my family survive when I can't even get them food?" he asked. That's when Josh showed up. Josh asked Leo what the problem was. Leo told him everything. Josh then asked Leo about fighting for money. You see, before Leo's father became sick, he was a fighter. He would participate in fights so he could earn money. He was pretty famous. That's why Josh suggested that Leo start fighting for money. Leo was very surprised at the statement. He didn't think he'd be any good. That's when Josh gave him a crystal. Josh told Leo to participate in a fight and use that crystal. Josh showed him a dance that had to be done in order to use the crystal. Leo thought it was silly, but Josh told him to have faith. So, that's what Leo did.

"Leo participated in a fight like Josh had told him to do. When the match began, he did the dance. He felt a sudden burst of energy in his body. Leo used a Z-Move for the first time. It was the best thing I had ever seen. Such raw power. It destroyed Leo's opponent. Excluding the money he made from the Z-Crystal, Leo found he had made more money in that single fight than he had ever gained from begging. He had to thank Josh. That's when he found out Josh had helped him win the battle. You see, Josh had another Z-Crystal. He used his second one to help Leo win his battle. Josh had helped Leo from the very beginning.

"The two were friends for a few months afterwards. They met up with a girl and decided to make an Exploration Team. You see, they never named their team. They were always fighting about what the name should be or what it shouldn't. In the end, it didn't matter. Josh ended up dying. I'm assuming you know who this story is truly about."

"Koa and Bolt." Dillan said grimly.

"What repercussions Koa's death is going to have on the remaining members, I can't say. All I can say is that you, Dillan, made a mistake. Not only did you disobey an order from me by exiting the guild, but you defied the quarantine note from the king. You also got one of your fellow guildmembers killed. For that, I have no choice but to exile you from the guild."

"Say what?" Ryan asked.

"Sir, please reconsider." Hazel asked.

"I've made up my mind-"

"Stop!" Adelina said as she came through the door. Dillan was sad to see Adelina's face was wet from her own tears. "It wasn't his fault! It was mine!"

"What?" Garth asked with surprise.

"Dillan isn't telling you the truth! I took my team to the Castle Ruins when I heard it had been changed into a mystery dungeon. My family lived in Castellum Town, so I wanted to make sure they were alright. My team didn't know about the quarantine, so we went inside. Dillan knew we went to the Ruins when we didn't come back from the Shadowed Brush, so he left to find us. Hazel and Ryan went looking for Dillan when he wasn't there."

"Wait a minute." Garth said. "You and your team went to the Castle Ruins and Dillan followed to make sure you guys would be alright?"

"Yes, sir." Adelina said.

"But your team didn't know about the quarantine, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then why lie?" Garth asked Dillan.

"He wanted to make sure we didn't get kicked out of the guild after Koa..." Adelina's voice trailed off.

Garth looked at Dillan. "Is this true?"

"Uh..." _Alright Adelina. I'm trusting you._ "Yes, sir."

"Well, then what about Arlon?"

"Um..." Dillan didn't know what to say.

"He must have been hunting down Dillan." Ryan cut in. "He must have been waiting for him to be in the open for an attack. That's why he attacked in the Ruins."

Garth hummed as if thinking. His tail was swishing back and forth. "Alright, then." Garth said. "Let me make this clear. Do not go out of this guild. I've sent word to the king about the rioters. He is sending some royal guards to deal with them. As we speak, they are on their way. After the guards deal with the rioters, they will take Arlon to Giratina's Isle; or as others call it, the isle of no return. He will remain there for the rest of his life. He will not take another life today." Garth walked forwards to Dillan. "I hereby reappoint you as a Guildmember. Please accept my apology." _I didn't want an apology. I just want to make sure Arlon can't hurt me or my friends again._ "As I said before, no one is allowed to exit the guild; not unless I agree to it. Other than that, I have nothing more to say. Now, if you don't mind, I need to think about what has happened today. If you could all exit the room, I would be very appreciative." Garth walked towards the violin and picked it up. He then walked across the carpet to the window. He looked outside and began playing his violin. A sad tune drifted through the air.

Team Rapture walked out of the Guildleader's room. Adelina followed.

* * *

They found themselves in the guild's lobby. Team Rapture stopped walking in the center of the room. Adelina walked passed them and headed towards the dorms.

"Adelina." Hazel called out to her. She was trying to sound sympathetic.

Adelina looked at Team Rapture. "Please don't thank me." she told them. Adelina sounded on the verge of tears. "And don't tell me things will be alright. Not now. I need time to think about everything."

"Alright." Hazel said. "But if you need anything, feel free to ask." Adelina looked back. She stared at Ryan for a few seconds before walking off to the girl's dorm.

"Adi!" Ryan called out to Adelina. She didn't look back. Adelina quickened her pace.

"Ryan," Hazel said. "She just needs some space."

"But..." Ryan said. He tried to protest, but he couldn't think of anything. "What now? We can't go out anymore."

"That will change soon, right?" Hazel asked.

"I don't know." Dillan admitted.

"Stop it!" Hazel told Dillan sternly.

"Wh-" Dillan started. He was caught off guard from the question.

"Stop letting that shiftree get to you!" Hazel said. "It's not your fault! Don't let Koa's death kill you!" Dillan felt his heart thump against his chest. Those words hurt.

"Hazel," Ryan started. "Don't you think you're being harsh?"

Hazel thought about it. She gave a sigh and tried to make her face look more empathetic. "You're right." Hazel said. "It was a little harsh. But Dillan, you need to realize that it isn't your fault. I'm not sure why you went to the Castle Ruins, but I know that you didn't intend what happened to happen. You didn't go there to hunt Arlon, did you?"

"No." Dillan admitted.

"Well, then Arlon being there wasn't intended. As a result, it isn't your fault, so stop blaming yourself."

Dillan thought about the words. "Alright." he said. "You're right. I let Arlon get into my head. I shouldn't blame myself. Even so, I can't promise you that I'll get better immediately. I need some time, but I promise I won't blame myself."

"Alright, then." Hazel said. She gave a sigh and looked around the room. "Guess this'll be a familiar sight to see for a while. I'm going to go explore the guild. Wanna come with me?"

"I'm in." Ryan said.

"I'll pass." Dillan said. "I want some time alone if you don't mind."

"You sure you don't blame yourself?" Hazel asked.

"I'm sure." Dillan said. It was true, he didn't blame himself anymore. Dillan just wanted to take a look through Reya's stuff for some clues as to what to do next.

"Suit yourself." Ryan said. "But if you need anything, just come looking."

"Alright." Dillan said.

"We'll see you later." Hazel told Dillan. She and Ryan walked towards the west part of the guild. They passed down a hallway and exited from sight. Dillan decided he would go to the boy's dorm. He assumed it would be pretty empty with Dean guarding the front gate and Bolt... _Just stop thinking about that._ Dillan walked towards the boy's dorm room.

* * *

Dillan entered the room and looked around. There was no one in the room. Dillan's eyes fell upon Koa's bunk bed. He stared at it. _I met you in this very room. I didn't know much about you, but you did seem like a nice pokemon._ Dillan's mind flashed back to the gruesome scene of Koa's death. _I'm so sorry that happened to you. Arlon won't hurt anyone else. I promise._ Dillan went to the center of the room. He sat down on the circular rug. He removed Reya's bag and began searching through its contents.

Dillan began searching through different objects. Most of them were obviously for adventures. Berries and items were in different pockets. When Dillan thought he had finished with the contents of a pocket, he closed it and opened a new one. Dillan searched through the contents until he found a scroll. He took the scroll out of the bag and rolled it out. Dillan was surprised to find it stretched out to form a folded piece of paper. Once Dillan unfolded the paper, he was shocked to see that it formed a piece of paper that was three feet by three feet.

It looked like a family tree. There were figures all along the paper that were connected by thin lines of coal. Each figure had words below it. Dillan's eyes drifted to the top of the paper. It had words that read, "The Enemy's Forces". Below the words, Dillan found a lone figure that branched off to figures below it. Those figures would branch off and etc. The first figure was named, "The Enemy". The figure was black, as if a shadow had consumed what was once a creature. The Enemy was connected to four figures that rested below. One was scratched off. The scratched one was called, "Arlon". It was replaced by a nuzleaf that was labelled, "Kieth". Next to Kieth was "Thalia". Dillan recognized the Nidoqueen that went with the name. Next to Thalia was a blackened figure named, "Reya".

"So you did work for them." Dillan said to himself. Dillan followed the branches that went off of Reya's name. He was shocked to find them all blotched out with coal. Some looked torn while others were worn away from the coal that scratched against the surface. Reya's name had no ties that weren't blackened. Dillan wondered why that was. _Did all of your ties leave with you?_ _Or did something else happen?_ Dillan decided to move on. There was one other figure next to Reya. That figure was one of a pokemon Dillan didn't recognize. He stared at the figure. It was just the head.

Colors were impossible to see because the art was grey-scaled with coal. The pokemon had white fur surrounding its furless face. It had a round muzzle that protruded from the head for three inches before it rounded at the nostrils. Its mouth was pretty wide. It had small lips and a toothy grin. The pokemon had big, hairless eyebrows above its eyes. The most noticeable feature was the massive fire that came from the top of the pokemon's head.

Dillan looked below the Infernape. It led to a single figure. It was blotched out with coal. It was labelled, "Unknown".

"What 'cha looking at?" a pokemon asked from behind Dillan. Dillan jumped from the scare. He darted around to see Wallace the watchog looking over his shoulder at the paper Dillan had layer out. "That's a pretty big family tree." he pointed out.

"I know you." Dillan stated. "You're the watchog that guarded me."

"And you're the gabite from Team Rapture." Wallace pointed out. He sounded confident. "Incase you didn't know, I'm Wallace; top guard here at the Palando Guild."

"You're a guard?" Dillan asked. "Then why aren't you outside with Dean and Haily?"

"That's because..." Wallace started. "Because... Um... Honestly, I'm not sure."

"Really?" Dillan asked.

"Don't get me wrong!" Wallace announced. "I would love to be out there! It's just that the Guildleader doesn't know my true potential yet! Yeah! I could be the greatest guard in the world if I was given the chance! Even better than Dean!"

"Suit yourself." Dillan said. He turned around and went back to the massive piece of paper.

"Hey, you!" Wallace shouted. "You didn't answer my question!"

"And what question is that?" Dillan asked as he continued to scan through the piece of paper. His eyes started following the branches that came down from Kieth's name. All of the pictures were of nuzleaf. He looked through the names.

"What is the paper for?"

"I'm not sure." Dillan said half-heartedly. He had already guessed the paper was a list of the members of The Enemy's army from rank to rank. Reya must have made this to keep track of who worked for the enemy. There was a lot of missing names on the paper. His eyes went through Kieth's ranks. They all seemed to be nuzleaf. Some had names while others didn't. His eyes stopped on a new figure amongst the nuzleaf. The figure was of a pokemon that had a scruffy mane below its head. The pokemon had two pointed ears that seemed fused together at the top of its head. The pokemon had two fangs coming from its mouth. It also had a heart for a nose. He stared at the pokemon. The swoobat's was named, "Logan Bailer". _That's strange. Why is this pokemon with a group of nuzleaf?_

"And that's why I think it is actually a family tree." Wallace finished. _Was he talking the whole time?_

"Hey Wallace," Dillan began. "I don't mean to be rude, but... This stuff is from my friend who's been kidnapped. I'm trying to find something in her bag that would lead me to her. Don't take this the wrong way, but I came in here to be alone and think-"

"Oh." Wallace said. He sounded hurt. "I see. You don't want me around."

"N-No." Dillan said. "It's not like-"

"No no. It's fine. I get it. Actually, I think the Guildleader wanted to talk with me, so I'll be going now. I'll be seeing you." Wallace walked out of the room in a hurry, leaving Dillan alone.

Dillan did feel bad, but then again, this is too important to be interrupted. Dillan turned back to the paper. _Now then._ He decided he had seen enough of the paper. He began folding it up. It was difficult with his claws, but Dillan was doing surprisingly well. Maybe it was the fact that there were already creases, so folding it up was easy. Then he got to the hard part. _How on earth am I going to roll this up?_ Dillan tried for a few seconds before he decided that he wasn't physically capable for the task. He picked up the folded paper between his claws and set it back in the bag. He then looked through it for something else. That's when his claws set themselves on the hard, leather cover of an old book. Dillan took the book out of the bag. Dillan was beginning to lower it onto the floor when it slipped through his claws and landed on the floor with a "thud". _Right._ The black words, "The History of Ganderosa", looked at Dillan with their intimidating gaze. The pages in the book seemed to be even larger than normal. Dillan stared at the book. _How am I suppose to read this whole thing?_

"Hey." Hazel's voice called out from behind Dillan. Dillan turned around to face the charmelion. He noticed Ryan wasn't with her. Before he could say anything, Hazel said, "Ryan's with Adelina."

"Didn't she say she wanted to be alone?" Dillan asked.

"That's what she says, but I don't think she meant it. Besides, you can't stop Ryan even if you wanted to. He really likes Adelina, you know?" Hazel looked at the book that was on the floor. Her face almost instantly lit up. "Is that the History of Ganderosa?!" she asked excitedly.

"Yeah." Dillan answered. "Why?"

"It's only my favorite book in the world!" Hazel said. "Where did you get it?" Hazel moved past Dillan and picked the book up. "It's so old. I wonder if it even has the Great War in it."

"The Great War?"

"Don't tell me you've forgotten already. It was the war against the Armadines and the Arvaines."

"Alright. I may have forgotten." Dillan admitted. "But can you blame me? I'm a mess of memories on legs."

"I wouldn't say that. You just can't remember anything before your meeting with the nuzleaf. That's all." Hazel opened the book to the first page. "Are you planning on reading this whole thing alone?" she asked.

"I don't have much of a choice." Dillan said.

"Sure you do. You've got me."

Dillan was taken aback by her response. "You want to read a book that long?" Dillan asked.

"Of course not." Hazel said with a warm smile. "No. About one third of the book is random history involving Maxamillian's adventures. The rest is about the Armadine family leading up to the Great War." Hazel flipped through the pages until she reached the end of the book. "This chapter is on Gunter Arvaine's rule over Ganderosa, so the Great War should be here. This book has so much history inside of it. Where did you get it?"

"The Castle Ruins." Dillan said. "I picked it up because-" Dillan stopped himself.

"You know, you have to tell us eventually." Hazel told him.

Hazel looked at Dillan. She squinted her eyes. It looked like she was staring at his chest. Dillan felt a little uncomfortable.

"What are you doing?" Dillan asked.

"Where do you keep finding these crystals?" Hazel asked.

"Oh." Dillan moved his claw to his neck. He prodded the green crystal that rested on his chest.

"It looks amazing."

"Reya gave it to me." Dillan admitted. He thought about what to say next. _Should I tell her about what happened? Would she believe some of the things I have to say? Or would she say I'm crazy? If I left some things out, told her about certain things, would she believe me? Would that work; or would there be something missing?_ "Do you really want to know what happened?"

"Kind of." Hazel said with a curious glance to Dillan.

"Alright." _Leaving things out is the only way. Otherwise, it might get too confusing._ Dillan took a deep breath and started. "I left Palando Town because Reya wanted to meet with me in the Castle Ruins. She wanted to give me this crystal so I could find the Sapphire Star."

"The Sapphire Star?" Hazel asked. "Is that the crystal that was stolen in Kerroshia?"

"Yeah." Dillan acknowledged.

"Why is it so important?"

"Some bad pokemon want it, but I'm not sure why. Reya had a rock that was similar, but smaller. She used is to freeze everyone in place so she could talk with me."

"That's crazy." Hazel said. "It sounds like something out of a book."

"I'm not sure why the crystal is so important, but I need to find it. I've been looking through Reya's things in order to find some clue as to what I need to do next."

"Wait. Why do you have Rey's things?"

Dillan didn't answer. He looked at Hazel with a saddened expression.

"Did something happen to her?"

The gabite gave a sigh. "Here." Dillan pulled out "The Enemy's Army" tree from Reya's bag. He moved the book to the side and laid the tree out. He pointed to Thalia and said, "She took Reya in the Ruins. Reya use to work with her."

"The Enemy?" Hazel asked.

"Yeah. From what I've gathered, Reya use to work for The Enemy. Something happened to change her mind, so she left. Thalia had some kind of relationship with Reya, so she was hunting her. Arlon captured Ryan, me, and a bunch of others for the enemy, though I'm not sure why. From what Reya's told me, The Enemy also wants the Sapphire Star."

"That's a lot of information." Hazel said. "But what's with the History Book?"

"Reya seems to think it has something to do with why I'm here."

"Why you're here?" Hazel asked with a curious glance.

Dillan felt his face grow hotter. "U-Um..." _Too much._ Dillan shuddered, trying to think of a recovery.

"You mean like, your destiny?"

"Y-Yeah." Dillan said, trying to sound confident in that answer. "Destiny."

"Alrighty then." Hazel seemed to suspect he wasn't telling her everything; though she seemed to ignore it. "Well then, you need to learn about the basic history in Ganderosa?"

"Yep."

"Well, you've come to the right place. My father use to read me stories about Ganderosa's history as a bed time story. Not the best reading material for a six year old, but it worked. Anyways, I know all the important details you'll need to learn vs. The details that are just stories and have nothing to do with how the world is today. I'll be your tour guide on this adventure through history, so get comfortable because the first lesson starts now."

"What?" Dillan was very shocked by Hazel suddenly commandeering Dillan's education on Ganderosa. "You're going to teach me?" he asked.

"Well, sure. Why not?"

"Do you even know where to start?"

"That's easy. You start with the creation of the world." Hazel closed the book and reopened it on the first page. She flipped through a few of them, scanning the page, and stopped about ten pages in. "Here we are."

"Wait. You want to start now?"

"What's wrong with me reading the book?" Hazel asked with a curious smile.

"I-... Um... It's not you. It just feels kind of... sudden."

"What's wrong with that? There's nothing else to do due to the rioters and the guild's lockdown, so I figured it would make sense to start now since there isn't anything else to do."

"Alright." Dillan said. "If you really want to do it."

"Okay." Hazel said with a friendly smile. She sat down next to Dillan. The gabite looked over to the book she had sitting in her lap. Hazel began to read from the book. "'Long ago, before the birth of the world, there was nothing. A gigantic black void that infinitely stretched off into every direction. It seemed to consume everything. Then, things changed. An omnipotent being of immeasurable power created a pokemon named Arceus. Arceus was to be the creator of the world, but there needed to be rules; otherwise everything would collapse the moment it was made. Arceus created two pokemon named Dialga and Palkia. Dialga was created to establish time in the world while Palkia created the laws of space. The two pokemon worked together in order to create a world. They also helped create the guidelines to form the lower beings that would live on the planet.' That's us. 'That's when the world was created. Arceus created everything while Dialga and Palkia set the rules for creation. Arceus started with the world. He created the land that some would walk. He created the waters some would swim. He created the sky where winged pokemon would soar. He created trenches where some would explore. He lifted the land and crafted mountains and hills. He created divots in the earth for lakes or valleys. Then, he created life.

"'He crafted pokemon with wings for the skies. He gave pokemon legs to walk the lands. He created fins for pokemon of the sea. Then, he went an extra step. Arceus created pokemon with fins that worked as legs. Those pokemon could walk the ground and swim in the sea. He then created pokemon with legs and wings. They could fly through the sky as a way to travel. Then, they could walk on the ground when they got tired. Arceus created the most amazing pokemon imaginable.' Even to this day, there are pokemon that no one knows about. They live in the deepest parts of forests that have yet to be explored. There are some in the deepest parts of the ocean where the pressure is so great, it crushes most pokemon just being there. What I'm trying to say is that Arceus created so many pokemon with unimaginable differences and natural abilities. It astounds me just thinking about it. Then, when he was done, Arceus took it a step further.

"'Arceus gave each pokemon a natural type based on where they live or where their natural habitat is. Some pokemon', Steel Types, 'live with shinning, impenetrable skin. Others have skin so hot, it would burn an entire forest down.' Fire Types like me. 'Arceus put so much effort into the world. His energy consumption was too great. He needed to rest. So, he put Dialga and Palkia in charge of making sure the world survived while he was asleep.' And that ends the chapter."

"So that's who Arceus is." Dillan said.

"Pretty much; though most pokemon don't believe in him. Sure, he's part of our history, but no one has ever seen him."

"Well, what do you believe?" Dillan asked with curiosity.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I believe that this world has a start. How it started, I'm not sure. Some pokemon believe it just happened to spring into existence through something they call evolution. It's like the evolution everyone does, but it happens over a long period of time."

"And what is the evolution everyone does?" Hazel looked at Dillan with a dumbfounded expression. "Did I say something wrong?"

"You don't know what it means to evolve?" Hazel asked. Dillan gave a shrug. "I can't believe you forgot! Actually, I can believe that."

"That makes me feel better." Dillan said sarcastically.

"Don't feel bad. I blame myself. I should have told you about it earlier.

"Evolution is like a change in your natural appearance. You usually get bigger with evolution. You learn a new attack, get stronger, and sometimes you get a new type."

"That sounds cool." Dillan said.

"You've gone through an evolution already, based on you being a gabite.

"Anyways, back to the subject. Evolution has some ground to being how we started based on how we all experience it, but it doesn't explain what created evolution in the first place. If everything has a start, then what started evolution?"

The door to the boys dorm slammed open. Hazel and Dillan darted around to face the cause. Wallace was standing there. His eyes were wide open. He was breathing rapidly.

"Wallace?" Dillan asked.

"What's-" Hazel tried to say.

"The rioters..." Wallace tried to say through rapid breaths. "Some of them... Got into... The guild."

"What?" Hazel asked.

"They're... Mobbing Dean... Hurry..." Wallace turned around and turned the corner. He headed for the girl's dorm.

"That's not good." Hazel said as she and Dillan got up. They darted out the door towards the guild's main room.

* * *

Dillan and Hazel ran into the main room. Dean and Haily were bracing the main door. There were big "thud"s coming from the door. With every thud, Dean and Haily moved back slightly. They would then immediately brace the door again. Jess was hovering above the two.

"They're gonna get in!" Jess shouted with joy.

"How many are there, Jess?" Haily asked.

Jess floated through the wall above the door. Dillan and Hazel rushed forwards towards the door.

"What can we do?" Hazel asked.

"Brace the door." Haily said with a strained voice.

"Got it." Dillan acknowledged. Hazel got in between Haily and Dean while Dillan braced the door on Dean's other side. "What's happening?" Dillan asked Dean.

"A bunch of protestor got restless and jumped the gate." Dean said with a grimace. A thud came at the door. Dillan felt himself being pushed back. He then tackled the door again. "They started attacking me and Haily. We fell back into the Guild."

Jess floated back through the wall. Hazel jumped from the ghost types sudden intrusion. She put her head down and another thud came on the door.

"There's a zillion of them out there!" Jess said.

"And how many on the door?" Haily asked sternly.

"Oh. About ten with more on the way."

"More?!" Dean asked.

"Yep!"

"What's going on?" Garth asked as he came into the room.

"Protestors!" Hazel said. She sounded strained. Dillan noticed Jess hovering right above Hazel's head.

"Is your name Jess?" Dillan asked.

"Sure is!" Jess said proudly. Another thud hit the door. This time, Dillan felt more force. He was pushed back, but it wasn't enough to keep him down.

"How many more are there?"

"Let me check!" Jess stated. She flew through the wall. Garth came to the door on Haily's right. He began pressing against it.

"Janette!" Garth shouted. The arachnid came through the door and scuttled along to Garth.

"What is it, sir?" she asked. Another bang on the door.

"We're not going to be able to hold the gate!" Garth shouted. "Do you have the bracelet?"

"I have it right here, sir." Dillan looked at Janette. He noticed she had a new bracelet on her front-middle-right leg. It had a rainbow jewel rested in the middle of it.

"Good! When I say so, touch the jewel!"

"What's happening?" Ryan asked. He, Adelina, and Wallace were now in the room.

"Guildmembers," Garth said. "When I say now, you're going to let go of the door!"

"Are you crazy?" Dean asked. "They'll kill us!"

"No they won't!" Garth said.

Jess floated through the wall. "There are fifteen of them on the door! The other protestors seem too scared to jump the gate!"

"Good!" Garth said. Another thud hit the door. Ryan and Adelina rushed over to hold the door. "Don't help!" Garth ordered. Adelina and Ryan stopped. "Adelina, I want you to make sure no one gets too banged up! If someone gets taken down on either side, help them get out of the fight!" Another thud hit the door. Dillan felt his arm beginning to bruise.

"Alright!" Adelina acknowledged.

"Janette, use string shot on the floor behind us!" Garth said. "Also, try to slow down the opponent with your attacks!"

"Yes, sir." Janette said. She began spitting web on the floor, covering the surface.

"Everyone else is going to fight! Are you ready?"

"Yes, Guildleader!" everyone said.

"Alright! Now keep in mind that these are still civilians! I don't want anyone to cause too much physical damage. Now, on my signal!" Another thud hit the door. "Now!"

All of the guildmembers got off of the door. They went to the side as to avoid the web. The doors flew open with force. Creatures of different colors and body-types bustled into the room. The five pokemon in front got stuck in the webbing. They fell forwards and covered the surface. The other pokemon crawled over them and went for a guildmember.

Garth was attacked by a primeape, rhydon, and a breloom. The primeape attacked first. It put its arms together in an X and rushed in on Garth. The ampharos slammed his tail on the floor. The orb that sat on the end began to glow.

"Janette!" Garth shouted.

"Right, sir!" Janette replied. She touched one of her legs to the bracelet she had on. It began to glow with a purple light. Dillan was shocked to see the ampharos become enveloped in a purple flash of light. When the flash died down, Garth was changed. He had a massive mane of white fluff on his head. There was a lone jewel sitting on his forehead. His tail became enveloped in a cloud of fluffy white fur. he also had red orbs in random places all over his tail. Garth immediately swung his tail through the air. It became shiny and grey. It slammed into the primeape's attack. The primeape was thrown back with immense force. Dillan was amazed. Garth then ran up on the two other pokemon.

Dillan looked around. Everyone seemed engaged in their own battle. Some of the guildmembers were faced with two opponents while others had to deal with one. That's when Dillan was punished for paying attention to a different part of the fight. He was slammed in the face with a solid force. Dillan felt himself stumble onto his leg. He looked forward to face his attacker. There was a dewott looking angrily at him. It had shells in its hands that extended with a blue light into blades.

"Cowards!" the dewott shouted as he rushed Dillan.

The gabite focused on his claws. They both extended into blue blades. Dillan intercepted the dewott's Razor Shell attack with his Dragon Claw attack. The two blades intercepted. Sparks flew off. The dewott pushed back Dillan and slashed his shell at Dillan's left. Dillan blocked the attack. The dewott came at Dillan with a right. He blocked the attack again. The dewott began a rapid onslaught of attacks. Dillan only had enough time to block them. The gabite started walking backwards in an attempt at getting away from the dewott, but it didn't work. The dewott kept attacking. _I don't know how much longer I can keep this up!_ Out of nowhere, Hazel attacked the dewott with a fire spin attack. The flames consumed the dewott for a few seconds. It wasn't very affective, but it did catch the dewott off guard. The pokemon took its attention off of Dillan and turned to face Hazel. That was Dillan's opening. Dillan slashed at the dewott's arms. He lightly cut them, forcing the dewott to drop his shells from the pain. The dewott fell to the floor, gripping his arms. Dillan then brought his knee into the dewott's face, knocking the pokemon unconscious. Dillan turned to face Hazel, but she was engaged in her own battle now.

Adelina came in to help the dewott out of the fight. That's when a delcatty went for Adelina, but Ryan rushed in with a swift attack. The swift attack smashed into the pokemon, catching the delcatty off guard. Ryan attacked the delcatty with a bite to its leg.

Dillan noticed a houndour running up to attack Ryan. The pachirisu must have left his battle to help Adelina. Dillan decided to aid his friend. The gabite slammed into the houndour's side, forcing it away from Ryan. The pokemon gave a cry of pain. The delcatty began slamming its spare front leg into Ryan, trying to remove the pachirisu. Ryan used a nuzzle attack on the attacking leg, paralyzing the delcatty. The pokemon fell to the floor and was knocked out.

Dillan attacked the houndour with a flamethrower attack. The houndour jumped head-first into the attack. It head-butted the gabite in his stomach. Dillan's lungs were deprived of its air. The houndour went to bite down on Dillan when Ryan jumped onto its back. He then brought his hand down in a chopping motion. The Brick Break attack hit the houndour's head, making he pokemon pass out. The houndour landed on the floor and skidded to Dillan's feet. Ryan jumped off and ran to his friend.

"You alright?" Ryan asked.

"I'll be fine." Dillan said.

"These guys are amateurs." Ryan said.

"Yeah, but this doesn't feel right."

"I know, but they attacked first." With that, Ryan turned and ran into the fight once more. Dillan watched as a pokemon scratched at Jess futilely. Jess just floated there, yawning and looking bored. Dean threw one pokemon at another and knocked them both out. Dillan was impressed with Dean's strength. Dean then went to defeat another group of pokemon.

Dillan turned to his left just in time to see a white beam flying towards him. Dillan jumped out of the way. He felt a chilly breeze accompanying the white beam. Dillan looked at the source. It was a quadrupedal pokemon. It was sky blue with cerulean paws. The pokemon had a long tail that extended to a cerulean diamond at the tip. The pokemon also had a tuft of azure fur on the top of its head. It had two azure locks of fur that stretched down from its head like sheets of ice. Its sky blue ears shot up from its head and ended with a sharp point. It ended with cerulean diamonds. The pokemon had cerulean eyes with white pupils. The glaceon stared down Dillan with an angry expression.

"Why are you attacking us?" Dillan asked.

"Ha!" the glaceon yelled as it swished its tail through the air.

Shards of ice began flying towards Dillan. The gabite jumped out of the way. The shards flew passed.

"Why are you attacking us?" Dillan asked again.

"You guildmembers think you're helping us!" the glaceon shouted. It had a girlish voice. "Well, you're not! Life's been nothing but cold to me ever since your precious guild ruined my life!"

"Let's talk about this!" Dillan said. "We don't need to fight!"

"Speak for yourself!" the glaceon said as she ran up on Dillan. She lunged at the gabite. Dillan dodged the attack. The glaceon quickly turned on her heels and began to spin. She was going towards Dillan. He didn't have any time to move. The glaceon's tail began throwing water around the room. Her tail slammed into Dillan's side like a tidal wave. Water seemed to soak Dillan's side as the force shoved him onto the floor. Dillan tried to get up, but the glaceon was really fast. She swung her tail again and more shards flew towards the gabite. Dillan tried to get out of the way, but he didn't have any time. The shards slammed into him. Dillan felt his body scream out for mercy against the chills that spread across his scales. Dillan felt the shards that clung to his scales. Dillan gave a cry of agony. The ice felt like spears going into his legs and chest. He stared at the ice that clung to his body. It didn't look like they went in all that deep. _Then why does it hurt?_ Dillan turned his attention back to the glaceon. She was running up on him once again. She looked ready to finish him off. Dillan tried to get up, but his body felt frozen in place. _What's going on?_

"This is for my mother!" the glaceon shouted as she leapt into the air. An Ice Beam attack soared through the air to hit its target; Dillan. He tried to get up, move, anything. His body felt uncooperative.

"Ryan!" Dillan shouted out of pure desperation.

"Enough!" a male voice demanded. A massive burst of fire intercepted the ice beam, disintegrating the attack. Dillan looked at the source of the blast. A massive pokemon stood at the guild's entrance. It had a yellow and red fire pattern on its big stomach. The pokemon had round thighs that protruded form its body. Its black legs ended at the pink feet it used to walk around. Its shoulders had a fire that streamed and danced in the air. Its arms were yellow with two black bands around the middle. Its hands were like tubes with claws. The pokemon's hands were like the barrel of a gun. The pokemon's head was like a flame had engulfed most of it. The only parts of the head visible was its big, pink lips. It had scowling white eyes with black pupils. Smoke wafted off of the left arm the magmortar had pointed at the glaceon.

"Everyone stop, now!" the magmortar's voice was very commanding. Everyone stopped fighting; guildmember and rioter alike. They looked at the entrance to the guild. There was a group of five pokemon standing at the entrance; magmortar included. The other four pokemon were metagross, gothitelle, tyranitar, and bisharp. They spread out throughout the room. "You're all under arrest for disturbing the peace, vandalism, and assaulting members of the Palando Guild."

"And who are you, yahoos?" the glaceon asked.

"We're the King's Royal Guard. Resist and you will pay dearly."

"I don't take orders from anyone!" the glaceon shouted as she ran up to the magmortar. She slammed into the pokemon. The magmortar didn't even budge. Instead, he grabbed her by the tail.

"Miss, how old are you?"

"What's it matter to you?"

"Laurel." the magmortar looked towards the gothitelle.

"She's fourteen." the gothitelle, Laurel, said.

"Barely old enough to join a guild." the magmortar stated. He put the glaceon down. "Go home, kid."

"No!" the glaceon shouted.

"Fine." Laurel said. She put her hand up. Everyone watched as the gothitelle used a psychic attack. A pink aura formed around the glaceon.

"What gives?" the glaceon shouted. She floated through the air and out the exit. The metagross then shut the door, blocking the glaceon out.

"Now. Everyone else is under arrest."

"You can't do that!" Ryan shouted. "We're part of the guild!"

"Not us, pipsqueak." Dean said smugly.

"What makes you think we're going to surrender to you?" a pokemon shouted.

"Well," the bisharp said calmly. "We're a group of specially trained pokemon who guard the king. Based on that alone, trying to oppose us is a mistake waiting to happen. You can fight us and get yourselves killed or surrender and be arrested for a few months. Your choice."

"We've lived in tyranny for far too long!" a pokemon shouted. "No longer will we be stepped on by the guild or the king!"

"Just shut up!" the gothitelle ordered. She raised her hand. Five of the remaining rioters flew into the air. "You." Laurel pointed to Garth. "Where's the dungeon?"

"At the end of the hall." Garth stated. He pointed towards the west hallway.

"Hank." Laurel ordered.

"I came here for a brawl!" the metagross stated.

"Hank!" Laurel shouted again.

"Fine." Hank surrendered. He used Psychic on the rest of the rioters; conscious or not. They were all struggling in the air, trying to break free of their psychic prison. Laurel took up the lead by going down the hall. Hank followed.

"You're all part of the guild?" the magmortar asked.

"Hah!" Wallace shouted. He ran up to the magmortar and stopped inches from the pokemon's stomach. He looked up at the magmortar's face. "You're General Ozzy of the Fifth Battalion of Jarondai! You're part of the Royal Guard! It's an honor to meet you! Can I have your autograph?" Wallace held out a book towards the magmortar, Ozzy.

"You're part of the guild, right?" Ozzy asked with a scowl towards Wallace.

"Yes sir!" Wallace acknowledged.

"Then stop drooling over me. It's undignified."

"Yes sir, General Ozzy sir!" Wallace dropped the book and straightened his back. He then put his paw up to his head in a salute.

"Now who here's the Guildleader?" Ozzy asked.

"I am." Garth said. Dillan watched the ampharos walk towards Ozzy. Garth flashed with a purple light and transformed before Dillan's eyes. He reverted back to his original form.

"Woah." Dillan said softly. _What did he just do?_

"I know, right?" Hazel said from Dillan's left. Dillan looked around. His two teammates were on either side of him.

"I wish I could Mega Evolve." Ryan said. "I could've wiped the floor with all of those rioters."

"Mega Evolved?" Dillan asked.

"It's like evolving, but its temporary." Hazel explained.

"You're Garth Amoux?" Ozzy asked.

"Guildleader Amoux will do." Garth said. "You must be General Oswald Hanson. Did King Judah the Third send you?"

"He did." Ozzy acknowledged. "But please, call me Ozzy."

"No." Garth said blatantly. "You are in my guild. Therefore you will receive as much respect as your rank demands. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir."

"You will address me as Guildleader. Do you understand, General Hanson?"

"Yes Guildleader." Ozzy looked at Garth with respect.

"Good." Garth stated. "Did you remove the rioters outside?"

"Not yet, Guildleader." the tyranitar stated.

Garth faced the Bisharp. "Bisharp and Tyranitar. State your names."

"I am Stue Keller of the Fifth Battalion of-" the bisharp tried to state.

"I know your battalion, Keller. I only want your name and your rank." Garth said.

"Yes, Guildleader." Stue acknowledged. "Lieutenant Stue Keller."

"Good." Garth said. He turned to the tyranitar. "And you?"

"Private Johnson Garcia." the tyranitar stated.

"So you're new to the Royal Guard?" Garth asked.

"Yes sir." Johnson said.

Garth moved up close to the tyranitar. He was practically breathing on the pokemon. "I expect nothing short of respect from the King's Royal Guards, understand?"

"Yes sir." Johnson said.

Garth turned to Ozzy and stated, "Not very bright." He turned back to the Johnson. "I said refer to me as Guildleader. I've worked years to get to my position; longer than you. As a Royal Guard, I expected you to be more disciplined. Tell me, how did you get to your position without learning how to listen to your superiors?"

"I'm not sure, sir." Johnson said with a stern look on his face.

"It's Guildleader, Garcia."

"Yes, Guildleader." Johnson said.

"Now remember it." He took a few steps back and said, "Garcia, get your friends from downstairs. Tell them to see me in my office when they're done with the rioters. My quarters are right through that door." Garth pointed to his door at the back of the guild.

"Yes sir." Garcia said.

"Garcia." Garth said sternly.

"Sorry, Guildleader." With that, Johnson left to find the others.

"Hanson and Keller." Garth said.

"Yes Guildleader." the two guards said.

"Get those Rioters off of my guild's doorstep. They've disrupted the Palando Guild's operations for far too long. If they don't comply, arrest them. You two can handle that, can't you?"

"Yes Guildleader." the two said in unison. They saluted Garth and left.

"Wait!" Wallace shouted out. "I'll help, too!" Wallace left the guild to follow the two Royal Guards.

Garth exhaled and turned to Team Rapture. "Sorry to get all stern on you guys. I've learned that when it comes to the Royal Guard, they'll only listen to you when you demand their respect; otherwise they'll treat you like a second-rate citizen." Garth took a look around the room. "What a mess."

Dillan decided to look around as well. He saw destruction wherever he turned. Missed attacks had caused damage to a lot of the room. Banners were either burned or torn apart. The carpet had been iced from the glaceon's attacks. Parts of the walls had dents or holes. The place looked like a mess.

"I'll have to hire some pokemon for repairs." Garth stated. He moved his head in several directions as to have everyone catch his eyes. "You all did great work today. Defending the guild is not a job that will go unrewarded. Tonight, I say we have a feast in honor the members who are with us today; as well as those who aren't." Garth turned towards Adelina. "Do you think that would be fine?"

Adelina looked torn. "I think it's a nice gesture, Guildleader; but my whole exploration team shattered in the course of a day. Bolt left when we got back from the Guild. I'm going out to see if he needs any help. You understand, right?"

"I do." Garth said sympathetically. Adelina turned towards the exit to the guild and walked off without another word. Garth turned to Janette and said, "Looks like we're cooking tonight."

"Yes, sir." Janette said.

Garth turned to the other guildmembers. "We'll call you six when the food is ready." With that, Garth left for his room and went inside with Janette.

The members of Team Force walked up to Team Rapture. They stared at each other for a few seconds.

"You guys fight well, for losers." Dean said with a grin.

"Can't you be cool for one minute?" Ryan asked with an angry look.

"We could've taken them all, pipsqueak." Dean said.

"Yeah!" Jess added.

Dillan looked at Haily. If he didn't know any better, he would have guessed Haily looked amused.

"We don't need this from you." Ryan said sternly

"Dean." Hazel said calmly. She tried to look at Dean, but Dillan could tell Jess was bothering her. Dean looked at Hazel with a smile.

"You're still the same as always, Sigourney." Dean said calmly. "You're still hanging with losers."

"Yeah!" Jess said loudly. "Losers!"

Dean walked towards the guild's exit. "I think I'm going to stretch my legs." he announced. "Come on, guys." With that, Team Force exited the guild.

"What a jerk." Ryan said. "What's his problem, anyways?"

Hazel didn't seem to take Ryan's comment into account. She just looked at the exit with a light smile.

"What now?" Dillan asked.

"Well, I'm not sure." Ryan admitted.

"Agreed," Hazel said. "But I feel like taking a nap."

"I'm going to take a look outside." Dillan said.

"Alright." Hazel told him. "Well, I'll see you during dinner." Hazel waved goodbye and she headed off to the girl's dorm.

"I'm with Hazel on this one." Ryan said. "I'll see you later, Dillan."

"Alright." Dillan said. Ryan left for the boys dorm.

Dillan started walking towards the exit of the guild.

"So who are you suppose to be?" a voice said from behind Dillan. Dillan stopped in his tracks. He turned around to face the source of the voice. He stared at a pokemon he recognized. It was the greninja from Team Armageddon; Molan.

"What are you doing in here?" Dillan asked.

"Relax, kid." Molan said. "I'm not here to hurt anyone."

"You lead a group of pokemon to attack the guild."

"That's not correct. I don't lead Team Armageddon. I'm just a commander. And I didn't incite an attack against the guild. I merely... Persuaded the people to see what was in front of them."

"And what do you see that they don't?" Dillan asked with a suspicious tone.

"That the end is coming." The greninja took a few steps closer to Dillan. He was now uncomfortably close. Dillan was now looking up at the greninja. His height made Dillan feel as though he was in the wrong room. "Armageddon is upon us, gabite. There's nothing you or I can do about it."

Dillan tried to find his voice. Molan was eyeing Dillan with a look of intrigue and want. "Then why w-warn pokemon about the guild? Wh-What's the point?"

"The king is hiding something from the pokemon of Ganderosa. I know that much." Molan brought his webbed hand against Dillan's chest. Dillan took an uncomfortable gulp. "Not that it's any of my business. I could care less about what that fat dragon does at the top of Ganderosa's food chain. No. I only care for one thing." Dillan felt Molan's hand drift upwards, towards his bandanna and his... Dillan took a step back. He felt the string around his neck give a tug as Molan's grip slipped from Dillan's crystal.

"You're a thief." Dillan stated with shock.

"What gave you that idea." Molan asked with a glint in his eyes.

"Why do you support Team Armageddon if you're only interest is in money?"

"Nothing is as it seems, gabite. Learn that fact while you still have the things you hold dear. One day, they'll be gone with the wind."

"What happened to your talk of evil that exists in the Guild?"

Molan gave a shrug. "It's called 'talk' for a reason."

"Why are you here?" Dillan asked.

"You guildmembers are all the same. This is good or this is bad. You don't look between the lines and see what's right in front of you. No one does."

"And what's that?"

"There is no good or bad; only agendas. I'm here to tell you to stop looking in your small little world and to join the bigger picture in Team Armageddon."

"Why would I do that?"

Molan gave a smile to Dillan. "You work for free here. I saw the way you were hurting when we passed. I watched the way you brawled my men from the shadows. A gabite is a worthy opponent, but an even better ally. Join our team. I promise to make it worth your while."

"I don't have any interest in dealing with a thief, let alone a group who makes the guild look like a bad thing."

Molan gave a sigh. "That's too bad." There was a moment of silence. "Your name is 'Dillan', correct?"

Dillan didn't say anything. He eyed the greninja suspiciously.

"Believe me when I say to you, Dillan, I'll remember you. The next time we meet, it will be as enemies. What I'm trying to say is that you won't survive our next encounter."

"Is that a threat?" Dillan asked, half-way between angry and scared.

"Goodbye, Dillan the Gabite."

Molan exhaled a cloud of smoke in Dillan's face. Dillan turned away from the Smokescreen, covering his eyes with his fins. Dillan took in some smoke and coughed a few times. When the smoke dissipated, Molan was gone. Dillan searched the room for any sign of the greninja, but he couldn't find any.

 _What the heck was that about?_ Dillan thought about any possible reason for why the greninja was there, but he couldn't think of any. _He was definitely eyeing my crystal. Was he really a thief or was he just trying to mess with my head? And what about Team Armageddon? If he's bad, then is Team Armageddon tainted too?_ All of those questions flooded Dillan's mind.

"Hey, Dillan." Hazel came into the room. Dillan turned towards Hazel. She saw his expression. "Is something wrong?"

"W-Well... Just worried about Team Armageddon."

"Don't worry about them." Hazel assured. "They can't attack you without me or Ryan knowing about it. Unless you leave without us again, there's no need to worry; so lighten up."

 _She's right. Even if Molan were to attack me, my friends would be there to back me up._

"I don't plan on splitting up again any time soon." Dillan said.

"Then there's nothing to worry about."

"You're right." Dillan gave a warm smile to Hazel. "Weren't you going to take a nap?"

"That was before I realized I'm your history teacher; plus Wallace interrupted our lesson. So come on, student Dillan. Class will begin shortly." Hazel grabbed Dillan by the arm and pulled him forwards.

Dillan looked at Hazel with a smile. _She's trying to be cheerful. I can tell. Hazel's had horrible problems that are hard to imagine, yet she stays positive. I need to trust her; as a teammate and friend._ Dillan walked onwards with Hazel. He was unsure of what was to come, but Hazel's words convinced him that whatever dangers lurked ahead, they would all face it together as a team.

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys! MasterKnight2142 here! Just wanted to tell you that nothing new has happened, so thanks to those who continue reading! I'll see you in the next chapter!


	20. Flames in the Darkness

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 20

Flames in the Darkness

* * *

Hey guys! MasterKnight2142 here! I just wanted to tell you that I had a few issues with getting this chapter up on the site. I have some more info at the end of the chapter in the "Author's Notes" section. I don't want to go into too much detail, so let me just say sorry to you guys. Without further a due, here's the new chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

"Hey." Dillan called out. He could easily identify Grace's blurred expression amongst the whites of the room. He had seen it enough times to know where she was even without her voice. Dillan also recognized the tears that he held back in his throat. "Are you doing alright?"

"Dillan," Grace said. "I can't see you."

"I know, Grace." Dillan said softly and shakily. "Just try and stay calm. The doctor's going to be here any second." _Am I going to get to the end this time?_

"Why does this keep happening to me?" Grace sounded on the verge of tears.

"They'll know soon. Just hang in there, alright?"

"Dillan, I'm scared."

"I know." Dillan felt himself get closer to Grace. He felt his arms wrap around Grace's body. He felt a silky touch to her.

"Dillan." a male voice called out to him. The voice sounded strong and confident as well as sad.

"I need to go now." Dillan told Grace.

"Please don't go." Grace was crying now. "Stay with me."

"I wish I could, but the doctor's coming in to look at you."

"I don't mind it." Grace said. "I just want you to stay here."

Dillan was silent. He felt his eyebrows come closer together as if he was thinking.

"Dillan." the male voice said.

"I'm only going to be outside the room, alright?" Dillan told Grace.

"You promise?" Grace asked.

"Cross my heart." Dillan let go of Grace. "I'll be back in once the doctor's finished."

"Okay." Grace said with a sniffle.

Dillan felt himself break away from the hug. He felt his legs walk away from Grace. He exited the room. By now, Dillan recognized all of the sounds. He knew all of the beeping of machines and rolling of wheels along the hallway meant he was in a hospital. Dillan watched as a blur moved passed him into Grace's room. The blur shut the door, keeping Dillan out.

"Hey, kid." a male voice said sympathetically.

"Hi dad." Dillan said half heartedly.

"You doing alright?" Dillan's dad asked.

"Can't you tell?" Dillan asked, annoyed by the question. "I'm your son."

"Don't take that tone with me." Dillan's dad said with a slightly commanding voice, though Dillan could tell that he was trying to stay calm.

"Why did you and mom decide to get a divorce?" Dillan asked. He felt himself scowl at his father, a multicolor blur of white and green.

"Things don't always work out."

"So you move on, right? If you can't be bothered with a problem, leave it behind."

"Dillan, I won't have my own son talk to me like this." Dillan could tell his father was starting to lose his patience.

"You stopped being my father when you got a divorce; when you let mom take custody of me. Both of you lost me when you tore this family apart with your fighting."

"Dillan, I'm warning you." His father dropped his calm voice. He now sounded stern and angry.

The sound of a creaking door came from the direction of Grace's room. "Mr. Lambert?" a voice called out.

Dillan's father gave a sigh. "Yes?" he asked with a forced calmness.

"I wanted to ask you a question about your daughter." Dillan guessed he was the doctor who kept visiting Grace.

"Alright." Mr. Lambert agreed.

"How does your daughter do with running?"

"She does fine, I guess."

"No, she doesn't." Dillan interrupted. Mr. Lambert gave a sigh. "Shouldn't that be on record?"

"What do you mean by that?" the doctor asked.

"We've been here before and we've talked about this." Dillan stated. "My sister can't do any sports. If she tries to be active for too long, she passes out. You told us it had something to do with her blood pressure." _You've told me this. Keep going._

"That's probably the reason this wasn't identified earlier." the doctor said calmly and empathetically. _This is it._

"What wasn't identified earlier?" Dillan asked slowly. _Yes, what?_ Dillan felt the world begin to vibrate. _No, not yet! Not again!_

"Grace has..." the doctor's voice trailed off into the oblivion. Everything around him began to go black. _No! What's wrong with my sister?_ Dillan felt himself leave his body.

* * *

Dillan jolted awake. He slammed his head into the top bunk. He inhaled sharply from the pain. _Dang it! It happened again! Why can't I see the end of that stupid dream?_ Dillan tried to think of what the doctor said next. He thought for a few minutes. _Come on!_ His brain started to hurt. Dillan stopped himself. _This isn't working._

"Bad dream again?" Ryan asked above Dillan. He jumped down from the top bunk. He began to stretch.

"Wake up!" Dean shouted from the boys dorm door. "It's morning!"

"We know!" Ryan shouted through the door, annoyed with the machoke. He turned back to Dillan.

"It's that dream again." Dillan stated as he got up from his bed. Dillan saw Wallace get up. The watchog started making his bed in a tidy fashion.

"The one with your sister in the hospital?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah."

"Did the doctor finally spill?"

"No. I woke up before he could... Again."

"How many times is that now? Ten? Fifteen?"

"I don't know. I lost count." Dillan looked at the bunk beds. He stared at Koa's and Bolt' followed his gaze.

"Three weeks." Dillan stated.

"Yeah." Ryan agreed. "I was thinking about inviting Adelina to our team, seeing as Bolt's left the guild."

"He never said he was gone for good."

"But we haven't heard a word from him since Koa died. Three weeks is a long time to take a break."

"His best friend died." Dillan said, a little annoyed with Ryan's lack of sympathy.

"I know." Ryan stated. "But don't you think he should've shown up at least once by now? If you ask me, the guy doesn't want to be on an exploration team any longer."

"Alright." Dillan said. Wallace exited the room.

"Anyways," Ryan began. "Since I'm not the team leader or anything, I thought about asking you and Hazel first before we add a new member."

"Makes sense." Dillan admitted. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter."

"Then that's a yes." Ryan said triumphantly. Dillan shouldered Reya's bag from the bunk bed's shelf. "One member to go." Dillan and Ryan walked out of the room towards the Guild's Assembly.

* * *

Dillan and Ryan, like usual, were the last ones to enter the room. Hazel was waiting for them at the end of the line of guildmembers.

"Why are you guys always late?" Hazel asked with a playful glare.

"We're not late." Ryan stated. "We're just the last ones to arrive is all." Ryan looked down the line, observing each member. Dillan looked down the line as well. His eyes landed on the Royal Guards.

"They're still here?" Dillan asked.

"The Royal Guard?" Hazel asked. Dillan nodded.

"Weren't they suppose to leave yesterday?" Ryan asked.

"Alright guildmembers!" Garth announced as he came out of his quarters and strode onto the stage. "I've got a big announcement to make this morning, so no interruptions. A lot of you have made such an impression on the Royal Guards that the King has decided to look into the guild!"

"What did you say?" Wallace shouted with excitement. "We actually got the King's attention?

"We?" Dean scoffed. "He's obviously talking about Team Force."

Haily rolled her eyes.

"That's amazing!" Hazel stated. "What does that mean for the guild?"

"Well," Janette cut in. "It means the King is going to come here to evaluate the guild's progress."

"Not likely." Haily said. "He'll probably send his advisor here instead."

"That's not the best part." Garth said. "It says the king should be here in two days."

"Two days?" Wallace shouted.

"Calm down." Dean told the watchog.

"The king's going to be here!" Jess chanted as she floated above Team Force's heads. "The king's going to be here!"

"Jess." Haily said with a scowl.

Hazel eyed the haunter worriedly.

"Jess," Garth ordered. "Calm down."

"Yes Guildleader!" Jess shouted as she floated back to the ground, continuing to chant, "The king's going to be here!"

"Guildleader," Ryan started. "Won't the rioters pose a threat to the king?"

"I don't see why." Garth stated. "The Royal Guards arrested half of them. Seeing as we haven't had so much as a threatening word from the civilians, I would say he's safe."

"I'm still not convinced." Ryan said.

"Well, it doesn't matter if you're convince, pipsqueak." Dean stated. "It only matters if the king comes."

"Easy for you to say." Ryan said quietly.

"What was that?" Dean asked.

"Enough." Garth said sternly. "You're all guildmembers and should be treating each other like family. Now back to the subject.

"Since the king is coming in two days, I want Team Rapture and Team Force to continue their daily routine of missions. Wallace, I want you to patrol Palando with the Royal Guard."

"Really?" Wallace asked with enthusiasm.

"Yes." Garth acknowledged.

"Yes sir!" Wallace and the Royal Guard saluted Garth. "I won't let you down!"

"Adelina. I want Dean and Ryan to go with you to find Bolt."

"What?" Dean, Ryan, and Adelina asked at the same time. Garth looked at them with a smile. "I want you three to ask Bolt if he wants to leave the guild."

"Guildleader," Adelina began. "Why?"

"Bolt has a place here. I think we need to remind him that we're still open to him being here."

"Alright," Ryan started. " But why me and Dean?"

"I agree." Dean said. "Pipsqueak will just make things worse."

Ryan glared at Dean. "I think you've got that the wrong way."

"Yeah right!" Dean exclaimed.

"This is exactly why I want you two to work together on this assignment." Garth announced. "The king is going to be here in two days and I want you two to work as a group. You are guildmembers, after all."

"Guildleader," Adelina cut in. "I don't think this is a good idea. Bolt doesn't..." Adelina trailed off. She gave Dean a nervous glance. "Like Dean."

Dean looked at Adelina. He gave a huff. "Well, the feeling's mutual."

"Adelina," Garth said . "Trust me. Ryan and Dean won't be a problem for Bolt." Garth took a deep breath and stood up straight. "Now then. If that's settled, let's move on."

The whole guild knew what came next. Seeing as how Dillan had been doing this for a few weeks, it became a habit for him. Everyone began reciting the Guildmember's Directives. "My king is my duty. To serve is what I deserve. My guild is my home. My fellow members are my family. Trust between us is a must. The pokemon I will help. To not save is grave. I will work to help the kingdom, not laze around. Fight, not might." Everyone shouted proudly, "All hail the Arvaines!" Garth then turned towards his room and walked out. Janette followed.

"Ugh." Ryan moaned. He turned to Dillan and Hazel. "Can't believe I got dumped with Dean."

"At least you're with Adelina." Hazel added.

"Yeah, but I was looking forward to today. I had a really good feeling that something was going to be awesome."

"It'll be fine." Dillan added. In reality, he was worried about himself. _Ryan's a powerhouse on this team. He's stronger than me or Hazel. We'll probably be fine, but something could happen without_

 _him._

"Hey, pipsqueak!" Dean shouted. "Come on! We're wasting daylight!" Dillan looked at Dean who was already with Adelina.

"I guess I'm off." Ryan announced while rolling his eyes.

"Good luck." Hazel said.

"You, too." Ryan added. With that, Ryan left to join Adelina and Dean. Team Rapture was once again split.

"This is going to suck." Hazel said quietly.

"What?" Dillan asked.

"Nothing!" Hazel said, trying to recover from her lapse in enthusiasm.

"You think it's going to suck?"

"W-Well..." Hazel tried to think of something to say, but she couldn't. Hazel gave a sigh. "Ryan's usually such an asset to the team. Not having him is going to make things harder on us." _So she has the same doubts._

"It'll be fine." Dillan assured her, trying to sound sure of himself even though he was just as worried; if not more so. "We can handle ourselves. Besides, Adelina's team needs Ryan right now."

"Yeah. Alright." Hazel said, trying to sound upbeat. "All we can do is keep moving forward." Hazel took Dillan by the arm and began pulling him towards the guild's exit.

Dillan gave one more look to Ryan. The pachirisu looked annoyed as Adelina began telling the temporary team something Dillan couldn't fully hear. Dillan and Hazel exited the guild.

* * *

Team Rapture walked over to the job bulletin board. Hazel began searching through the jobs. A few weeks ago, Hazel made a proposition to the team. She proposed that they would take the job from a pokemon that needed the most help. The only problem was their rank. The rank excluded them from the more difficult tasks that needed to be taken care of. As a result, they could only help pokemon who were judged as a Silver Rank job.

"None of these pokemon need help." Hazel said. "Take this one for example." Hazel took one of the jobs off of the board and read it aloud. "'Dear guildmembers. My husband and I were hoping to go on a vacation. You see, he's the adventuring sort. We were hoping you could escort us through a mystery dungeon.' These jobs are all jokes."

"No one needs any real help?" Dillan asked.

Hazel gave a sigh. "This..." She stopped herself. Hazel put her chin up and said, "This could be fun."

"You actually want to be a tour guide through a mystery dungeon?" Dillan asked, wondering what makes that such a good idea.

"We need to stay positive about our situations, right?" Hazel gave a smile. Dillan watched as her eyes drifted behind Dillan. Hazel's face changed into a worried glare.

"What?" Dillan asked. He turned around. Next to the fountain was a glaceon. The pokemon was scowling at Dillan and Hazel. "Who are-" Dillan stopped himself. His mind went back to three weeks ago; back to when the guild was attacked. "You're the pokemon who attacked the guild." Dillan stated. He then remembered the icicle shards that clung to his body. Dillan gave an involuntary shudder. He felt nervous and worried.

"Chill out." the glaceon shouted. It was scowling at the team. "I'm not here to attack you."

"Then why are you here?" Hazel asked calmly.

The glaceon looked at the guildmembers for a few seconds before grimacing. "I need-" She stopped herself briefly. "I need your help." The glaceon glared at Team Rapture.

"For what?" Dillan asked.

"Shut up and listen, gabite!" the glaceon snapped. "Because of your system, my father lost his job. To give me something to eat, he started adventuring into a mystery dungeon called Lantern Fields. That was two weeks ago. He still hasn't come back."

"You want us to help bring him back?" Hazel asked.

"Everyone else thinks he's gone feral by now. No one else would help. I wouldn't ask the guild for help if there wasn't any other way!"

"How many times did you go into the plains?" Hazel asked worriedly.

The glaceon grimaced. "Wh-What makes you think I did?" she asked.

"Lantern Plains is filled with Fire-Type pokemon. You have a burn on your leg." Dillan looked more closely. She did have a burn on her back left leg. "Do you want some help?" Hazel sounded empathetic.

"All I want is for you to help my father!" the glaceon barked.

"We'll do it." Hazel said. Dillan wasn't surprised at the answer. In fact, he was ready to convince Hazel to help if she didn't want to.

"You will?" the glaceon asked, thoroughly confused by the response. "B-But..."

"What's your name?" Dillan asked.

"Tracey." The glaceon said quietly.

"Tracey, we're about helping others who need help." Dillan said.

"But I don't have any money..." Tracey said. She started scowling at the floor.

Hazel moved closer to the glaceon. "That's alright." the charmeleon said. "We don't work for the money."

Tracey looked up and started scowling again. "This was a mistake." she said. "This is some kind of guild trick."

"No, it isn't." Dillan assured.

"You guys will probably hold this thing above my head, waiting until you can use me." Tracey turned around and started running away.

"Tracey, wait!" Hazel called out. Tracey didn't listen. She kept running until she exited the guild. She took a right and was gone.

"That didn't work." Dillan said.

"We're going to help whether she likes it or not." Hazel said.

"We are?" Dillan asked. "Even if she doesn't want help?"

"Of course we are." Hazel said. "We're going to prove that there are guildmembers who are good pokemon. Are you with me?"

Dillan thought about it for a few seconds. He gave a smile. "Let's save Tracey's dad."

* * *

Team Rapture departed from the guild to the southern road, the same road that extended towards Castellum Town. When the road branched, they began moving in a south-west direction. After a few hours of walking, Hazel and Dillan decided to take a quick rest-stop.

The two picked a spot by the road to rest. They picked that spot specifically because of the tree that shaded the grass from the sun. Dillan looked at the plains of grass that stretched onwards, only interrupted by the occasional tree that spouted from the soil. Dillan laid Reya's bag down on the ground. He then sat on the grass. He closed his eyes and thought for a second. _Grace... What happens next in my dream? And what's with my dad? He seems like a guy who demands respect. Does he deserve it? I didn't seem to think so, even if he is my father._ Dillan thought about his dad. _I can't remember anything about you..._ He felt bad. _What's it like to have parents?_

"Are you alright?" Hazel asked.

Dillan opened his eyes. Hazel was sitting on the ground. She had also removed her bag. She was extending her paw towards Dillan. A green and yellow-spotted berry rested in her paw. Dillan skewered the berry with his right talon.

"What's your father like?" Dillan asked.

Hazel looked at him for a few seconds, as if she was registering the question. "U-Um..." Hazel stumbled. She gave a nervous grin. "Why do you ask?"

"It's because of my dream." Dillan admitted.

"The one about Grace in the hospital room?" Hazel asked.

"Yeah." Dillan acknowledged. "My dad doesn't seem too cool to me. I just wanted to know what other dads are like."

"I don't know if I'm the pokemon you should be asking." Hazel said as she looked towards the sky. "My dad isn't what pokemon consider normal."

"Why not?" Dillan asked.

"Well, he use to hold meetings with my friend's parents. They were always about me and my friends becoming an exploration team. It might seem normal, discussing the future of your children, but he was obsessed with it. He always pushed me to be the best explorer. You could say it was effective. I didn't have a problem with it. Even though he would push me to be the best, he would still interact with me. He would still be my father. It all changed when my mother died.

"My father became less-social. His obsession with pushing me became too much. He would push me to my breaking point. It does things to you when you're only a kid. Hanging out with my friends became my only source of enjoyment. My dad would still read me stories, but that was it.

"After a while, strange things started happening around my family. Pokemon around us would get hurt for unexplained reasons. Most pokemon started looking at us like we were trash that needed to be removed from their life. Me and my father were labelled "cursed". No one would be around us. The group meetings discussing the future of me and my friends stopped. Parents would look at me like I was a problem. Living outside of my home was hard. On top of that, my father continued to push me to be better."

"Was pushing you to be better a problem?" Dillan asked.

"It is when you're ten and you need to run for three hours straight." Hazel said with an as-a-matter-of-fact voice. "My point is, my father pushed me to my breaking point. I would feel bad inside of my own home. When my friends moved, everything became unbearable. After a few more years, my grandparents offered to be my legal guardians in Fericia. I wanted to get away from my father and join an exploration team with my friends. So, my father, seeing that Fericia was an opportunity to get me into an exploration team, sent me to live with my grandparents. You know what happened next."

"So you don't like your dad?"

"I love my father. He's very kind and wants to help everyone he can. He just changed after my mother died. I only wish he would be a father to me instead of a drill sergeant."

"How can you be so positive?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've had so many bad things happen to you. How can you continue to look at the bright side of things?"

Hazel looked at the floor. She gave a smile. "That's not true at all."

"You're joking?" Dillan asked.

"Not at all." Hazel said with a warm smile to Dillan. "It get's hard. You've seen me get all dark and moody before. Being positive is more of a decision than anything. You've got to look past the bad and see the good. For instance, if Dean and Haily didn't leave me, I wouldn't have found you or Ryan. We wouldn't be the team we are today."

Dillan looked at Hazel in awe.

"Stop looking at me that way." Hazel said in a playful way.

"Alright." Dillan said. He began to eat his berry. It tasted sweet and spicy. Dillan thought it was weird. His face tightened together from the fire that formed on his tongue.

Hazel laughed. "Don't like it?" she asked.

Dillan swallowed the berry. "It's hot." he said as he opened his mouth to air his tongue.

"We should be pretty close to Lantern Fields. An hour or so of walking and we should see it."

"Then let's get going." Dillan stated, finishing the last bite off his berry.

"I have a better idea." Hazel said. "Why don't we read more of the History of Ganderosa?"

"Are you sure it's a good time? We're in the middle of a mission."

"I'll read while we walk." Hazel went to Reya's bag. "Do you mind?"

"It's alright."

Hazel went into Reya's bag and pulled out the history book. She opened it to the bookmark she had placed after their last session. She took a bite of her berry. It looked like Dillan's, but Hazel's reaction was different. She ate the berry in seconds.

"Let's walk." Hazel said as she shouldered her bag. Dillan did the same with Reya's. The two were back on the gravel road. Hazel held the book with both paws. She scanned the pages. "Where were we?"

"If I remember correctly..." Dillan said as he thought about it. "We were when King Maxamillian died and his son... Henry-"

"Herald Armadine." Hazel corrected.

"Right. We were at the part where he became king."

"Alright. Then we can skip more of the book." Hazel said as she began flipping through pages.

"A-Are you sure?" Dillan asked.

"Sure I'm sure. Herald didn't do much in his time as king. He just made some adjustments to the Guild System. No, we need to go to when Judah Armadine the First was king." Hazel stopped on a page. She scanned it and said, "Here we go. Judah and Darwin Armadine."

Dillan couldn't help but notice that the two were more than half-way through the book.

"Are you sure we skipped unimportant things?" Dillan asked.

"Trust me." Hazel said. "Nothing influential has happened yet." Hazel began reading from the book. "'Judah Armadine's life was one filled with pleasures. He wasn't one to deny himself of anything he desired. The only time he wouldn't take what he wanted was when it interfered with the daily lives of his citizens. He took after the Great King in which he would put his citizen's needs before his own.

"'Eventually, King Judah met a woman to call his own.' That's sexist." Hazel rolled her eyes and continued. "'That woman would give an heir to the throne of the Armadines. Judah was later declared dead...' That's not right." Hazel looked at the book with a curious glance.

"That quickly?" Dillan asked. "I thought you said Judah had an impact on today?"

"No, he doesn't. His sons do." Hazel ran her claw along the book. "This book is missing some pages."

"Really?" Dillan looked over Hazels shoulders. Hazel spread the pages of the book farther apart to reveal torn pieces of paper that were stuck to the book's spine. "What now?"

"Guess I'll have to give you the short version." Hazel said. "I've pretty much memorized this part anyways. My dad told me this story plenty of times. Anyways, Judah the First has two kids; Darwin the First and Judah the Second. Darwin was the first-born. He studied to be the leader of Ganderosa. Even though Judah was the second child of the king, he wanted the throne of Ganderosa. Instead of studying like his brother, Judah spent time with the pokemon of Ganderosa, trying to learn what they needed. Judah also took part in an exploration team.

"He thought that King Judah would have chosen him to be king because of his knowledge about the pokemon. King Judah had another idea to serve his son. He declared Darwin would be king in a week's time. Judah the Second would serve as Darwin's advisor. Judah wasn't happy with that outcome, so he journeyed to the desolate island of Jarondai to sort through his thoughts whilst exploring.

"On the day of Darwin's coronation, Judah the second tried to kill his brother. Judah used a Dark Pulse against Darwin. King Judah stepped in the way of the attack. King Judah was killed instead of Darwin. Once Darwin found out his brother tried to have him killed, he sentenced Judah to live out the rest of his life on Jarondai.

"Because of Darwin's tragic loss of his father and the exile of his brother, he fell into depression. He neglected his son, Carnandite Armadine. As a result, Carnandite became a harsh ruler. Thus ends the rule of Darwin Armadine."

"How does that impact the world today?" Dillan asked.

"The chapter about Hans Armadine should tell you that; though I'll let the information I gave to you sit in your head."

"So Judah was exiled to Jarondai? Is that the same Jarondai that the capitol of Ganderosa is at?"

"Yep."

"Why did they make an exiled island a capitol?"

Hazel thought about it. "Would you like me to continue through the book?"

"Nah. I'm good." Dillan thought about the stories Hazel had told him. _Reya said these stories have a reason for why I'm here; but why? Have I read something about it? Am I missing something? Is there a piece of information I need?_ With those questions in mind, Dillan and Hazel walked onwards towards Lantern Fields.

* * *

After two hours of walking, Dillan noticed something different about his surroundings. He looked ahead. The sky seemed to be brighter. Something was definitely weird. Dillan took a whiff of the air. He stated coughing.

"Smoke?" he asked.

"We're closer now." Hazel said.

The two walked for a few more minutes. The smell of smoke seemed to become heavier the more time that went by. Dillan noticed he was getting hotter. Finally, he saw the source of everything.

"A fire?" he asked. Dillan looked ahead at a big black stream of smoke that wafted into the air.

Dillan was looking at a field of tall, yellow grass. Some of the grass was on fire while other parts of it weren't.

"That's Lantern Fields." Hazel said. "The minerals in the earth are really rich with nutrients here because of the constant burning that happens inside of the fields. As a result, some of the best berries grow here. No one touches them due to the constant danger of the fire."

"You mean we're going in there?" Dillan asked frantically. "The whole place is on fire!"

"You don't need to worry about it." Hazel said. "You're a dragon and ground-type. Fire won't hurt you. Also, not all of it is on fire. Some of it is; but other parts of the grass are safe to pass through because of a mineral in the soil. Not all of the grass gets that mineral, so there's the fire; but the grass that does creates a natural path through the flames."

"How does that work?" Dillan asked.

"Natural phenomenon." Hazel answered with a wink. "Now come on. Tracey's dad is in there somewhere."

"May I just say I don't like going in there?" Dillan said.

"Just don't touch the fire and you'll be fine." Hazel said as the two made their way towards the Lantern Fields.

* * *

Dillan and Hazel entered the Lantern Fields. The grass went up to Dillan's waist while the fires danced a few feet above his head. Dillan felt hot inside of the fields, but it wasn't too bad. The fields were fascinating, and also terrifying, to be in. The heat blasted Dillan in waves. He didn't see anything spontaneously light like Hazel had told him, but that didn't mean it wouldn't happen. Hazel had the lead while Dillan brought up the rear. He watched as Hazel moved onwards. She would move wherever the fire wasn't, but that was difficult.

"Turn back." Hazel told Dillan as they hit the third dead end.

"There are a lot of dead ends in here." Dillan stated.

"Not sure why." Hazel said. "Let's just keep moving."

"Alright." Dillan stated. He turned a corner and was faced with a pokemon.

The pokemon was bipedal with a brick red stomach. It had yellow stripes that looked like fire on its stomach. Its legs were brick red until the knees, where they became brown for the rest of the way. Its arms came out like twigs. They extended to its wrists where two massive wrist-bands sat. The wrist-bands were brown with holes along it. There were brown like the pokemon's feet. Its hands were more like yellow tallons that extended from the palms. The tallons were about six inches. Its brown head was like a banana. It curved until it came to the small mouth on the end of its face. The pokemon spat fire like it was its tongue, then brought it back in. Its eyes seemed flush with its head, which Dillan found slightly disturbing. It had a tail that extended from its body, then poked upwards at a ninety degree angle. It had a hole at the end like a pipe.

Dillan stared at the heatmor as it licked the air with its tongue.

"Hi." Dillan said nervously. The heatmor just stared at him.

"Are you feral?" Dillan asked.

The heatmor hissed at the two pokemon. It flicked his hands to the side. They were both consumed by fire that spewed from its arm bands. The fire died down after a few seconds. Its claws were extended. It started walking towards Dillan.

"S-Stay back!" Dillan shouted.

"Alright, then." Hazel said. "If he wants a fight, let's give him one."

Dillan looked at the heatmor with worry and confidence. _I can beat him. I've got nothing to worry about._

A hissing sound came from Dillan's left. He then heard shouting.

"What was that?" Dillan asked. He noticed the heatmor had turned its attention to the left; its right. The pokemon leapt into the fiery grass, running towards the cause of the shouting.

"Um..." Dillan said.

Suddenly, the grass to Dillan's left parted briefly as the heatmor flew through the grass, flying across the path, then into the fiery grass once more.

"That's not good." Hazel stated.

A roar came from Dillan's left. He tired to look through the grass to see the source. He peered through the blades of the grass that wasn't on fire. He heard a hissing sound directly in front of him. He waited for a few seconds, watching the grass.

"Do you see anything?" Hazel asked.

That's when Dillan did see something. A blue blur was coming towards him. "Move!" Dillan shouted as he lunged at Hazel. He pushed the charmeleon to the floor as the watery blast flew above him, catching his fin.

"Water?" Hazel asked.

Dillan got off of Hazel quickly. He turned to the path. There was a new pokemon there.

It was a bipedal pokemon with a tuxedo-like, white design on its black chest. It looked like a penguin. Its black fins came to blue edges like a blade. It stood on yellow bird feet. The pokemon's face was slim compared to its body. Its beak looked like a trident pointing skywards. Between the trident's spears were two, blue eyes. The pokemon had a blue blade-like edge coming from its stomach and making its way up to its chest where it parted. It then made its way to the shoulders. Dillan noticed three little spikes coming off of the pokemon's fins like fingers.

The empoleon gave a roar.

"That isn't good." Hazel said.

"What is that?" Dillan asked.

"Die!" the empoleon shouted. It had a deep, male voice. He began running towards Team Rapture. Dillan extended his fin in a desperate attempt at a defensive attack. The empoleon's fin began to glow white as he rushed Dillan. Dillan brought his dragon claw attack into the empoleon's fin.

"What moves are best against him?" Dillan asked.

"Nothing you can use!" Hazel shouted. "He's a water-steel-type! You can't use dig due to the roots! They're too dense! Most of my attacks aren't going to do much either!"

The empoleon forced Dillan back. He collided into Hazel. The empoleon took a step back and began spinning around. His fins spun like blades, cutting the grass. Water seemed to spew from the floor and surround the empoleon. A whirlpool formed around the water pokemon. It flung droplets of water all around like a light drizzle. Some of the droplets hit the flames with a hissing sound. The empoleon began moving forwards; towards Team Rapture.

"Dillan, get down!" Hazel shouted. Dillan got onto the floor. Hazel spat a ball of fire at the empoleon. The fire spin collided with its target. The new attack started spinning in the opposite direction of the empoleon's whirlpool attack. Dillan was surprised to see the empoleon's whirlpool attack was slower. _Her attack must have turned the empoleon in the opposite direction, slowing it down._ Hazel rushed in on the empoleon. Her claws began glowing white as she attacked. The empoleon slammed into Hazel with its attack. The whirlpool seemed to transfer from the empoleon's body to Hazel's. Hazel gave a cry of pain. She moved away from the pokemon.

"Hazel!" Dillan shouted. The whirlpool dissipated.

"I'm fine." she said. "But something's wrong!"

"What do you mean?" Dillan asked.

"Why is a water type in the Lantern Fields?"

Dillan stared at the empoleon. A fiery tornado appeared around it. The empoleon didn't seem fazed.

"Good question." Dillan stated. "But there's no time to think!" The empoleon started rushing in on Team Rapture.

"Move back!" Hazel said as she grabbed Dillan's arm. She began running backwards. Dillan followed.

Hazel and Dillan ran down pathways, trying to avoid the empoleon. Hazel glanced back. Her face turned into one of fear.

"What is it?" Dillan asked.

"Move!" Hazel shouted as she pulled Dillan into the burning grass. Dillan felt his skin become scorched from the heat. Dillan heard what sounded like a waterfall behind him. He heard it begin to crash against the ground. Dillan felt the fire all around his body. It burned, but it didn't seem to do any damage. Hazel continued to drag Dillan through the grass until they came to a clearing. They found themselves on a new path Dillan hadn't seen before.

"What was that?" Dillan asked as he rubbed his body in an attempt to make the burning pain stop.

"That pokemon was using a move I hadn't ever seen before." Hazel said. "It was like a tidal wave was forced out of a hose."

"But why the fire?" Dillan asked. The burning started dissipating. He began checking his body for burns.

"You're a dragon-ground. Again, you shouldn't have been in too much pain." Hazel grabbed Dillan by the arm. "Now come on. The fires won't stop that empoleon." Dillan and Hazel began running down the path.

* * *

It had been ten minutes since the encounter with the empoleon. Dillan and Hazel were thoroughly tired from running.

"Let's stop... for a minute." Hazel said through her rapid breaths.

"Alright." Dillan said. The two sat down on the floor. Dillan gazed upwards. The sky was grey. "Is it dark already?" Dillan asked.

"It's just the smoke." Hazel said.

Dillan took a better look. He tried to see through the smoke. For a minute, they sat there. Dillan just watched the sky. He decided to look down. He stared at the grass.

"What in Ganderosa?" Dillan asked.

"What do you mean?" Hazel asked.

"The grass." Dillan pointed out. "Doesn't it seem different?"

"How so?"

It could just be Dillan, but... "It looks more... Grey." Dillan was looking at a greyish-yellow thicket of grass.

"Are you feeling alright?" Hazel asked.

"I'm fine." Dillan said. _Is she going to see through my lie? I mean, I'm fine and all. It's just that for the past five minutes, something's felt wrong._

"Let's move on." Hazel said.

"Do we even know who we're looking for?" Dillan asked. He and Hazel got up. They started moving onwards.

"Tracey's dad." Hazel said.

"And who would that be? Tracey didn't tell us."

Hazel hummed as if thinking. "Well, she isn't related to a fire-type..." Hazel's voice trailed off.

"What is it?" Dillan asked.

"Why didn't I think of it before!" Hazel looked back to where they came from. "That empoleon didn't belong here. He must have been Tracey's dad."

"That empoleon?" Dillan asked.

"If Tracey's mom is a vaporeon, then it would make sense."

"But wasn't the empoleon feral?"

"I don't think so." Hazel said. "He said, "Die" to us."

"That helps how?"

"Feral pokemon don't talk."

"Then why attack us?" Dillan said.

"I'm not sure." Hazel said. "He might have been afraid of me because I'm a fire-type, and by association, you."

"Alright then. Let's look for Tracey's dad." Dillan started walking forwards.

"Not now." Hazel said.

Dillan turned around. "Why not?" he asked.

"I'm feeling worn out."

"You're still tired?" Dillan asked with surprise.

"I know it's been five minutes, but I'm too tired right now."

 _"You."_ a voice said from above Dillan. Dillan looked above. Red eyes stared down at him. _"Hello Dillan."_

"Jake." Dillan said. It was the same voice from his dreams. "You're here?" Dillan asked.

 _"After all this time!"_ Jake said in a triumphant voice. _"All this time! My speculations were right! All of my attempts to get close to you; and you've come to me! After all this time and worry! All of my work! I was correct about you!"_

Dillan looked at Hazel. She looked up at the eyes with fear. "Wh-Who are y-you?" Hazel asked with a voice full of fear.

"What are you talking about, Jake?" Dillan asked.

 _"_ _You really are human!"_ Jake said. Dillan looked at the shadowy figure with confusion. _"And you're on my very doorstep! No, in my living room!"_ A black spike shot from the smoke above. It flew towards Dillan. He jumped to the side and avoided the attack. _"You made a mistake coming here!"_

"What are you doing?" Dillan shouted.

 _"What I should've done the entire time! I'm going to kill you for being a stopping point in my plan! I'm going to kill you before you ruin everything I've ever tried to accomplish! Dillan, this will be your final resting place!"_

"Die!" a voice shouted. Dillan looked to his left and saw the empoleon rush towards Dillan. He looked towards the sky. Dillan watched as the empoleon moved his hands in a circular motion. Water formed around the air where the empoleon was moving his hands. A ring of water formed in the air. The empoleon threw his fins at the circle. To Dillan's complete shock, a massive blast of water flew through the air towards Jake's eyes. Jake looked at the empoleon. Another black tendril shot out from the smoke and intercepted the water.

 _"Foolish empoleon!"_ Jake shouted shrilly. _"You can't hurt me here! You will die where you stand!"_ A third black tendril flew from the sky towards the empoleon. The pokemon dodged the attack. Its fins started glowing white and it slashed at the tendril. Jake gave a cry of pain as he withdrew his tendril. He shot another one at Dillan. Dillan jumped to the side to avoid the attack. The empoleon struck at the new tendril with his claws. _"Stop it, you nuisance!"_ The tendril slammed into the empoleon, sending him flying into the fiery grass.

"We need to leave." Hazel said. Dillan couldn't help but notice the fear in her voice.

"How?" Dillan asked. He kept his eyes on a black spike that came at him.

"The escape orb in my bag." Hazel said.

"What about-" Dillan felt a force slam into his back. He went flying into the fiery grass. He felt himself hit the ground. His back burned from the heat that bombarded his scales.

 _"You will die, Dillan!"_ Jake shouted.

"Why are you doing this?" Dillan asked as he got up. He began running through the grass to get back to Hazel. He tried to ignore the fiery pain.

 _"Your kind has been a thorn in my side for too long!"_ Jake shouted. _"Now I will be your end!"_

"Dillan!" Hazel shouted. Dillan ran towards the sound of her voice. A roar came from above. Dillan felt the earth beneath him begin to vibrate. He tried to keep himself on his feet. Fire began spewing from the ground. Dillan felt the air around him begin to disintegrate. He tried to run, walk, anything. Dillan moved forwards towards Hazel. He found himself in a clearing.

"Hazel!" Dillan shouted. He started running forwards. He looked up for a second to see a jet of water pelted one of Jake's big red eyes.

"Dillan..." Hazel called out. Dillan looked down to see a small fire in the grass. He got down below the grass and found Hazel. He put his arms under Hazel's shoulders and began pulling the charmeleon to her feet.

"What's wrong?" Dillan asked frantically.

"I'm too tired..." Hazel said weakly.

 _Let me think. An escape orb should get us out; but then we'd be leaving Tracey's father behind. Think!_

"Look out..." Hazel said weakly, yet fearfully. Dillan looked up to see another tendril making its way towards the two. Dillan shouldered Hazel and jumped from the attack. Dillan felt the earth shake from the tendril. _I can't leave Tracey's dad we stay, Hazel is going to get hurt._

"Can you move?" Dillan asked. Hazel shook her head. _Alright then. Here goes nothing._ "Use the orb. Leave without me."

"No..." Hazel said.

"Do it." Dillan told her. "I can't leave Tracey's dad here and you can't stay or you'll die. Use it now."

"You're sure?" Hazel asked.

"Trust me." Dillan said. He got up from Hazel and started running. He looked up. Another blast of water slammed into Jake's eyes. Dillan followed the stream and made a guess to where it originated. He looked at the fiery grass, made a quick decision, and trudged into the burning flames. Dillan made a mad dash through the grass, trying to ignore the pain. He kept his eyes forwards, only looking away to glance upwards to look for another stream of water to follow.

 _"You can't hide from me here."_ Jake said as he brought another tendril down towards Dillan. Dillan side-stepped to avoid the attack. He then moved onwards.

"Die!" the empoleon shouted. Dillan followed the voice ahead. He broke through the grass and found the empoleon. _Alright. Now for step two._ Dillan took off Reya's bag and began searching its contents. Every second was spent searching or looking upwards for an attack. When an attack came, Dillan stepped out of the way and dragged his fin across the tendril. _Come on! Where is it?_

 _"Dillan!"_ Jake shouted. Dillan looked up and saw a tendril that didn't come down in a stabbing motion like always. This tendril caught Dillan off guard. It swung into Dillan's chest, sending him flying upwards, away from the bag. It caught Dillan like a snake. It wrapped itself around Dillan's body and began squeezing him. _"All this time! For over a month I waited when I could have just killed you when I first suspected your origin!"_

"Stop!" Dillan tried to shout. The pressure exerted on his chest was too great to talk.

 _"I played along with you and your game! I tried to be your friend! I tried to let you use me! All to get your trust! After all this time, trying to get you to say you're human, all I needed to do was wait for you to come to me!"_

The tendril began scraping against Dillan's scales like sand paper. Dillan gave a cry of pain.

 _"What is that?"_ Jake asked. Dillan saw a green light flashing on his eye lids. He opened his eyes and saw where the flash originated. Dillan looked downwards and saw his green crystal was glowing. _"Arceus!"_ Jake shouted. He let go of Dillan, dropping the gabite. Dillan fell into the fiery grass. He began breathing heavilly, trying to get air into his lungs.

"Die!" the empoleon shouted. Dillan felt blades slam into his head.

"Stop!" Dillan shouted. The crystal began glowing brighter. The empoleon slammed into Dillan again. The crystal grew brighter.

 _"You can't take him from me!"_ Jake shouted. _"I've come so close! Not now!"_

The crystal grew even brighter. A roar came from above. Dillan felt the ground shake again. He felt the ground split beneath him. He was falling. He saw Jake's red eyes flash back at Dillan with hatred. A tendril flew from the sky towards Dillan. The crystal grew brighter still. It lit up the entire crevice. Dillan closed his eyes from the brightness. He descended, leaving the world behind.

* * *

(Author's notes)

Hey guys! Sorry for posting this chapter so late. I'm not sure if the problem was on my end or on 's, but it wouldn't let me upload the new chapter to the website last Friday. I've been trying to fix this issue for several days, only to get it working as of today (2/5/18). So, I'm sorry for the inconsistency in posting the chapters. Hopefully, this won't happen again and we'll get another chapter up a week from this Friday/Saturday!

Shout-out to Dusk Ebonpaw for following the story! Thanks a bunch, guys for following/favoriting the story!

That's all for today! I'm thinking about having a two-chapter-special in a few weeks just because of what they are about, but other than that, have a great day! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!


	21. Down in the Dumps

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 21

Down in the Dumps

* * *

(Hours earlier)

"Good luck." Hazel said.

"You, too." Ryan added. Ryan left Team Rapture. He was still dwelling on what Garth had said to him earlier. _Join Dean. What is he thinking?_ Ryan looked at Adelina and Dean. Ryan noticed Adelina's bag she had slung around her neck was the same bag he had gotten for her a week ago. It was brown like any normal bag, but this one had a yellow flower design on the side.

Dean and Adelina were waiting for him to join the new team. _This is going to end poorly._ He stopped next to Dean and Adelina. Dean looked at Ryan with a look of mischief. Ryan stood up straight to show he wasn't afraid of Dean, though he knew that it wasn't that simple. Ryan's mind flashed back to when Dean used his massive hand as a mask for Ryan. Ryan wouldn't admit it and he knew how to keep it contained, but there was a fear lingering in his mind; a fear of Dean.

 _He's not going to do anything to you._ Ryan continued to tell himself. _He doesn't have any power inside of the guild._

"Alright you two." Adelina said. "Garth assigned you two to my team, so I'll be leading you guys."

"Just because Garth assigned me to you doesn't mean you're better than me." Dean said. "What makes you more qualified than me to lead this team?"

"I know Bolt better than anyone." Adelina stated.

"Plus, you and Bolt hate each other." Ryan added. "If you lead, the mission would fall apart."

"Shut it, pipsqueak." Dean said. Ryan had heard Dean call him that so many times now that he didn't even care if it implied he was small.

"Make me." Ryan said.

"Quiet, both of you." Adelina cut in. She looked at Ryan with pleading eyes. Ryan wondered why. "I'm in charge, so accept it. If you don't like it, you can leave the team and I'll go to Bolt on my own."

"Like I would leave a mission." Dean stated while he crossed his arms. Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Let's just move out." Adelina stated coldly. She turned towards the door to the Guild's Lobby and walked away.

Dean turned to Ryan. "Listen here, pipsqueak." he said with a glint in his eyes. "Keep that up and you'll find yourself in a world you didn't want to be in. Understand?"

Ryan looked at Dean with a glare. He felt his heard begin to thump against his ribs. _I can't show fear. He'll push me around. I can't show him that I'm afraid. If I do, things will get worse, guaranteed._

"Quit being an idiot, Dean." Ryan stated. "This is a mission. If you screw with me, you'll be interfering with the mission; and I won't let you mess this up. It's too important."

"Don't get too full of yourself." Dean stated. He gave a huff and left to follow Adelina. Ryan followed. _You won't mess with my life. It's screwed up as it is. I won't let you or anyone else mess it up any more than it already has been. That's a promise._

* * *

The three entered the guild's courtyard. Ryan couldn't help but notice Dillan and Hazel were at the job board. Ryan took a quick glance in their direction. Ryan, Dean, and Adelina walked through the gates and went right into the streets of Palando. Adelina stopped and turned towards Ryan and Dean.

"May I have your badges?" Adelina asked them.

"What for?" Dean asked her.

"Do you need a reason?" Ryan asked. He removed his badge from his arm band, intent on showing up Dean. He handed it to Adelina.

"Ryan, I need your band as well." she told him.

"You do?" Ryan asked.

"We're going to the Red Strip." she said.

"The what?" Dean asked.

"It's what the pokemon in Palando call one part of town."

"Why do they call it that?" Dean asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It doesn't matter." Ryan said. He looked at his arm band. He stared at it as though it was a part of his life that he wanted to be with him forever. Ryan removed the band and handed it to Adelina.

"Thank you." Adelina said as she took the band.

"Whatever." Dean said. He crossed his arms.

"Dean," Ryan started. "Give Adelina your badge."

"I don't have it." Dean said.

"You don't?" Ryan asked with skepticism.

"My team doesn't trust the Guild's Symbol." Dean stated. "It attracts too much unwanted attention. We only carry it around when absolutely necessary."

"Alright." Adelina said. "Let's just move on."

At that moment, a pokemon rushed into Ryan. It shoved him onto his backside. Ryan got a glance at the glaceon before it turned a corner and was out of sight.

"Watch it!" Ryan shouted after the glaceon.

Dean started laughing out loud. "Encore!" Dean shouted. "Encore!"

"Are you ok?" Adelina asked. She extended her paw towards Ryan.

"Yeah." Ryan said. He took Adelina's hand as she picked him up. When he was on his feet, he noticed how close he was to Adelina. Ryan thought for a moment. Then, his emotions caught up with his mind. _We're really close._ Ryan felt his yellow cheeks start to turn orange as he stared up at Adelina. He felt nervous. Adelina's eyes seemed to meet his for a long time, a time that seemed to go on for minutes. Adelina's black eyes seemed to be like space itself; containing all of the beauties of the universe. He stared at her pink skin. It reminded him of a peach. Ryan then turned away from Adelina. _It can't happen. It would never work._

Dean was staring at the two. He then smiled. "Pipsqueak's in love?" he mocked.

"Really?" Ryan asked. "What are you, five?" Ryan turned to Adelina. "Where to next."

"T-This way." Adelina stuttered. Her face was turning red all over. She hurried down the road. Ryan followed.

"Why don't you kiss her?" Dean asked as he started following. Ryan tightened his fist. _Oh, how I would like to smack that grin off of his stupid face! That stupid idiot has no idea what I've done to get to this point in my life! If he knew what I've done, he wouldn't be so quick to mock me! Maybe I should give him a little jolt!_ He kept thinking about hitting Dean, but he knew he couldn't actually do it. It would be just like his brother, Luke. When he finally made his mind up to hit Luke, to take him down, fear would take control of him. All he could do was think and play the part he set out for himself while the truth lingered in his mind.

* * *

After three minutes of thinking about hitting Dean, Ryan looked around the town. Everything seemed different. The walls were dirty and slightly worn down. There were cracks all over them. The stone floor had moss growing in between the cracks. There was dirt all over it. A musty smell lingered in the air.

There were pokemon along alley ways that looked at Ryan, Dean, and Adelina with curious glances before going back to whatever they were doing previously. Each pokemon looked roughed up in one way or another. Two little pokemon ran from an alley into the street. Both of them were the same species.

They were quadrupedal pokemon with tails and lion cub-like bodies. The front-half of their bodies were blue while the back-half were black. The pokemon had big, white eyes with yellow irises and pupils. They also had big, blue ears with a yellow star pattern in them. They had a yellow band-like pattern in their fur around their front ankles. Their tails flowed back to a star that rested on its end.

Ryan knew immediately that they were shinx, though he was horrified to see that they had fur that was ruffled on parts of their bodies. One of them had a scar above its right eye where fur wouldn't grow. He also noticed their paws looked cut up

They were chasing each other in a game of tag. Both of them were smiling as they ran. Ryan looked at the two pokemon as they ran into another alley.

"This is the Red Strip." Adelina said.

"This is awful." Ryan said. "How did things get this bad?"

Adelina stopped and turned to face Ryan. "It's always been like this." she said.

"No way." Ryan said with shock.

"Take a look around." Adelina said. "All of these damages imply this has been happening for a long time." Dean didn't say anything. He remained silent. "Team Armageddon takes advantage of these pokemon by telling them their living conditions are the guild's fault."

"Isn't it?" Dean asked.

"No." Adelina answered. "It's not the Guild's fault. It's the system's fault. Not the guild system, but the monarchy. Kings and Queens abuse their power by raising taxes. Some pokemon can keep up with the raises, but others aren't smart enough. Other pokemon get too sick for work, which puts their families into a state of poverty. Taxes start to pile up and pokemon can't pay for them. They need to sell their homes to feed their families and pay the king by taxes. Pokemon are forced to live in the bad parts of town. Then Team Armageddon takes advantage of them by saying it's the guild's fault and that they need to revolt. It causes civil war in a town."

"We can fix this, right?" Ryan asked. "My team has seen areas of Ganderosa where there isn't any poverty."

"Where?" Adelina asked. "Kerroshia?"

"Thesix." Ryan said.

"It's the same wherever you turn. Please don't think that this problem exists in a single town. This problem exists wherever you go. You just need to look where the king doesn't want you to."

"The king doesn't want us here?" Dean asked.

"No." Adelina said. "He doesn't. He wants you to stay away from this part of town. Pokemon call it the Red Strip because they think it's where all of the bad pokemon live, but that's not true." Adelina walked onwards. Ryan and Dean followed.

After a while, some pokemon watched the group like hawks. Ryan couldn't help but notice shards of glass in the street with blood on them. He stared at the place with a look of concern. _How can pokemon live like this? Is the king responsible? If he is, I'll give him a piece of my mind when he comes to Palando._

"Hey, you three." a voice called out to Ryan from behind. Ryan turned around.

There was a pokemon that was about three and a half feet tall. The pokemon was a quadrupedal pokemon. It had white fur covering most of its body. The parts that weren't covered in fur were black. The pokemon had a round head with a small muzzle. It came out for three inches and ended at a nose. The pokemon had two teeth protruding from its upper lip. The most noticeable feature of the pokemon was the massive, black scythe that came off of its forehead. Ryan could see its red eyes stare at him.

"What is it?" Ryan asked suspiciously.

"What's a group of three pretty pokemon like yourselves doing down here?" the absol asked.

"We're looking for a friend." Adelina said.

"I know everyone down here in the Red Strip." the absol said confidently. "I can probably take you to him for a price."

"We're good." Adelina said. "Thanks for the offer."

"Miss," the absol said. "If you have to go, I just need to warn you. There are bad pokemon down here who do bad things to little girls such as yourself. I could give you safe passage through here if you give me your bag."

Ryan gritted his teeth. "Is that a threat?" he asked.

"Not at all." the absol said. "Just a warning."

"Hey, buddy." Dean cut in. "We're busy looking for a pokemon. We can't help you look for trouble as well."

"Do you want to get hurt, buddy?" the absol asked with a glint in his eyes.

Dean walked up to the absol. He grabbed the pokemon by his blade. The absol gave a gasp. He started kicking at Dean. Dean just held him at arms length. "Choose your next words carefully." Dean said with anger.

"I'm sorry!" the absol said. "Please don't hurt me!"

"Dean," Adelina said. "Put him down."

Dean looked at Adelina. He then turned towards the absol. "If you mess with us, I will personally kill you. Understand?"

"Yes sir!" the absol yelled. "Just please let me go!" Dean put the absol on the ground. The pokemon ran away into an alley.

"I feel bad for that absol." Adelina said.

"Yeah." Dean said. "He's poor in brain power."

"It isn't his fault." Adelina snapped. "He probably needed some money to eat."

"Whatever." Dean said. "Let's just go." Ryan stared at Dean. What he did reminded Ryan of Dean's attack he pulled back on the border between Alka and Kerroshia. He stared at the machoke. He thought about how Dean had done the same exact thing to that absol. He wondered how many other pokemon he made fear him in order to gain compliance.

Adelina waved to the two pokemon and they moved forwards.

* * *

"Here we are." Adelina said. The group of three were on the doorstep of a run-down house that was between a bunch of other houses just like it. There was a number on the door. It was, "42". Ryan couldn't hear anything from inside. Adelina knocked on the door.

"One second." a voice called out.

The three pokemon waited for a few seconds. Ryan began humming to himself. Adelina looked at him and smiled.

"I haven't heard you hum that in a long time. "Adelina said. Ryan stopped.

"I don't think about my parents very much anymore."

"That's right." Adelina said. "That's the song your mother use to sing to you."

"It's been too long, Addi." Ryan stated sadly.

"I know." Adelina said sympathetically.

The door opened. Ryan was staring at a pokemon that was three feet tall. It looked like Bolt, but it was orange and larger than him. The pokemon had a long, thin tail with a lightning bolt on the end. The lightning bolt didn't have a tip. Instead, it looked chopped. Ryan could tell by that feature that the pokemon in front of him was female. She had mouse-like ears that curved at the end. The pokemon had a white stomach. It was orange with yellow cheeks.

"And who might you two be?" the raichu asked.

"Hello, Ms. Raimi." Adelina said. "My name is Adelina. We've met before."

"Oh." Ms. Raimi said. "I see now. You're one of Bolt's teammates from when he worked at the Guild."

"Yes, ma'am." Adelina said. "And these are my... Associates. This is Ryan Simon." Adelina gestured to Ryan. Ryan gave a quick wave. "And this is-"

"I'm Dean Pearson." Dean cut in.

"Nice to meet all of you." Ms. Raimi said. "Please, come in." The raichu stepped to the side. Adelina, Dean, and Ryan stepped into the house.

Ryan was immediately concerned. The entirety of the house consisted of three rooms: the living room, the bath room, and a kitchen. The most shocking thing was that Ryan could tell that was the whole house because he could see it all from the living room. The living room consisted of a couch and some blankets on the floor. Ryan noticed there was a baby's crib in the room next to the couch. The kitchen was smaller than the living room. It had a few cupboards and a stove. Charred wood could be seen through a broken door underneath the stove. All of the walls were a worn green color. The floor was made of wood, but Ryan could tell it wasn't taken care of. There were notches all over it.

"If you could please keep the noise level down," Ms. Raimi said. "The baby's trying to sleep." The raichu walked across the living room towards the kitchen. "Would you kids like anything?"

"We're good." Ryan said. Adelina went over to the crib. She stared into it. Ryan walked to it as well. He was annoyed to see he couldn't even reach the top. _Curse my small body._ Ryan looked through the bars. He saw a little pokemon laying in the crib. It had a blanket covering most of its body. Its head was the only thing visible. Ryan guessed it was only a foot tall. The pokemon had triangular ears with black edges. Its head looked like a sphere. It had a small nose with pink cheeks. Ryan knew it was a pichu.

"How old is she?" Adelina asked.

"She'll be two and a half in a week." Ms. Raimi stated.

"What's her name?" Ryan asked.

"Suzie." Adelina said.

"Where's Bolt?" Dean asked.

"He's at the battlefield." Ms. Raimi said. She walked into the living room. "Why don't you all take a seat? He should be back any minute."

"Alright." Dean said with a grin. He walked over to the couch and sat down. What he didn't realize was that he was too big for it. He took up over half of it. Ryan and Adelina decided to sit on the floor instead. Ms. Raimi did the same.

"So why do you want to see my son?" Ms. Raimi asked.

"We wanted to see how he was doing." Adelina said.

"We also wanted to see if he was quitting the guild." Dean stated.

"Already?" Ms. Raimi asked.

"I know how hard Koa's death is on Bolt," Adelina said. "Believe me. I wish the guild would give him more time. But the Guildleader wanted us to at least ask."

"So, Ms. Raimi," Dean began. "Is Bolt quitting the guild?"

"Dean!" Adelina snapped quietly.

"It's a fair question." Dean said.

Ms. Raimi gave a sigh. "Come with me." Ms. Raimi got up and walked towards the house's exit. Dean, Adelina, and Ryan followed.

* * *

They were all on the doorstep. Ms. Raimi waited for everyone to exit the home. She closed the door and turned to the group.

"Bolt's a fighter." she stated. "Always has been. His father and I got sick once. As a result, we couldn't keep up with the taxes. We had to come here to have a home. Bolt was left with a decision. Instead of quitting like every other thirteen year old boy would do, he decided to fight for his family. When his father died from that same sickness, he trudged on with life. He fought to move on. When Suzie hatched, no day care would take care of her because of where we live. I didn't know what to do. That's when Bolt went to the guild. He stayed there and made that his home. All of the money he got from working there, he sent to me so I could take care of Suzie. A sixteen year old boy took on the responsibility of taking care of his family. Bolt fought for everything. Best of all, he was happy.

"But that wasn't enough. He had to suffer through another hardship. Koa's death took its toll on Bolt. He's been spending most of his time at the arena, fighting other pokemon." Ms. Raimi looked at Dean. Ryan couldn't help but notice she had tears in her eyes. "Don't you ever say that my son quit anything. The world quit on him. His entire world fell apart in the course of three years and he's been trying to keep up with it."

Dean looked at Ms. Raimi with shame. "I'm sorry, ma'am." Dean said. "I had no idea."

Adelina moved towards Ms. Raimi. "Is he alright?" she asked.

"He hasn't been the same since Koa died." Ms. Raimi said. She began crying. "Koa was always there to help Bolt through his troubles. I don't know what to do for him. I just wanted him to be happy."

"Ms. Raimi," Adelina began. "Me and Bolt are friends. I promise you that I didn't come here to give him one last chance to join the guild. I came here to help my friend. I'm going to help him out of the hole he's trapped in. I'm going to help him get better."

"I don't know if that's possible." Ms. Raimi said. Her crying worsened.

"Don't say that." Ryan said sternly.

"Ryan-" Adelina said.

"No, Addi." Ryan interrupted. "Sometimes people need to hear the truth of the matter or they won't look past the bad." He moved towards Ms. Raimi. "Don't you dare give up on Bolt." Ryan said sternly. "If you, his own mother, quit on Bolt, then you might as well hope for it to happen. Don't give up on Bolt; not when he needs you most. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

"Yes..." Ms. Raimi said through her own tears.

"Don't give up on Bolt; not ever." Ryan said calmly to prove his point.

Ms. Raimi straightened her back. Adelina reached into her bag. She pulled out a handkerchief.

"Here." Adelina offered. She handed the handkerchief to Ms. Raimi.

"Thank you, dear." Ms. Raimi said as she whipped her tears with the rag. She handed it to Adelina who put it back into her bag.

"Are you going to be alright?" Adelina asked Ms. Raimi.

"Yes." the raichu said. She turned towards Ryan. "Thank you."

"We need to be going." Adelina told Ms. Raimi. "It was nice seeing you again."

"You, too." Ms. Raimi said. "Please give my regards to the Guildleader."

"I will." Adelina said. Ms. Raimi walked into the house and shut the door. Adelina turned towards Dean. Ryan was shocked to see Adelina plant her fist in his stomach. Dean doubled backwards from the hit. "You are the most arrogant pokemon I have ever met in my life!" Adelina yelled. "How could you ask something so insensitive like that to Bolt's own mother?" Dean was wheezing on the floor. "I don't care if Arceus himself told you to be on this team! I want you to leave! You've caused nothing but problems since we left the guild and I can't take it anymore!"

Dean got up. He started glaring at Adelina. "You think I'm the issue?" he yelled. "I saved you from that absol incase you've already forgotten!"

"You're too insensitive for this mission!" Adelina shouted. "If you can't keep your mouth under control, then you'll do more damage to Bolt than good! Just go back to the guild!"

"No way!" Dean said. "When I take a mission, I finish it!"

"I said go back!" Adelina shouted. She reached into the air with both paws. Two orange swords materialized out of thin air. Adelina spun around and threw the swords at Dean. Dean didn't even flinch. The swords passed through him. _This is getting out of hand._

"Did you think that would do anything?" Dean asked.

"Get out of here!" Adelina shouted. She flung her tongue at Dean.

"Addi, stop!" Ryan shouted as he tackled Adelina's tongue. Ryan stood in the way of Dean.

"Move, Ryan!" Adelina shouted.

"You can't attack Dean!" Ryan stated.

"Step aside, pipsqueak." Dean said. "If she wants to fight, let her."

"Addi," Ryan began. "Sure Dean was out of line with what he said. You might want to punch his face in and so do I."

"I'd like to see you try." Dean said.

Ryan glared at Dean. "Shut it." he said. The pachirisu looked back at Adelina. "Fighting Dean isn't what this mission is about. You said it yourself. It's about helping our friend get through a difficult time in his life. Don't make this about Dean."

"I can't let him come along!" Adelina shouted. "He'll make things worse on Bolt!"

"I know." Ryan said. He turned towards Dean. "Go back to the guild, Dean."

"Or what, pipsqueak?" Dean asked with a glare. "You'll hurt me?"

 _Time to stand up to him._ "I'll tell everyone about what you did here; including Garth."

"And how does that hurt me?" Dean asked.

"Sabotaging the mission with your personal feelings isn't going to sit right with Garth. If it wasn't for me and Adelina, Bolt might've come home to a crying mother. I don't think he'd like finding out you caused it. That could have gotten in the way of the mission." Dean gave a grimace. "So, like I said before, go back before you end the mission."

Dean scowled at Ryan for a few seconds. He then gave a huff. "Like I wanted to be here anyways." He turned his back on Ryan and Adelina and walked off. Ryan turned towards Adelina.

"You got him to leave?" Adelina asked.

"He's just a jerk who needs to be told when to leave." Ryan said. "But, now that he's gone, I guess it doesn't matter. Let's go find Bolt."

Adelina and Ryan started walking together towards the green tower in the distance. They walked out of the Red Strip, taking a turn whenever needed.

Adelina gave a sigh. "Ryan, there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"What is it, Addi?" Ryan asked.

"It's about Arlon." Adelina stopped walking. Ryan stopped as well. He looked at Adelina.

"What about him?" Ryan asked with concern.

"He said you know what happened to my parents." Adelina stated.

"He did?" Ryan asked. He felt his head get hotter. "And you believe him?" _No! Not now! It's too soon!_

"I know Arlon is the bad guy," Adelina started. "But he got me thinking about why you left."

"And?" Ryan asked.

"You still haven't told me." Adelina said.

"I did." Ryan said. "I told you that some pokemon were hunting me down."

"You haven't told me exactly what happened."

"I can't." Ryan said. _Why won't she just drop it?_

"But you can." Adelina chided.

"Please stop." Ryan said sternly. "Why can't I have secrets?"

"You can't if it involves my parents." Adelina said.

"I never said I know what happened to your parents." Ryan said.

"Do you?"

"No, I don't." Ryan said. He felt his stomach drop. _Stop it, conscience. This isn't the first time I've lied, so just stop!_ Ryan kept a straight face, intent on not letting Adelina know he's lying to her. _Besides, if I tell her, she'd be in danger._

Adelina looked at the ground. "I'm sorry." she said. "This mission is getting to me. It's making me remember what happened in Castellum Town. I'm sorry I accused you. I shouldn't have believed that murderer."

"Addi." Ryan said. He felt his conscience gripping at his chest, urging him to tell Adelina. _It's to protect her. She can't know; no one can._ "Forget about it. I promise I'll try to get your parents back, no matter what it takes."

"Thank you, Ry." Adelina seemed sincere. She gave him a smile. She looked ahead. The two began walking again. "Remember when we first met?" Adelina asked.

"I wish I could forget." Ryan admitted. "I was too weird back then."

"You're still weird." Adelina said with a laugh.

"Alright." Ryan said. "But you can't say you weren't weird, too."

"Hard to believe we've known each other for a year."

"That long?" Ryan sounded shocked.

"Exactly." Adelina said.

 _A whole year. Hard to believe it's been that long. It only seems like a few months to me. I clearly remember walking into Castellum Town, wondering what I was going to do next._

"You looked so scared when I first found you." Adelina said.

"I was." Ryan said. "I was in a new part of Ganderosa for the first time. Coming into that diner was one of the best things that happened to me. What was it called again?"

"Grub Grub's." Adelina said with a smile.

"That name was so stupid." Ryan said with a groan. "And the food was even worse!"

"I wasn't that bad!" Adelina said playfully.

"You poisoned me and fifteen others with the "Grub Grub Special"." Ryan said with a smile.

"I'm better now." Adelina said.

"Relax." Ryan said. "If you didn't mess up the recipe, I wouldn't have complained."

"Ooh!" Adelina said. "Your words hurt like daggers in my cooking soul!"

"It wasn't that bad." Ryan said.

"Oh really?" Adelina asked. "If I recall, you said my dish was, and I quote; "An abomination that should have never been conceived; let alone created in the very existence of the universe"."

"I felt drugged." Ryan said. "That meal did that to me."

Adelina gave a smile at Ryan. She then looked ahead. "We're here."

Ryan looked ahead at the stadium. From here he could hear cheering coming from inside. He also heard a lot of "Boo"s. Ryan and Adelina walked up the stairs and into the stadium.

* * *

Ryan and Adelina looked down into the battlefield. They could see two pokemon were battling it out. Bolt could be seen at the bottom. His opponent was a walrein. The loudred announcer was above the stadium, like usual, announcing the fight.

"And E. B. takes another hit!" the announcer said. Ryan watched the fight attentively. Bolt was facing the walrein. He looked pretty beat up. On the other hand, the walrein looked like he was thoroughly annoyed.

"What happened to the infamous E. B.?" the walrein yelled. "You use to be powerful; feared throughout the higher ranks in fighting tournaments. Now look at you. What happened to the pikachu we all knew?"

"You're about to find out!" Bolt shouted. Bolt dropped on all fours and started running at the walrein.

"Can E. B. pull it off, folks?" the announcer asked. "Can E. B. Land this hit and make a come-back?"

Bolt was surrounded with electricity. He was a yellow blur. Bolt rushed the walreign. The walrein didn't even flinch. He swished his tail at Bolt. A wave of water swept through the field, crashing towards Bolt. Bolt saw the immenent danger, but he couldn't do anything. He tried to move out of the wave's way. His momentum didn't let him. Bolt barely turned before the wave crashed into the pikachu, soaking him.

"That's it folks!" the announcer said. "It's all over! Horrace wins; three to nothing!" Half of the crowd errupted into cheers while the other half looked at the field with dissapointment. Ryan looked at Bolt who was staring at the walrein with confusion and anger. Bolt began slamming his paw into a puddle of water at his side.

"Pathetic!" the walrein yelled. Everyone quieted down for the wareighn. "Four weeks ago, I fought E. B. And I was destroyed! He was an excelent fighter! I respected the Electric Blur! Pokemon feared that name; looked up to it! Now look at you! You couldn't even land one hit on me!" Bolt grimmaced. "You were once on the top of this arena. Now look at you. Quit while some pokemon remember who you use to be." The walrein turned away from Bolt and waddled off. No one in the crowd spoke.

"W-Well there you have it, folks." the announcer said; obviously flustered by the words of that walrein. "Th-That's all for today! Come again later for another glorious fight between the Erruptor and fan favorite, the Helix Horror!"

The crowd got up from their seats and began leaving the arena. Ryan heard plenty of comments.

"What happened to E. B.?"

"That match sucked."

"Momma, why is E. B. So bad?"

Ryan looked into the arena. The announcer was inside, talking to Bolt. Bolt looked at the announcer with annoyance in his eyes. Ryan went down the steps of the arena with Adelina following.

"Bolt!" Ryan shouted as he jumped down from the last row of seats and into the battle ground.

Bolt and the announcer looked over to Ryan. The announcer gave a smile.

"Mr. Simon." the announcer said. "If I remember, you held your ground against E. B. Weeks ago. Surely you've only gotten better. Would you please consider battling in the arena some time? I'm sure you'll bring in a crowd."

"Pete." Bolt cut in.

"Right." the announcer, Pete, turned towards Bolt. "Like I was saying, you have one more chance to give the crowd a fight they'll appreciate. If you don't, I'll have to remove you from the arena."

"You can't do that!" Bolt shouted. "I've worked so hard; put in so much energy! I've given this place so many pokemon that you've been able to pay off your debt! Most of all, this is how I feed my family! You can't take this away from me!"

"I'm sorry," Pete said. "But I make my money off of this place. You're disappointing the fans. As a result, we've been losing money. Half of the crowd votes against you and the rest is still with you because they're hard-core fans. You're disappointing them. It would be best if you just retired."

"I can't do that." Bolt said.

"Then get your head on straight." Pete told him. He gave a sigh. "I'm sorry, but I've run out of options. I can't go to the Red Strip-"

"And I can?" Bolt asked. "I understand how it is. Go on. Be with your fat-delcatties at the top while you step on us at the bottom."

"You know I don't make enough money for th-"

"I don't want to hear it." Bolt snapped. He turned away from Pete. He went over to a wall and started hitting it with his fist. Pete gave a sigh.

"Are you ok?" Adelina asked.

"I don't know what to do." Pete said. "I wish I could help, but I've done all I can. My hands are tied." Pete walked off of the battle field.

Ryan looked at Bolt. He walked over to the pikachu.

"Hey, Bolt." Ryan said. "Long-time no-see."

Bolt stopped hitting the wall. He turned to Ryan. Ryan looked at Bolt's white bandages around his hands. They looked dirty. He then looked at Bolt himself. Bolt looked roughed up. He had bruises on different spots of his body. His lip had a small stream of blood going down to his chin. Bolt went back to the wall. Ryan also noticed a scar on Bolt's face above his left eye.

"Why are you here?" Bolt asked as he planted his fist in the wall.

"Bolt," Adelina said. "We're here to see if you're alright."

"Well, I'm fine." Bolt said. "Now you know."

"Where have you been?" Adelina asked.

"Anywhere but the guild." Bolt said.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Ryan asked.

Bolt hit the wall again. He then turned to Ryan. "I'm fine." he snapped.

"Really?" Ryan asked. "I think you've been losing in fights here. Why do you think that is?"

"I don't know." Bolt said.

"We went to see you at your mom's house." Ryan said. Bolt's eye twitched.

"You saw my mom?" Bolt asked.

"We did." Adelina said. "And she's terribly worried about you, Bolt. She's worried you've given up."

Bolt turned back to the wall. He hit it again.

"Stop worrying." Bolt said. "I'm fine."

"Bolt," Ryan said. "Stop lying. You're not fine."

"What do you know, Ryan?" Bolt snapped. He got up close to Ryan. "You have no idea what I'm feeling, so how do you know if I'm fine?"

"Bolt." a pokemon called from behind Ryan. Ryan turned around slowly. He knew who the voice belonged to.

"I thought we told you to go back to the Guild." Ryan said coldly to Dean.

"Like I care." Dean stated. He looked at Bolt. "I want you to fight me."

"I'm not in the mood." Bolt said.

"Come on, Butterfingers." Dean said. "I saw that pathetic example of a fight you showed the crowd. We both know that isn't you. Now you can fight that wall or you can fight me."

"You think I want to fight you?" Bolt asked. "I don't have time for this." Bolt turned towards Ryan and Adelina. "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm fine." He turned away from the two and began walking off.

"I came all the way out here for a fight, Butterfingers." Dean shouted. "Are you really going to walk away from me?" Bolt didn't respond. "I don't know what Koa saw in you."

Adelina looked at Dean with wide eyes. She looked on the verge of blowing Dean to smithereens. Ryan squinted his eyes.

"Dean!" Adelina shouted angrily.

Bolt stood there. Ryan watched as his fist began shaking.

"That was the last straw!" Ryan shouted. He was about to run up on Dean.

"Stop, Ryan." Bolt said. Ryan stood still. He turned towards Bolt. Bolt turned around to face Dean. He looked very angry. "He's mine."

"Thank you." Dean said.

"I'm going to put you in the hospital." Adelina stated.

"You don't have to, Adelina." Bolt said. "He wants to get beaten, then he can."

"Let's go, Butterfingers." Dean stated. He walked to one side of the stadium. Bolt walked to the other.

"Get out of the arena." Bolt told Adelina and Ryan. They complied. They went through a door on the side of the battle field's wall that led to the seats. Ryan and Adelina sat in the front row.

"Get him, Bolt." Adelina said quietly as she and Ryan watched the two opposing pokemon. _Wonder how Dean's going to fight. Other than the riot in the guild, I've hardly seen Dean's battle style. I want Bolt to crush Dean, but at the same time I'm curious what moves Dean has to fight with._

"You ready, Butterfingers?" Dean asked.

"Stop calling me that all of the time!" Bolt snapped.

"I'm never letting you live it down." Dean said with a smirk.

Adelina turned towards Ryan and said, "He calls Bolt "Butterfingers" because when Dean first joined, Bolt accidentally dropped a brick on Dean's stupid head."

 _Truthfully, I could care less for Dean's reasoning. The guy's a jerk. As far as I'm concerned, he just did it for some reason along the lines of revenge._

The two fighters stood there, staring. Minutes went by.

"What are you waiting for?" Dean asked. Bolt broke away from his position and started running up on Dean. He jumped above Dean and stuck his paw out in a Brick Break attack. Dean looked at Bolt with eyes of anticipation. He moved out of the way of Bolt's attack. He then elbowed Bolt in the back of the head. Bolt stumbled forwards. He went for about two feet before regaining his balance.

Bolt turned around to face Dean. Dean was just standing there, looking at Bolt. Bolt yelled and rushed towards Dean. He went into a volt tackle attack. Dean looked at Bolt and waited until the last second. He dodged the attack and grabbed Bolt's tail. Bolt looked back with fear. Dean used Bolt like a mace. He used Bolt's momentum to gain speed. Dean swung the yellow ball of electricity in three circles before letting go. Bolt went flying into the wall next to Ryan and Adelina. He slammed into the wall with so much force, Ryan felt the vibrations in his seat.

"Bolt!" Adelina shouted. She got up and looked over the wall. Ryan tried to do the same, but he couldn't see over the stone.

"Dang it, Bolt." Dean said. "Where's the pokemon I wanted to fight!"

"Shut it, Dean!" Bolt shouted. "You don't know anything about why I fight! You can't tell me I'm not at my best without realizing my reason for being in this stadium!"

"I do understand!" Dean shouted. "So fight me with all you've got!"

Bolt rushed from the wall, back into Ryan's view. He was right in front of Dean. He started bashing at Dean with punches that were seemingly at random. Ryan watched each punch Bolt hit Dean with. He then watched Dean. _He isn't attacking. Why isn't he attacking?_

"Get him, Bolt!" Adelina shouted.

Ryan continued to watch Bolt's moves. _Wait a minute. Is Bolt attacking with random hits?_

"Fight me for real!" Dean shouted. "Do it like you mean it!"

"I am!" Bolt shouted.

"Don't lie." Dean said lazily. "You're not focusing on the fight. Stop being Bolt and be E. B. For more than three seconds."

"Stop telling me to fight and fight yourself!" Bolt yelled.

Dean tilted his head. "Alright." he said. Dean's eyes focused on Bolt's punches. _He's going to get his butt kicked._ Dean caught a right hook to his chest. He twisted his arm. Bolt gave a cry of pain as Dean flipped Bolt over. Adelina gave a gasp. Ryan cringed instinctually. Dean threw Bolt onto the floor.

"Come on, Butterfingers!" Dean said. "I'm not even giving you ten percent! You need to try!"

"I did try!" Bolt yelled. "You're too strong! Everyone is!"

Ryan jumped off of the seat and into the battlefield. He ran up to Bolt. "Spit it out." he said.

"What are you doing in here?" Dean asked.

"Bolt," Ryan said. "Tell me what's on your mind."

"What are you talking about?" Bolt said.

"Your fighting style is sloppy." Ryan said. "It's wrong. I've seen you fight. You plan on your opponents attacks and set up a counter. You plan ahead. Right now, you're just throwing random punches. That tells me you're not in the battle. Therefore, your mind is drifting to other things." Bolt looked at Ryan with shock. "So, what's on your mind that you can't focus on this fight?"

Bolt looked downwards. "None of you know anything about me." he stated.

"I do." Adelina chimed in. Bolt looked up at Adelina. He looked hurt. "I know that you love your family. I know that Koa helped you out of a tough place by giving you that crystal you wear around your neck. I know that you help anyone who needs it. I know you've faced a lot of hardships in your life. I know that our friend died and there was nothing we could do to change that-"

"That's where you're wrong!" Bolt shouted at Adelina.

"This is about Koa, isn't it?" Ryan asked. His expression turned into one of sympathy.

"That shiftree killed him and it's my fault!" Bolt shouted.

"Bolt," Adelina started. "That isn't true."

"It is!" Bolt had tears flowing down his cheeks. He stood up and began gripping at his Z-Crystal. "I wasn't strong enough! Koa had to sacrifice himself because I couldn't beat Arlon!"

"Is that why you've been here all the time?" Adelina asked. "To train yourself?"

"It hasn't worked." Bolt said sadly. Ryan could tell he was starting to lose his hostile tone. "I keep losing battles that everyone expects me to win."

"But why give up on the guild?" Dean asked.

"Because," Ryan started. "You don't want to put yourself in that position again." Bolt nodded sadly.

"Bolt." Adelina said. She hugged Bolt. He pressed his body against hers. "It isn't your fault that Koa died. Personally, I blame myself."

Bolt broke away from Adelina. "You blame yourself?" he asked.

"I wanted us to go to Castellum Town to find my parents. If I hadn't asked you and Koa to go, he might still be here."

"That isn't your fault." Bolt said. "You needed to know if your parents were alright. You can't blame yourself."

"Then don't blame yourself for Koa dying. It was Arlon's fault and now he's paying for it."

Bolt remained silent. Tears continued to fall from his face, but he didn't make a sound.

"Are you going to be alright?" Adelina asked Bolt.

"I miss him." Bolt said. More tears flowed down his face.

"I know." Adelina said. "I do, too. But we need to carry on. He would've wanted that."

"Are you sure?" Bolt asked.

"Sure I'm sure." Adelina said.

Bolt sat there with Adelina for a minute before saying, "Alright." He looked up and dried his eyes on his bandages. "I think I know a name for our team."

"What's that?" Ryan asked.

"Team B. A. K. Or "Bak" for short."

Adelina gave a smile. She then started tearing up. "I like it." she said, trying to keep herself from crying. Bolt turned towards Dean. "I'm ready to finish our fight." he said.

Dean smiled. "Finally." he said. "I'm raring to go!"

"Alright, then." Ryan said. "Let's do th-" Suddenly, Ryan was interrupted by a massive noise like a tuning fork. It came and went in seconds. Ryan, Adelina, Bolt, and Dean were all silent.

After thirty seconds or so, Ryan said, "Anyone else hear that?"

"What was it?" Dean asked.

A green light flashed out of no where in front of Ryan. He had to shield his eyes with his paws so the light wouldn't permanently etch a pattern on his retina. The tuning fork noise was back as well. It continued to last for seconds.

"What is that?" Ryan shouted over the fork.

"I don't know!" Adelina shouted. Then, it all stopped.

The four pokemon lowered their paws slowly to check if the light was still blinding. They all looked ahead. Ryan dropped all precautions once he saw the source of the light. It was a green crystal that was suspended on a string that hung around a blue pokemon's neck. Ryan knew something else was up. He looked more carefully at the pokemon.

"Dillan?" Ryan called out. Dillan was on the ground. His green crystal, the one Reya had given him, was casting a green light on the surrounding area. There were two other pokemon with Dillan. Ryan easily identified the charmeleon as Hazel while the other one was an empoleon he hadn't seen before. The three pokemon were unconscious.

Ryan ran up to Dillan. He checked for breathing. Ryan felt his breaths, but they were shaky. He felt Hazel's. He didn't feel anything. Ryan felt for a heart beat. He was horrified to see that he couldn't feel one.

"Get a doctor!" Ryan shouted at the group. He looked at Hazel. _Remember your training. They taught CPR to everyone at your school. This probably wasn't their reason for it, but here goes nothing!_ Ryan began performing CPR on the charmeleon. He opened her mouth and breathed into it. He then started pressing on her chest. _One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Repeat._ He breathed into her mouth again. _Come on, Hazel! Breathe!_ Ryan continued CPR.

"Can I help with anything?" Bolt asked frantically.

Ryan didn't pay attention. He continued CPR. "Don't you die on me, Hazel!" Ryan shouted. He kept pressing on her chest. _There has to be something more I can do!_ Ryan thought about different techniques his older brother had taught him from when he was training to be a doctor. _That might work!_

"Bolt, take my paw!" Ryan shouted. Bolt thrust his paw into Ryan's. Ryan pressed his cheeks to Hazel's chest. "Clear!" he shouted. Ryan gave a jolt of electricity through Hazel's body. Hazel took a deep breath inwards. She jolted upright and grabbed Ryan by the paw. Ryan looked at Hazel with worry.

"Daddy!" Hazel screamed. She breathed deeply and rapidly.

"Hazel," Adelina said. "It's alright. Just breathe and calm down." Hazel stared at her surroundings. "Where am I?" Hazel asked frantically. Ryan saw she kept looking up at the sky.

"You're back in Palando Town." Ryan told Hazel.

"Where's Jake?" Hazel asked fearfully. She wouldn't take her eyes from the sky.

"Hazel, who's Jake?" Ryan asked. Hazel looked away from the sky to Ryan.

"Ryan?" Hazel asked.

"Hazel, you're scaring me." Ryan said. "Are you alright?"

"I-..." Hazel stopped herself. Her eyes started darting around the place wildly. "Ryan, no I'm not ok." She looked at the pachirisu. "I saw something I don't want to ever see again."

"What was it?" Ryan asked.

"I-..." Hazel stuttered. "I-..." Hazel stopped and thought for a moment. "It was a massive, black... creature with... red eyes in the sky."

Ryan froze. He stared at Hazel. "Th-That's not possible." Ryan said.

"But I saw it." Hazel insisted.

 _Hazel couldn't have. It isn't possible. Then again... Hazel seems pretty sure of herself. But it can't be. It only exists in my dreams._

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys! MasterKnight2142 here with shout outs to IDfiction, Lol7908, and I'm-probably-sleeping! Thank you guys for favoriting/following the story! Glad you guys like it! Another shoutout to those of you who are following the story from the shadows! I can still tell you're reading it, so thanks! Glad everyone has lasted to this point!

Thanks for reading the story! See you guys in the next chapter!


	22. The Guild's Directives

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 22

The Guild's Directives

* * *

"Dillan." a voice called out. Dillan looked around him. He couldn't see anything.

"What's going on?" Dillan shouted. "Where am I?"

"Relax, human." the voice called out.

"Who are you?" Dillan asked.

"A friend, but we don't have much time. Go to Frost Island Village. There is a pub called Bubba's Fine Dine. Go to the bar and ask for Trinity Fitz. Do you understand?"

"What's going on?" Dillan asked. He had no idea who this voice was or what was going on. All he knew was he felt very unsafe and he didn't like that feeling at all.

"Dillan," the voice said again. "Frost Ice Village. Go to Bubba's Fine Dine and ask for Trinity Fitz. Do you understand?"

"Alright!" Dillan shouted. "Just get me out of here!" Dillan heard a sound like a tuning fork vibrate in his head. He felt like vomiting. The vibrations rattled in his brain. He passed out.

* * *

Dillan opened his eyes slowly. He felt exhausted. The gabite tried to stand.

"Dillan, wait." Adelina said as she rushed over to him for support.

"Adelina?" Dillan asked. "Where am I?" Dillan tried to remember what had happened. His mind flashed back to Jake. He looked in the sky fearfully for a black tendril to strike at him. He didn't see anything. The sky was clear and blue. He took a look at his surroundings. He found himself in the middle of the arena at Palando. Bolt, Ryan, Adelina, and Hazel. Everyone other than Hazel was standing. Dillan found Tracey's dad was sprawled out on the ground. "What happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me." Bolt said.

"Step aside!" a voice demanded. Dillan looked ahead. There was a persian with a white hat. The hat had a red cross on the front. Behind the persian was Dean. Dillan looked at the machoke suspiciously. The doctor ran over to the empoleon.

"Dillan," Adelina said. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Dillan told her. He tried to recall what had happened earlier. "I found Tracey's dad. That's when I started searching Reya's bag-" Dillan stopped himself. He looked around him.

"What's wrong?" Adelina asked.

"Reya's bag!" Dillan shouted frantically. "It's not here!"

"Dillan," Ryan said. He grabbed Dillan's arm. The gabite looked at the pachirisu. "That's not the most important thing right now." He pointed towards Tracey's dad. "He is." Dillan looked at him. The doctor was over his body, checking his vital signs.

"I need to get him to the Guild." the doctor said. He turned to Dean. "Can you carry him?"

"Of course I can." Dean said. He walked over to the empoleon. He grabbed the pokemon like it was nothing. The doctor led the way while Dean followed. Adelina and Bolt followed as well. Dillan stood up and looked for Hazel. She was next to Ryan, but she looked up at the sky with fear.

"Are you ok?" Dillan asked Hazel.

Hazel didn't answer. She looked at the sky with a face of horror.

"Hazel," Ryan said. "Look at me." Hazel turned towards the pachirisu. She looked into his eyes with complete and utter terror. _Did Jake really scare Hazel that badly? I mean, I was scared, but she seems petrified._ "It's going to be alright."

"That thing-" Hazel said fearfully as she looked back up at the sky.

"Hazel," Ryan interrupted as he snapped his paws at Hazel to draw her attention. "Focus on me.

Tell me what happened."

"Well..." Hazel started slowly, trying to keep calm. "The thing is, I'm not sure _what_ happened. You see, we were in the Lantern Fields."

"Why'd you go there?" Ryan asked.

"You remember that glaceon who attacked the guild a few weeks ago?" Dillan asked.

"Yeah." Ryan said. "What about her?"

"When you left, she came to us for help." Dillan said. "Her father went to Lantern Fields and got lost. We went to rescue him and bring him here."

"Anyways," Hazel started. She seemed to be losing the fear in her voice with each word that she stated. "Out of nowhere, some giant red eyes appeared in the sky above us..." Hazel stopped. A look of shock appeared on her face. She turned to Dillan. "You knew who that was, didn't you?"

Dillan felt his face getting hotter. "W-Well..." _Why am I hesitating? It wasn't anything to hide. Just come out with it._ "I've seen him in my dreams."

Ryan looked at Dillan with shock. "Really?"

"Yeah." Dillan answered nervously. "Why?"

"Did he do anything?" Ryan asked. "In your dreams?"

Dillan thought about the question. "There was one time." Dillan started. "I was in a field of grass. I saw a town in the distance. Then, out of nowhere, cracks formed in the ground. Fire started shooting up into the air from the cracks. Half of the town fell into a fissure in the ground. That's when I saw Jake."

"Jake." Hazel stated. "That was his name."

"In a different dream, the black creature told me to call him Jake."

"This is too much." Ryan stated. He sat down on the floor.

"Ryan," Hazel started. "What's wrong?"

"You said his name is Jake?" Ryan asked Dillan. The gabite nodded. "Well, I've seen Jake before."

"You have?" Dillan asked.

"Mhm." Ryan responded. "Many times. You see, he comes to me in my dreams, too. He shows me things that I'd rather forget. In the past, Jake tormented me through nightmares. They still happen, but I've grown so desensitized to what I see that I can ignore it."

"What does he show you?" Hazel asked sympathetically.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Ryan said. "So you met the shadow creature. What happened next?"

"Well," Hazel started again, though her attention seemed divided between the topic and what Ryan had said. "Dillan and Jake had a talk. I didn't hear much of it. I was too frightened by Jake. Something about him seemed familiar and at the same time more terrifying than I could have ever imagined."

"Remember Reya?" Dillan said.

"The imaginary pokemon you followed around?" Ryan said. Dillan scowled at him. "Kidding. Yeah, I remember her.

"Well, she's met with Jake before. Reya thinks he's the Enemy."

"The Enemy." Ryan said.

"Arlon works for the Enemy; or Jake." Dillan stated. "That means the whole time Jake was behind what happened to us when we were kidnapped. Jake said I was a stopping point in his plan. He said he should have killed me before, but he didn't. Honestly, I'm not sure what he was talking about."

"That's really strange." Hazel said.

"I don't like the sound of that one bit." Ryan admitted. "What next?"

"Jake started attacking me and Hazel." Dillan said.

"Actually," Hazel interrupted. "I don't think he even noticed me. He was only attacking you."

"Really?" Dillan asked. _He was targeting me?_

"Anyways," Hazel said. "Tracey's dad started attacking Jake as well. That made Jake attack him and Dillan. Me and Dillan got separated." Hazel looked very scared. "I don't know what was wrong with me. I couldn't move out of fear and when I could, I was too tired to do anything."

"It's fine, Hazel." Dillan assured her. "We ended up being alright in the end. You used the escape orb. You got us out."

"No, I didn't." Hazel said. "I tried to find you, but I was too exhausted. I tripped and blacked out."

"Start over."' Ryan said. "You guys were separated. Then what happened?"

"I found Hazel again." Dillan said. "I told her to use the Escape Orb to get away from Jake. Then, I went to find Tracey's dad so we could escape together. Jake used an attack that split the ground beneath me and Jake. We started falling. Out of nowhere, a green light started shinning from my crystal." Dillan's eyes landed on the green crystal shard that hung below his chin.

"Really?" Ryan asked, obviously intrigued by the talk of his crystal.

"Honestly," Dillan started. "I'm not sure how, but if it wasn't the Escape Orb, then what if it was this crystal that teleported us back here?"

"No way." Ryan exclaimed. "That's not possible."

"I know how it sounds," Dillan said. "But what if that's what happened?"

There was silence flooding the stadium that lasted for a few minutes. Each member of Team Rapture thought about what had been said, trying to make sense of it all. _What other explanation is there?_

"Alright." Ryan said. "How it happened isn't important. The fact of the matter is that you're here now and you're safe."

"I'm worried about Tracey's dad." Hazel said. She began standing up.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Dillan asked.

"I'm alright, now." Hazel assured him. "Let's get going. I want to tell Tracey her father is here."

Dillan nodded. He wanted to do the same thing. Ever since they saw Tracey last, Dillan was worried about her. He wanted to make her feel better, eventhough she had attacked him earlier.

"Wait a minute." Ryan said. Dillan and Hazel turned to face him. "I'm fine with helping the glaceon-"

"Tracey." Dillan interrupted.

"Whatever." Ryan said dismissively. "But I don't think finding her is a good idea. She's probably with those psycos in Team Armageddon right now, wherever they are. Besides. Who's to say the whole thing wasn't some elaborate trap to get you guys killed?"

"Well," Hazel said. "We did find a pokemon who wasn't ferral inside of the Lantern Fields, so that makes the mission worth it in the end. Also, Tracey might be related to the empoleon through a vaporeon mother."

"Alright." Ryan told them. He seemed to be fine with the explanation, but Dillan could tell something was bothering him. The pachirisu didn't seem too interested in arging his point. He seemed to be dividing his attention between the conversation and something else. What that may be, Dillan couldn't say.

"Are you ok?" Dillan asked Ryan.

"I'm fine." Ryan assured. "Let's just go. I know where we can find Trilly."

"Tracey." Hazel corrected.

"Whatever." Ryan said. "You sure you're going to be alright?" he asked Hazel.

"I should be fine now." Hazel said. She took a step forwards. Dillan noticed she was wobbling slightly.

"Let me help." Dillan said.

"Alright." Hazel went over to Dillan. She slung her arm around the gabite for support. "Guess I'm still warn out from before." _I wonder why._ "We're ready."

"Alright." Ryan said. "Let's move out." The reunited Team Rapture began walking out of the arena. As they ascended the steps, Dillan looked at Ryan.

"So how did your mission go?" he asked.

"Bolt should be joining the Guild again." Ryan said.

"That's good." Hazel told him. "Though, I have a different question in mind."

"Shoot." Ryan said.

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to a place that might give us a good fight." Ryan said. "Though, it's probably best to remove our badges..." Ryan trailed off.

Dillan looked at the pachirisu with curiosity. He scanned his arm brace and found the issue. "What happened to your badge?" Dillan asked.

"You lost it?" Hazel questioned as the team reached the top of the stairs.

"I didn't loose it." Ryan told Hazel with annoyance. "Addi has it with her."

"Why does she have your badge?" Hazel asked.

"We went into the Red Strip." Ryan said.

"The what?" Dillan asked.

"Palando has a Red Strip?" Hazel asked. "I thought those only existed in the castles."

"Addi seems to think every place in Ganderosa has a Red Strip regardless of where it is you go." Ryan told them

"What's a Red Strip?" Dillan asked. Ryan walked out of the arena and into the street. There were pokemon walking by. Dillan and Hazel followed Ryan as he merged with the crowd.

"A poorly kept part of a castle where poor pokemon go to survive." Hazel said. "Trust me when I say going to one is bad enough. Living in it is unbearable."

"You had to live in a Red Strip?" Dillan asked.

"With a leaky roof." Hazel replied.

"We're moving away from the topic." Ryan said. "My point is that you two can't have your badges in the place that we're going to. Trust me."

Hazel removed her badge from her scarf with her free arm and set it in her bag. Dillan tried to do the same, but yet again his claw was insufficient.

"Let me help." Hazel said. She moved her head closer to Dillan. Dillan felt uncomfortable. He could feel the heat of her breath like a beam of sunlight on his scales. She touched his bandanna. She attempted to remove his badge with one hand. She then stopped and held Dillan in place. Ryan stopped as well. She removed her arm from Dillan's neck. Now, with both paws, Hazel removed Dillan's badge from his bandanna. She then set the badge in her bag.

"What does this have to do with finding Tracey?" Dillan asked.

"Trust me." Ryan said. "I know where she'll be. Now that you guys have removed your badges, let's go." He started trudging forwards. She smiled to Dillan and walked onwards without him. She seemed slightly wobbly, but it wasn't enough to create a gap between her and Ryan. Dillan followed. He tried to ignore how close Hazel was to him. He focused on the task at hand.

* * *

Ryan stopped at the front of a café. Dillan looked up at the sign. It read, "Harley's Diner".

"I didn't know they had a Harley's here!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Don't get your hopes up." Ryan told her. Dillan looked at the front.

The diner was nice on the outside. Its door was a swinging door one would assume belonged in a western. There were two windows sitting in the cobble stone wall on either side of the swinging door. Dillan looked in one of the windows. There was a piece of paper sitting on the window sill. It read, "No Guildmembers Allowed".

"Yeah." Ryan said. He was looking at the sign as well. "This is the place." He motioned for the two to follow. _This is a bad idea._ Dillan looked to Hazel, pleading to her that they stay away from the café. _We're going to get killed._

"It'll be fine." Hazel said. "Odds are that my dad gives this place its berries like the one in Ferricia. How bad can it be?" Hazel followed Ryan inside the cafe. _This isn't going to end well._ Dillan followed Hazel.

The group stepped through the doors. They were greeted with a blast of chilly air. Dillan involuntarily shuddered. He looked around the room to see a familiar sight. It looked almost exactly like the Harley's at Ferricia. There was the assorted tables containing couples, loners, or card players. There was the pokemon at the bar who served other pokemon who looked drunk or starting the drunken process. A chandelier hung from the wooden ceiling just like the one in Ferricia. There was even the familiar pokemon who greeted those at the front.

"Harley?" Hazel asked with shock. There was an ambipom standing at a desk at the entrance to the café.

"Hazel Prince!" Harley shouted. "What brings you to Palando Town!"

"I could ask the same thing of you." Hazel said. She walked up to the desk.

"Ferricia can get boring from time to time." Harley said. "That's why I travel to the cafes I have all over Ganderosa. Exploring can be fun from time to time, especially when you get to make money doing it."

"Too true." Hazel said. Harley leaned over the desk and began whispering in Hazel's ear. Dillan couldn't make out what she was saying. "We are..." Hazel said slowly and cautiously. "I'm not sure." Hazel turned to Ryan. "Why are we here?" she asked.

"We're here to see a friend." Ryan said.

"Who is it?" Harley asked sympathetically.

Ryan gave a sigh. He then looked at her with annoyance. "Look, I'm sorry for what I said about your hands, but I don't have a mental problem. That was just something my friend," Ryan gave a glare towards Hazel. "Said so I could stay."

"Sure." Harley said skeptically. Dillan could tell Harley was trying not to be annoyed.

"We're here for a pokemon named Tracey." Dillan said slowly, observing Ryan's expressions to see if he was going to say anything wrong. Ryan didn't seem to react to what was said, so Dillan assumed he was safe.

"Tracey, eh?" Harley asked. "She's at the back booth." Harley pointed towards a booth in the corner of the room. Dillan looked at the booth with confusion. It didn't seem like anyone was sitting there, though there were plates all around the table. "Be warned. She doesn't take kindly to... You know."

"We'll be careful." Hazel said. "It was nice seeing you again!"

"Hazel." Harley told Hazel. "You see that table with the cards?" Harley pointed towards a table with a group of four pokemon. "There's someone in that group that you'll want to see." Hazel looked at the table. Dillan watched her expression change into one of shock. Hazel ran off towards the card players. "Take care!" the ambipom called out. Harley looked at Ryan. "You too, shorty." Ryan looked at Harley blankly for a few seconds, processing her insult.

"Shorty?" Ryan asked. His face changed into one of annoyance. "Shorty?" he asked angrily. "Stop judging me by my size, you fat-handed wannabe! Fight me like a mon and I'll crush you so badly, you'll be looking up to me!" Dillan bent over to push Ryan with his claw.

"Let's go." Dillan said.

Ryan looked at Harley with one more glare before moving forwards towards Hazel. He was grumbling something along the lines of, "short my butt". Hazel was standing at the table. She was looking at one of the pokemon who sat there. Dillan looked at the pokemon as well.

It was a green pokemon. Most of its body was covered in a black cloak other than the head, hand and feet, as well as what Dillan could only assume was its tail. It looked like a lizard with its glassy yellow eyes and its lizard-like face. Its chin was red. Dillan noticed a green shrub that stuck out from the back of its cloak. _Must be its tail._ The pokemon had feet with two toes and a toe-like heel. He also noticed the pokemon was missing its right arm. It had two fingers and a thumb on its hand. It had two leaves that stuck out of its wrist.

The sceptile got up and looked at Hazel. It stood about two feet above the charmeleon. Hazel tackled the sceptile to the floor. Dillan and Ryan ran over to the two pokemon. When they got closer, Dillan realized they weren't fighting. _They're hugging?_

"Daddy!" Hazel shouted.

"Siggy Berry!" the sceptile shouted. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Siggy Berry?" Ryan asked. With a face of shock and worry.

"What are you doing in Palando?" Hazel asked.

"I came to see how my little girl is doing with her new job!" the sceptile said. Hazel got up and so did the lizard pokemon. The sceptile turned to Dillan and Ryan. He tilted his head and smiled at the two. "Are you two Sig's friends?"

"We are." Ryan said. He sounded like he was processing what just occurred. "Are you her father?"

"Please, call me Kalen." the sceptile, Kalen, answered. "And your names?"

"I'm Dillan." Dillan answered.

"My name's Ryan." Ryan responded.

"Nice to meet you both." Kalen said. He turned to Hazel. "So how have you been doing?"

"Hazel," Ryan interrupted. Hazel turned towards the pachirisu. She looked overjoyed at seeing her father. _I know Hazel said she didn't hate her father, but based on her description of him, I didn't expect her to be this happy about seeing him._ "I don't mean to be rude, but we're on a mission right now." Hazel's rapturous expression seemed to drop. _No. She get's to see her father again. We can't take that away from her._

"Don't worry about it." Dillan said. "We can handle it."

"I wouldn't want to leave you guys like that." Hazel said.

"Like I said," Dillan told her. "We'll be fine. Spend time with your father."

"Alright." Hazel said, obviously happy by Dillan's response. Hazel turned to Kalen and tackled him again. "There's so much I need to tell you!" Hazel shouted.

"Alright!" Kalen said. He gave a hearty laugh. "Let's sit down." Dillan and Ryan turned away from the two and began walking towards the booth. Dillan caught Kalen asking, "Now what's this about your name being, "Hazel"?" before he was out of earshot.

Dillan and Ryan stopped at the booth. The gabite would have assumed the booth was still empty if the head of a glaceon didn't emerge from behind the table.

Tracey looked at Dillan with a depressed glare. "Come to convince me you can do the job?" she asked. "You guildmembers are more desperate for money than I thought."

"Tracey," Dillan said sympathetically. He then froze. _What am I doing? I can't tell her that her father's safe. Not now. It will just make things worse. What am I suppose to say? "Hey Tracey! Good news! Your father's alive! We brought him back from the Lantern Fields! Bad news! He acts like he's going ferral by attacing anyone near him! He also says "die" a lot." I can't tell her that!_

"Just leave me alone!" Tracey shouted.

"We came here for a reason." Ryan said with a glare at Tracey.

"Scowl all you like, guildmember!" Tracey snapped. "It won't change the fact that I don't have any money to give you snakes! Just leave me alone!"

"Listen here-" Ryan pushed on.

"No, you listen!" Tracey shouted. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Once Team Armageddon gets back, we'll decimate your guild!"

"Gets back?" Dillan asked. "They left?"

"Of course they did!" Tracey said. "And when they get back, you'll suffer the same fate as the Alkan Guild! You'll pay for being cruel to all of us at the bottom!"

Ryan looked at Tracey with shock. "What did you say?" Ryan shouted.

"Alright, shorty!" Ryan turned around to face Harley. "Leave my customers alone."

"Wait a minute!" Ryan said.

"No." Harley said sternly. "I want you to leave here."

"Make me!" Ryan shouted.

"Ryan," Dillan pleaded. "This isn't the time to fight."

Ryan turned to Dillan. "I didn't ask to be judged by this waitress!" Ryan shouted.

"I'm the owner!" Harley snapped. "Now get out!" Harley's fist began glowing. Ryan didn't seem to notice. He turned around to face Tracey.

"As I was saying," Ryan began again. Dillan winced as he saw Harley's fist whack Ryan in the jaw. Ryan fell over onto the ground.

"Would you like one, too?" Harley asked Dillan.

"No, ma'am." Dillan said with a nervous smile. He got down and put his arms under Ryan. Dillan used his claws as an anchor on Ryan's body. He picked Ryan up and faced Tracey. "I'm sorry about your father."

"Just leave me alone." Tracey said. Dillan watched as she sank into the bar behind the plate-filled table.

 _I'm going to hurt her for this, but she needs to know._ "Tracey," Dillan started again. "Your father is-"

"Mr. Gabite." Harley said. Dillan noticed she was thumping her foot on the floor.

"Please let me finish." Dillan asked, trying to sound sincere as though he wouldn't cause any trouble. The ambipom nodded. Dillan turned towards the booth. "We found an empoleon in the Lantern fields." Dillan watched Tracey's ears perk up from the table. He guessed by her interest it was Tracey's father. "I'm sorry to say he's in some bad shape. Right now, he's with the doctor in the guild."

Tracey looked up from the table. "What happened?" she asked.

"We were attacked." Dillan said. "Your father was passed out the last time we saw him."

Tracey got up from the table and rushed around Dillan. She ran out of the café in seconds. Dillan watched as she left.

"Is she going to be alright?" Harley asked.

"I don't know." Dillan admitted sadly. _It depends on her father._

Dillan turned around and saw Hazel was looking at him and Ryan. She looked very confused and worried, as if she was going to come over to help. Dillan gave a forced smile, which came off looking more nervous than intended. He turned to Harley who looked about ready to kick Dillan out herself.

"You guildmembers cause too many problems." Harley said. "First you let Team Armageddon run around Palando causing trouble, then you let them leave. It's bad for business and I don't like it."

 _I thought the Royal Guards took care of them. If they didn't, then where did they go? And what was Tracey talking about, "You'll suffer the same fate as the Alkan Guild"? What happened there?_

"Do I need to tell you to leave one more time?" Harley asked with a glare.

"I'm leaving, ma'am." Dillan said. He started carrying Ryan out of the café. _I'm going back to the guild. I want to make sure Tracey's alright as well as her father, regardless of whether she wants me there or not._ Dillan exited the café with the pachirisu. He began trudging through the cobblestone path towards the Guild.

* * *

"What happened?" Ryan asked Dillan. Dillan was walking through the gates when the pachirisu opened his eyes. Dillan set Ryan down on the fountain's base. Ryan stood up and faced Dillan. "We're at the guild?"

"Yeah." Dillan said.

Ryan put his paws up to his head. "Why does my head feel like it was used as a target dummy?"

"Harley knocked you out when you decided not to leave." Dillan said.

"Jerk." Ryan said.

"Why were you being so harsh?" Dillan asked.

"She deserved it." Ryan stated. "Pokemon shouldn't underestimate me or treat me poorly. That's their mistake."

"And why were you treating Tracey badly?"

"Do we have to do this now?" Ryan asked. "Personally, I'm exhausted."

"Ryan." Dillan prodded.

"Fine." Ryan said. "She should have been arrested with the rest of the attackers. It doesn't make sense how she can get away with assaulting us."

"She doesn't understand how the guild operates." Dillan said. "She thinks we're corrupted."

"Yeah." Ryan said. "That's her problem. Someone who's that gullible to believe the lies Team Armageddon spews should be put in a looney bin; not left to run around in the world causing trouble for the pokemon who are trying to save others."

"I understand that." Dillan said. "But I don't think she should be treated any less than you or me. She's confused about how we do things at the guild and I want to help her realize that we're the good guys. I also think that now isn't the time to be attacking her. Her father is in bad shape right now. The last time I saw him, the only thing he said was, "Die". I don't think it's cool right now to hurt her while she's probably going to go through something really bad."

Ryan looked at Dillan with confusion. "You do remember this is the same pokemon that stuck you with shards of ice, right?"

"Yes." Dillan said defiantly. "But I want to give her a second chance."

Ryan gave a sigh. "I don't know why," he said. "But I'll go along with it. Although I'm not forgiving her just yet. She has to earn it."

"Ryan," Dillan started with a smile. "Chances are we won't see her after today."

"That makes it easier." Ryan said. "Though, do I have to see her in the guild?"

"Nah." Dillan said. "I'm only going to see if the mission was a success or if we went through all that trouble for nothing-"

"Step aside!" a voice called out. Dillan looked behind him to see Ozzy moving forwards, urging Dillan to move. Dillan sat on the fountain base along side Ryan.

"What's going on?" Ryan asked.

Dillan looked behind Ozzy. There was what looked like the pudgy dragon statue from the Ferrician Guild, only it was colorful. It's wings were teal. It also had butter-colored skin. The only difference between this colored pokemon and the statue was the purple cape that flowed behind him.

"Who are you?" Ryan asked.

The dragonite stopped in front of Dillan and Ryan. He looked at the two, observing their bodies. It made Dillan very uncomfortable.

"These are the guildlings?" the dragonite asked. _Guildlings?_

"Yes, my liege." Ozzy answered.

"Disgraceful." the dragonite answered. "Why did they let such a small pokemon join the guild?"

"Who are you calling small, fatty?" Ryan said angrily. The dragonite's face became a full-on glare of hate.

"This one has lip." the dragonite said distastefully.

Ozzy walked up to Ryan. "Don't you know who you're dealing with?" he shouted.

"Be silent, Oswald." the dragonite said.

"Yes, King Judah." the rhyperior said. He turned around to face the dragonite and bowed on one knee.

"King Judah?" Ryan said with shock. "As in, King Judah Arvaine the Third, ruler of Ganderosa?"

"Yes." Judah answered. "You would do well to treat your king with honor and respect. Disgraceful. Why are you two peasants here?"

"We aren't peasants!" Ryan shouted. "We're part of the guild!"

"Quiet, Ryan!" Ozzy ordered.

"I am not convinced." Judah stated. "For if you truly are, then where are your badges?"

Ryan was about to answer when he remembered Adelina had his badge. Dillan also remembered he didn't have his badge. He winced. _Hazel has it._

"How?" Judah asked Ozzy. "How does Garth expect me to take his guild seriously if his members cannot even keep track of their badges? They do not seem qualified for the job."

"The job?" Dillan asked.

"My liege." the rhyperior said.

"Yes, Ozzy?" the dragonite answered.

"These guildmembers are not the brightest of the bunch. But their fighting skills make up for their lack of wits." Dillan noticed Ryan wince at that statement. Dillan agreed. He didn't know whether to take the comment as a compliment or an insult.

King Judah gave a sigh. "You are probably right; though standing in their very presence makes my scales rattle. Proceed."

Ozzy stood up straight and began leading Judah towards the guild's entrance. Dillan watched at the two entered the guild.

"That's the king?" Ryan asked. "What an-"

"Ryan!" a voice called out. "Dillan!" Dillan looked outside of the gates. He saw Wallace was running towards them, waving his arms in the air.

"Hey Wallace." Dillan said half-heartedly. His mind was still focused on King Judah. _That was the king? He seemed pretty rude._

"What's going on?" Ryan asked.

"The King is already here!" he shouted.

"We've met." Ryan said with an eye roll.

Wallace's jaw dropped. "Y-You have?" he stuttered. "Is he inside right now?"

"Yeah." Ryan said. "If you're planning on meeting him, I wouldn't. He doesn't think very highly of us "guildlings"."

"It's probably just you." Wallace said. The watchog ran towards the guild's entrance.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Ryan called out.

"You're not very likeable." Wallace said as he opened the guild doors. He went inside before Ryan could protest.

"Not very likeable?" Ryan asked. He turned towards Dillan. "Am I likeable?"

"Do you know what Judah meant when he said "qualified for the job"?"

"Nope." Ryan said. "Though, as you can see, I don't keep up with the monarchy."

The door to the guild opened up Wallace stuck his head out. "The Guildleader wants us to assemble in the meeting room." He looked around. "Where's Hazel?"

"She's with her father at Harley's Diner." Ryan said. Wallace exited the guild and ran towards the courtyard exit. "Where are you going?" Ryan asked.

"To Harley's." Wallace answered as he exited the gates.

"This day seemed like it was going to be such a good day." Ryan said.

"Who's to say it won't get better from here on out?" Dillan asked.

"My gut." Ryan answered. He jumped down from the fountain. "Come on." he said. Ryan began walking towards the Guild's doors. Dillan followed. The two entered the guild.

* * *

Dillan and Ryan walked into the gathering hall to find that the members of Team B. A. K. And Team Force were present. Dillan was surprised to see that Garth and Judah were nowhere to be found.

"You think this is about that job King Judah was talking about?" Dillan asked.

"Probably." Ryan answered.

"There you are!" Adelina said. "What happened to you guys?"

"And where's Hazel?" Bolt asked.

"She's with her father." Dillan said.

"That's cool." Bolt said with a smile.

"We didn't follow because we went to find Tracey and tell her about her father."

"Is that who the empoleon is?" Bolt asked.

"Yeah." Dillan answered. "How is he?"

"Well..." Bolt said.

"He's doing better." Adelina answered. "Right now, he wants to be with that glaceon. I'm assuming that's Tracey. Thanks for bringing her here."

"Settle down!" Garth shouted. Everyone quieted down, got into a line, and faced the stage. Team Rapture was at the very end of the line on the left with Dillan on the end followed by Team B. A. K. And lastly Team Force. Dillan saw Garth enter the room from his quarters followed by Judah. He was surprised to see Garth looked very bothered about something. His tail was swishing back and forth. Garth and Judah stepped onto the stage. When the room was quiet, Garth cleared his throat. "We have a very special guest with us today. King Judah Arvaine the Third."

Dillan noticed Dean straightened his back and stood proudly. Haily did the same. Jess, however, looked bored with the entire situation. Dillan watched as King Judah walked onto the stage. Garth stepped back to join Janette while Judah took to the middle of the stage. Dillan watched as Judah observed the group of guildmembers. His gaze fell on Dillan. He glared at the gabite. _Did I make that bad of an impression?_

"You all probably have not heard about the events that brought me here today," Judah began. He sounded proud and purposeful. His glare was stern and commanding of everyone's attention. "So allow me to fill you in.

"Team Armageddon took root here in the Alkan Region. It started in Castellum Town and spread to the different towns in the area. Now, you are all aware that weeks ago, Castellum Town was turned into a mystery dungeon, correct?" No one answered. Dillan looked at Adelina who had her head down. Bolt's fist started shaking. He looked stern as though he was trying to keep his emotions in check. "Well, as a result, the division of Team Armageddon in Palando has retaliated. Since Palando was closer to Castellum Town than any other place, it has the second largest population of Team Armageddon sympathizers. This very guild has faced the problem of Team Armageddon before.

"Now you have no doubt been told that the resistance in Palando Town has been crushed. This fact is false." The expressions of the guildmembers changed into that of confusion. "That brings us to our current issue. The Alkan Guild has been assaulted." Gasps shot out from the crowd. Different guildmembers were staring at each other, dumbfounded by King Judah's words. _I can say the same for me. Team Armageddon attacked a bigger guild?_

"By Team Armageddon?" Dean asked with concern and shock.

"Yes." Judah answered. "But that is not the worst of it."

"What is?" Jess asked enthusiastically. "Ooh! Tell me they're selling ice cream! Ooh! Or snow cones! Tell me there's snow cones!"

"The Alkan Guild has fallen."

"Rioters took down an entire guild?" Haily asked, obviously unconvinced of Judas' claims.

"They were not just rioters." Judah said. "The Guildmaster has joined Team Armageddon." Dillan felt the entire atmosphere in the guild shift. It felt horrible and hot all of the sudden.

"What?" Haily asked. That seemed to break her emotionless wall. Dillan saw she looked confused.

"You jest, sir!" Jess pronounced in a stereotypical high-class voice.

"I do not "jest"." Judah stated.

"Why would a Guildleader join Team Armageddon?" Bolt asked. He sounded unconvinced.

"We do not know. What we do know is that Jarondai received a letter a few days ago. The letter had the same hand-writing as the Guildleader as well as her signature stamped in ink. It stated no motive, only that she, Guildleader Iris Zinclyde, has joined Team Armageddon. Because the Guildleader joined Team Armageddon, the rioters were free to infiltrate the Guild before killing the guildmembers there."

"Team Armageddon killed?" Adelina asked.

"Yes." Judah said. "And they will do it again."

"I don't mean to be rude, sire," Dean stated. "But what does this have to do with your visit?"

"Ever since the Castellum Guild fell, the Palando Guild has had the most experience with Team Armageddon. A rebellion cannot be allowed to plant its seeds. Team Armageddon is a plague waiting to spread. Once that virus takes root inside of Ganderosa, it will be too late."

"Hasn't it already taken root?" Haily asked blatantly.

"No." Judah answered. "We have reason to believe that the head of Team Armageddon is inside of the Alkan Guild as we speak."

"Why is that important?" Jess asked. She flipped upside down.

"You want us to take on Team Armageddon;" Bolt said suddenly. It dawned on Dillan that Bolt was right. "Take back the Alkan Guild."

"I like you." Judah said to Bolt. "You are smart."

"It's suicide!" Bolt shouted.

"Bolt," Garth warned. "You swear allegiance to the King every day. Watch what you say."

"Yes sir." Bolt said. He sounded ashamed of what he had said.

"It is quite fine, Guildleader." Judah said. He closed his eyes. "It is a suicide mission. That is, if you attack the guild directly."

"Your Majesty," Adelina started. "What is it you're suggesting?"

"My generals have discussed the best course of action and have decided to use a sneak attack against the enemy."

"A sneak attack?" Dillan asked.

"Yes." Judah said. He began staring at Dillan, talking to him. "A sneak attack would be the best course of action. A team of three would infiltrate the guild and make their way to the Guildmaster's quarters. We believe the Guildmaster will be there with the leader of Team Armageddon."

"You want us to capture the Guildmaster and the leader of Team Armageddon?" Bolt asked.

"No." Judah said. "I want you to kill." Dillan felt his heart begin to pound at his chest. He looked to Ryan. The pachirisu seemed very confused. "The Guildmaster is a pokemon known as milotic. This specific pokemon is also known in the seas as a siren. Milotic are known for their ways with a pokemon's emotions. Normally, milotic use their abilities to persuade others to become passive. However, the Guildmaster in the Alkan Guild is known for forcing others to let down their guard with her words and then knocking them out. You will not listen to the Guildmaster. It will get you killed."

"Sir," Ryan began. "I know you said we have the most experience with this sort of thing, but why send a Guildmember? Isn't this something that a Royal Guard would be more suited for?"

"We have reason to believe Team Armageddon is going to attack another town in a week's time." Judah stated. "This group is no longer a few rioters who want their way with the world. It is now a group of terrorists who will kill anyone in their way to get what they want. They are the enemy." _They're the_ enemy? Dillan thought about it. _Is that why that greninja took an interest in me?_ "Now then," he said. "The Guildleader is going to recommend a group for the job-"

"Your Majesty," Bolt interrupted.

"I do not enjoy being interrupted, Mr. Raimi." Judah stated.

"You know me?" Bolt asked.

"I fund the fights." Judah stated. "Of course I know the fan favorite. Now, if that was your question."

"Sir," Bolt said. "Who is the leader of Team Armageddon? We've never seen him before."

"His name is Ignitus." Judah stated. "He is a dangerous individual. Very convincing. His lies fill the hearts of pokemon, deceiving them in an attempt to get them to join his cause."

"What kind of pokemon is he?" Bolt asked. "If we're going to fight him, that information could b valuable."

"Ignitus is an infernape." Judah stated.

"Infernape?" Dillan whispered.

"It's a fire-fighting type." Ryan whispered back. "It's like a big monkey with fiery hair that flows from the top of its head."

 _That description sounds familiar. A pokemon with fiery hair._ A switch clicked in Dillan's head. _Like the pokemon from the list of the Enemy's generals. There was a pokemon like that. Does Team Armageddon work with the Enemy? If Ignitus was on the list, then it seems like that's it. Then again, is Team Armageddon all bad or is it just the leader? There are pokemon who are fighting for what they believe is right. Are they being used?_

"As I was saying before." Judah stated. "The Guildleader is going to recommend a group for the job. If he thinks there are multiple groups for the job, then that will be seen as a tie. If there is a tie at all between two groups, then a tie breaker will follow. Do you understand?"

All of the Guildmembers nodded. Dillan heard a door slam into a wall from behind him. Dillan looked back and saw Wallace rushing into the room. He went over to Team Force and stood on the end. Hazel was there as well. Dillan looked at the charmeleon. He was shocked to see her face looked wet. Dillan also noticed she was breathing more rapidly as if her heart was racing. Hazel looked very stern. She walked up to Dillan's left and joined the group.

"Are you alright?" Dillan whispered to Hazel. She didn't respond. She just stared at the stage with a forced expression.

"Guildleader." Judah said.

Garth stepped up to the end of the stage. "Guildmembers," he stated proudly. "I have full confidence that each and every one o you are fit for the task at hand, but I feel as though Team Rapture is more suited for this job than anyone else."

"What?" Ryan and Dean stated.

"You should be honored." the Guildleader said, though he didn't sound very happy. "At the very least you would be giving your life for the king."

"That's not a mission." Ryan stated.

"Ryan-" Bolt warned.

"You've got to be insane to expect me to throw away what I've worked for; to sacrifice my life for this."

"You would not be sacrificing your life." Garth said. "I have full confidence that you will succeed."

Judah turned to Garth. "You say that Team Rapture is suited for the job?"

"Yes, sire." Garth said.

"Good." Judah said. He turned to the group. "Team Rapture. Step forwards.

Dillan looked at Ryan to see what he would do. Hazel stepped forwards without question. Ryan reluctantly followed her example. Dillan stepped forwards.

"We're going to die." Ryan said quietly.

"You," Judah said. "Pachirisu. Recite the Guild Directives."

Ryan stood up straight. "My king is my duty. To serve is what I deserve."

"Stop right there." Judah said. "Tell me, how many times have you recited that line?"

Ryan looked down. "Too many times." he stated quietly.

"Too many." Judah repeated. "You serve your king. You signed up for this job. It was not forced upon you. You volunteered. Now recite the rest."

Ryan glared at Judah. "My guild is my home." Ryan stated. "My fellow members are my family. Trust between us is a must. The pokemon I will help. To not save is grave. I will work to help the kingdom, not laze around. Fight, not might."

"All of that," Judah started. "It all applies to this situation. Does it not? The guild is your home and family. Team Armageddon killed guildmembers of the Alkan Guild; your family members. Trust between you and your king is a must. Pokemon in the Alkan Castle are being persecuted by Team Armageddon. To not save them is a grave sin. You will work to help the kingdom. You will not abandon your cause because of the challenge. Fight, not might." Ryan looked at the king with a scowl, but he didn't seem like he was going to protest.

"What's going on?" Hazel whispered to Dillan. She sounded stern, like she was trying to hide her emotions.

"Team Armageddon invaded the Alkan Guild." Dillan whispered to Hazel. "Are you alright?" Hazel didn't answer.

"The last line, Ryan." Judah stated.

"All hail the Arvaines." Ryan said. He sounded proud, but Dillan knew he was faking it.

"And you shall by taking part in this mission." Judah stated. "This needs to happen. It is not an option. My advisor has informed me of the suffering that has occured at the hands of pokemon like Arlon." Dillan felt his heart sink. He knew that name was hard to hear for more than half of the pokemon in the guild, some more than others. "Team Armageddon will not show mercy. Their goal is to cause corruption within the citizens of Ganderosa. They wish to take the throne."

"Sire," Adelina jumped in. "I thought that Team Armageddon wanted to help the pokemon."

"Do you truly believe that?" Judah asked. "That is a front for their true goal; to do whatever they want. Team Armageddon wants control."

"And what do you want?" Dillan asked.

"Dillan." Garth intervened. "That is out of line."

"It's fine." Judah said. "My goal is to serve my people. I wish to cleanse the world of evils like Team Armageddon. That is my goal."Judah looked at Ryan. "Your name is Ryan?" Ryan nodded. "I don't like you, but you Guildleader seems to think you are an asset to the guild. I am giving your team two days to prepare for the mission. Then, you will go to Alka. Do we have an understanding?"

"Yes, sire." Ryan said.

"And you two?"

"We understand." Hazel said.

"Good." Judah turned to Garth. "Now then. I wish to be escorted to my quarters."

"Right this way, sire." Garth said. He led Judah off of the stage and into the Guildleader's Quarters. Dillan gave a sigh.

"Dang it!" Ryan said.

"What's wrong with you, pipsqueak?" Dean said. He sounded frustrated. "You got chosen by the Guildleader as the best here. Why aren't you honored?"

"Yeah." Ryan said. "I'm totally honored to be part of a suicide mission. This entire thing is wrong."

"Whatever."" Haily said nonchalantly. "I don't usually care about this sort of thing, but your attitude needs an adjustment."

"Look who's talking." Ryan said.

"Most guildmembers would give their left wing for a chance to prove themselves to the king. A mission of this scale could get you two ranks higher in one swoop. That lets you take missions from all over Ganderosa. And here you are complaining about its difficulty. Ryan, I've never been one to judge others, but right now you sicken me."

Dillan heard Hazel sniffle. He turned over to her. "Hazel," Dillan said. "Something's bothering you, I know it."

"I don't want to talk about it right now." Hazel said. She sounded on the verge of tears. Hazel walked out of the room towards the guildmember's quarters.

"I agree with Haily." Dean said. "Come on, guys. Let's go." Dean began walking out of the room followed by Haily and Jess, who was still upside-down.

"Chillax." Bolt said to Ryan. "It shouldn't be so bad."

"Not so bad?" Ryan said. "This is horrible."

"Ry, stop it." Adelina said sternly. "Don't fall apart here."

"Fine." Ryan snapped. "But I'm telling you that something feels really off about this whole thing."

"What's wrong?" Dillan asked Ryan.

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.

"You've been really rude and angry ever since me and Hazel got back."

"How do you figure?" Ryan said.

"Think about it. You've snapped at both Harley and Tracey and now the King himself. This isn't like you. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Ryan stated. "Nothing's wrong."

"He's right, Ry." Adelina said.

"Come on, Sparky." Bolt said. "We're all friends here."

"I don't want to talk about it." Ryan said.

"So something is bothering you." Bolt stated.

"Drop it." Ryan ordered. "I don't need to take this from you guys." Ryan began walking towards the Guild's lobby.

"Where are you going?" Adelina asked.

"To clear my head." Ryan said.

"Ry!" Adelina called out. Ryan ignored her. She turned to Bolt and Dillan. "Wonder what's bugging him."

"Whatever it is," Bolt said. "I'm working too hard to get over my problems to have Sparky kill the mood right now."

"Yeah." Dillan said. "But I'm worried about him."

"Me too," Adelina said. "But sometimes Ryan just needs some space. Trust me. Now then, who wants some lunch."

"It's only lunch time?" Bolt asked. "It feels like it's been longer than that."

"Dillan, do you want to join us?" Dillan didn't hear her. He was lost in his own thoughts.

 _Ryan said this felt wrong and I agree with him. It feels off. And what's Team Armageddon's deal? I've heard so many explanations for their actions that I don't know what to believe. What's their true goal? Are they working with the Enemy? Reya seemed to think Ignitus was, but what about the other members?_

"Slash?" Bolt asked. Dillan came back to reality.

"What?" Dillan asked.

"Do you want to eat with us?" Adelina asked.

"Alright." Dillan said.

"So what's on the menu?" Bolt asked.

"Berry stew with a side of Crème brulee." Adelina said.

"Any berries with my berries?" Bolt asked.

Adelina scoffed jokingly. Her and Bolt started laughing together.

 _Thinking about these things isn't going to give me any answers. I might as well let this mission happen. Besides, I don't think the king is going to take no for an answer. This could give me some answers to why I'm here... Somehow. At the very least, I might find out what drives Team Armageddon._ Dillan followed Adelina and Bolt into the dining room, wondering what is to come.

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys! Masterknight here! Remember when I said I was going to have a two-part-chapter-release-special... thing? Well, that happens this week! I'm currently going over the next chapter one last time before I release it, but it should be out by tomorrow evening (3/2/18 ( **American** Time-zones (Sorry Europe))).

Special thanks to Jakeroo123 who has been posting reviews to this story! He has a story called, "Distorted Worlds". Basic plot is Luigi getting trapped in the pokemon world with Ash (Who has gone back in time). Not exactly sure why or what's going on, but then again, I haven't had much time to read it because of personal reasons (Good ones, mind you). If you're into Mario-Pokemon cross-overs, go check that out!

Anyways, thanks to everyone who's stuck around with the story thus far; whether you be a fan who's favorited/followed, a guest on the site, or an unnamed viewer (You know who you are). Hope you guys liked this chapter! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!


	23. The Royal Pain

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 23

The Royal Pain

* * *

"Please don't go!" Grace called through tears. _I don't want to leave!_ "Stay with me!"

"I wish I could," Dillan stated. "But the doctor's coming in to look at you." _Please no! Stay with her!_

"I don't mind it." Grace said. "I just want you to stay here." _I do, too! This is my dream, but why don't I have any control?_

Dillan was silent. He felt his eyebrows come closer together as if he was thinking.

"Dillan." a male voice said. Dillan knew by now it was the doctor. _Please don't take me away from her._

"I'm only going to be outside the room, alright?" Dillan told Grace. Dillan gave an internal sigh. _Fine. At least show me why my sister is in a hospital bed._

"You promise?" Grace asked.

"Cross my heart." Dillan let go of Grace. "I'll be back in once the doctor's finished."

"Okay." Grace said with a sniffle.

Dillan felt himself break away from the hug. He turned around and saw the doctor standing there. _What on Ganderosa?_ The doctor was changed. Through the blurred colors, Dillan could make out two red eyes.

"Sir, you need to leave." the doctor said. Dillan didn't listen. He didn't move. He just stared at the doctor. "Leave, now." the doctor ordered.

"What's going on?" Dillan asked. He was shocked to find he could speak for himself. Dillan tried moving his arm. It worked. He started squinting at himself. Dillan realized his blurry surroundings were starting to come into focus. His body began morphing before his eyes. His tan skin changed into blue scales. Dillan realized he was becoming a gabite again. Dillan turned to face he doctor. The only issue with that was the doctor wasn't there any longer.

Dillan looked in horror at the shadowy figure that was in front of him. It's limbs seemed covered in a fog. "J-Jake?" Dillan stumbled.

"Filth!" Jake regarded him.

"What's going on?" Dillan asked. He sounded fearful.

"Take a look at your sister." Jake said evilly.

Dillan turned towards Grace.

"Dillan, what's going on?" Grace asked. She was still blurred.

"Grace?" Dillan asked. "Is it really you?"

"Dillan," Grace said. "Where did you go?"

"I don't know." Dillan said. He walked closer to Grace. He felt a vine wrap around his ankle. It felt like sand paper. He felt his ankle pop. Dillan gave a cry of pain. He fell to the floor. He looked at the black tendril that held his ankle. It snaked its way into the fog.

"Dillan." Grace said. "You left me alone."

"I didn't mean to." Dillan said. "I don't know why I'm in this world, but I promise I'll get back to you."

"No, you can't." Grace said.

"Don't say that." Dillan said. "I will get back to you."

"Even if you did come back, you can't see me again."

"What do you mean?" Dillan asked.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Jake said.

"No!" a voice called out. A flash appeared out of nowhere. Dillan shielded his eyes from the blast of light. "Don't show him that, snake!" I _know that voice._

Dillan looked up to see Reya standing in front of him.

"Reya?" Dillan asked.

"Dillan," Reya said. "Touch your crystal."

"Foolish girl!" Jake shouted. "I'll have you punished for this!"

"Trust me." Reya said.

"Reya," Dillan said. "What's wrong with my sister?"

"You can't know!" Reya shouted. "Not in these circumstances! You're not ready!"

"Ready?" Dillan asked.

"Dillan," Reya said. "If you were to ever trust me before, trust me now." She pointed to Jake. "He is the Enemy!"

"I know that." Dillan said.

"Then don't let him tell you anything!" Reya said.

"Parasite!" Jake shouted. A tendril flew towards Reya.

"Reya!" Dillan shouted. He tried to get up, but his tendril kept him in place.

A shield appeared over the gardevoir. It blocked the second tendril on impact.

"Dillan," Reya said. "I'm beginning to give up on everything I believe in. I need you to listen to me when I say that this information needs to come from a different source. Trust me."

"Alright." Dillan said. "But what if I begin to find out on my own?"

"Use the crystal before that happens." Reya said.

"Dillan," Grace said. "Don't listen to her. She doesn't want you to know the truth."

Reya gave a shriek. Dillan saw her tuck her chest inwards. The shield fell. Reya got onto the floor. She began cradling her head in a defensive position.

"Reya!" Dillan shouted.

"Dillan." Reya said. She sounded strained. "I won't be seeing you again, I'm sure of that. Please, don't give up." Reya faded away.

"Now for you!" Jake shouted.

 _As much as I want the truth, I can't let the Enemy get what he wants. I need to trust Reya._ "No." Dillan said. He put his claw to the green crystal. _I hope this works._

"Run from the truth all you want!" Jake shouted. "It will catch you eventually! It always does!"

Dillan watched as a green flash emanated from his crystal. The dream disappeared.

* * *

Dillan opened his eyes slowly. He had his body faced towards the wall. He stared at it. _Jake wants me to remember, but why?_ He felt his stomach rumble. _Guess I'm hungry._ He felt the rumbling increase. _That's not right._ He then felt his whole body vibrate.

"An earthquake?" Ryan shouted from above.

"Wake up, losers!" Dean shouted. Dillan looked down from the bed. Dean was shaking the frame back and forth very quickly.

"We get it!" Ryan shouted. "Knock it off already!" Dean stopped shaking the bed. Ryan hopped down from the top bunk.

"By the way," Dean started. "King Judah wants to talk with you two."

"Dean!" a voice whined. Dillan watched as Jess floated into the room.

"What is it?" Dean asked.

"Can I pleeease whack Sigourney?" Jess said.

"Don't you mean wake?" Dillan asked as he got up from the bed.

"Nope." Jess said with a wide grin.

"No." Dean said flatly.

"Then can I wake her up?" Jess asked.

"Whatever." Dean shrugged. "Just don't hit her."

"Yay!" Jess shouted.

"I don't think you should-" Dillan tried to say. Jess completely ignored him. She went straight to the north wall and passed through the cobble stone. "Do that." Dillan finished.

"You couldn't stop her even if you wanted to." Dean said.

"Can't you three keep it down?" Bolt called out. Dillan looked over at the pikachu. "I'm trying to sleep."

"We have a guild meeting." Dean stated. "Remember?"

"Yeah yeah." Bolt waved away Dean's comment. He rested his head back down on the pillow.

"Butterfingers." Dean said. Bolt didn't respond.

"Why do you call him that, anyways?" Dillan asked.

Dean laughed heartily. "Exactly what it implies!" Dean stated.

"It was one time." Bolt said as he stuck his paw in the air and brought out one finger.

"One time is all it takes!" Dean said.

"You say that every time." Bolt said as he got up into a sitting position.

"Let's get going." Wallace said as he got up from his bunk. "King Judah wants to speak-"

A scream could be heard from the next room. Dillan recognized the cream as Hazel's. The next minute, Jess was floating through the north wall into the boy's dorm.

"I'm not here!" Jess shouted excitedly as she flew behind Dean.

"What did you do?" Dean asked with a smirk.

"The ol' Devil's Scream!" Jess shouted with glee.

"Jeeze Louise!" Dean laughed. "You went that hard core?"

"She deserves it!" Jess shouted. "Ignoring me all the time!"

The door to the boy's dorm slammed open. A wet, black Hazel with blue feet was at the entrance. Her tail was the only thing that was left alone. and she looked mad.

"Jess!" Hazel shouted. "That's the last straw!"

"Jess isn't here!" Jess shouted. "Try again another time!"

"What happened to you?" Ryan asked.

"The Devil's Scream?" Hazel asked. "Really, Dean?"

"She had to find out sometime!" Dean laughed.

"Where is she?" Hazel asked. She stormed into the room.

"What's going on?" Adelina asked. She was at the front of the room. She stared at Hazel who began searching under each bed. Adelina looked worried. "Hazel? Are you ok?"

"I will be once I find Jess!" Hazel shouted.

"She's-" Ryan tried to say.

"What did she do now." Haily interrupted from the door. She took a look at Hazel and smiled slightly. "It's been a while since I've seen that."

"Yeah!" Hazel yelled. "Only it "use" to be Orion and "not" me!"

"Orion?" Dillan asked.

"He was a kid on our block when we were younger!" Dean said joyfully. "Guy was a jerk!"

"Reminds me of someone." Ryan said quietly to Dillan.

"Jess!" Hazel shouted. Jess came out of hiding and floated towards Hazel. Hazel looked at Jess for a few seconds and gradually forgot about her rage. She looked a little scarred.

"Yes, Sig?" Jess said with a smirk.

 _This is going to get out of hand with Hazel's fear._ "Alright." Dillan said as he stepped up. "Jess, want something shiny?"

Jess turned to Dillan. "Ooh!" she shouted. "Where's the shiny!"

"It's..." Dillan tried to think of something to say. He tried to signal Ryan with his arm behind his back. He couldn't tell if Ryan knew what he was doing.

"Where's the shiny?" Jess asked skeptically.

"Here!" Ryan shouted. He got a hold of a crystal. "You can have it later if you leave Hazel alone!"

"Fine!" Jess huffed. Hazel eyed Jess as she floated over to Haily.

"What's going on in here?" Garth asked. Dillan's heart skipped a beat. _Uh-oh. We didn't report to the main room._ Garth looked at Hazel and his face dropped. "What happened?"

"Jess happened!" Hazel shouted.

"Party pooper..." Jess mumbled.

"Jess!" Garth snapped quietly. "Team Rapture is suppose to see the king any minute now! How is Hazel suppose to do so while she looks like..."

"A Devil's Scream." Dean said.

"The prank in Labensia?" Garth asked.

"Infamous prank in Labensia Castle." Haily corrected. "We made it up."

"You three?" Garth asked as he pointed to Haily, Dean, and Jess.

"No, Guildleader." Dean said. "Me, Haily, and Sig."

"You mean Hazel?" Garth asked. He shook his head. "Never mind. Hazel, try to wash up in the fountain outside."

"With water?" Hazel asked.

"I know it isn't ideal for fire types," Garth said. "But this is the king we're talking about."

Hazel gave a glare at Jess. "Alright, Guildleader." she said.

"Good." Garth nodded. Hazel walked out of the room, tracking blue paw prints where she walked. "As for you two," Garth addressed Ryan and Dillan. "Please wait for Hazel in the lobby. When she's done, report to the Guildleader's Room to see the King."

"Yes, Guildleader." Ryan said. He and Dillan walked out of the room. Dillan heard Garth say, "As for you. You'll be helping Wallace restock the Guild's food supplies". He also heard Jess moan loudly. Dillan smiled from that comment and walked on.

* * *

It took a few minutes for Hazel to finish. By then, Janette was already at the front doing paper work, Dean and Haily walked out of the guild for a mission, and Jess and Wallace were doing inventory in the kitchen. Bolt and Adelina were nowhere to be seen.

Dillan recalled what had happened a few days ago. _I wish Hazel would tell me why she was so shaken up when the king was here. She said it was nerves because she was meeting with the king, but I know her better than that. She doesn't get nervous when it comes to something "guildmember related". I know something else was bothering her, but I can't put my finger on it. Her just brushing it off makes me feel even worse._

"Alright." Hazel said. She interrupted Dillan's train of thought. She walked into the guild, back to normal; but she was soaking wet. "Let's get a move-on." Team Rapture walked onwards into the Guildleader's quarters.

They entered the room to find papers littering the floor. King Judah was at a desk writing vigorously. Dillan noticed a bottle of ink and a feather were being used by Judah instead of a chunk of coal like he used to sign the Guildmember's Papers weeks ago.

"Pokemon who surrender to the ones they face are unworthy to call themselves loyal to the throne." Judah said.

"King Hardemlite Armadine." Hazel said.

Judah looked up from his paper and faced Hazel. "Hazel Prince." Judah said. Hazel didn't respond. He talked to Hazel with a peaceful calmness to his voice and body. "I've read all about your life and achievements. You hatched in Labensia Castle along the Red Strip's borders. Your father made assurances to keep you safe from the pokemon who lived in the Red Strip. Then, out of nowhere, your father lost his job and your family was plunged into debt. As a result, you moved to the Red Strip. Under normal circumstances, this would be a bad thing; but not for you. No. Do you mind if I call you Sigourney?"

"Hazel is just fine." Hazel said calmly. Dillan turned to Hazel. To his surprise, she didn't seem happy about what the King was saying. _I thought she would be ecstatic about the king knowing about her._

Judah smiled. "My guess is that your father pushed you to be better because of where you ended up. First Place in the Guild's Junior Expedition. First Place in the anual Treasure Hunting competition. You were a star. Even though your parents couldn't afford a tutor, you studied from the books made available in your library. Hazel Prince, I am very impressed by your actions throughout your life.

"But then that tragic accident occurred."

"It wasn't an accident." Hazel said.

"You are correct." Judah said. "My apologies."

"If you don't mind, sire," Hazel said. "Can we get to the mission at hand?"

"One second." Judah said. He turned to Ryan. "Ryan Simon, correct?"

"Yes, sir." Ryan said flatly. He still seemed unsure about this mission and he didn't seem to like it either.

"You were adopted three years ago by the don't seem to have any information before then. Now why do you think that is?"

"My blood family hates me." Ryan stated. "Is it any wonder they would disown me as well? Erase all traces of me?"

"And what was their name?"

"That's not important." Ryan said. "Can we move on?"

Judah moved closer to Team Rapture. That's when Dillan realized just how small they really were compared to the dragonite. Judah was at the top of the Guild System; the king. His position allowed him to send Team Rapture to the farthest reaches of Ganderosa. On top of that, King Judah stood at a little over seven feet. That was two feet above Dillan. The gabite looked up at Judah. The king walked towards Ryan and leaned down.

"I don't like your tone, Simon." Judah said. "Care to address me with respect?"

"Yes, sire." Ryan said with pride.

"Good." Judah told him as he walked back. He turned to face Team Rapture. "Your adopted family tells me that you've been studying Ancient Ruins."

"Yes, sire." Ryan said.

"Why is that?" Judah asked.

"I didn't have any real reason." Ryan said. "I just felt like it."

"Everyone has their reasons." Judah said.

"Why are you asking us these things?" Ryan asked. "Sire?" he added.

"I wanted to know who I was sending into the field." Judah turned to Dillan. "Since your friend doesn't have a reason for what he does, let's move on to you, Dillan..." He trailed off. Judah looked at Dillan as if he was expecting an answer from him.

"You want me to give you my full name?" Dillan guessed.

"Please." Judah urged. "You didn't finish the Guild's sign-up form with your last name." Judah pulled a piece of paper from the desk and showed it to Dillan. Sure enough, there was only one name at the top of the form, "Dillan".

 _I could do that, tell him my name is Dillan Lambert. I've heard it enough times in my dream to remember. But if he has the resources like he's been demonstrating, then he won't find any records on me or my family._

"Sorry sir." Dillan said. "I don't remember."

"Amnesia?" Judah asked.

"It's true, sire." Hazel said. "He can't remember much."

"So you don't know your parents?" Judah asked.

"No, sir." Dillan said.

"That's too bad." Judah said. "Just another pokemon with no one to his name; no parents or siblings." Dillan looked down to the floor, ashamed of his lack of knowledge. _He's right._

"Knock it off." Ryan said. Judah looked at Ryan. "Why do you have to make him feel bad? It isn't his fault."

"Watch your tongue." Judah ordered.

"Sorry, sir." Ryan said, though he obviously wasn't sorry.

"Anyways," Judah said. "I wanted to give you your orders for the mission ahead of you. If you would all give me your explorers badges." Dillan, Ryan, and Hazel all removed their badges (Dillan had some help from Hazel). Hazel then brought the badges to Judah. Judah took all three of them. "Now then, I think you'll find this part of the mission very intriguing." Judah went towards the desk and grabbed three black rolls of cloth. He handed one to each member of Team Rapture. Dillan knelt down and unraveled the cloth on the carpet. The cloth revealed a red, eroded "A" in the middle of a white circle that flared out at the circumference.

"Team Armageddon's flag?" Ryan asked.

"On the contrary." Judah said. "The one you have is a bandanna for your head. Hazel, yours is a scarf such as the one you have on now. And Dillan, you have a bandanna, also like the one you wear."

"Why do we have these?" Hazel asked.

"Like I said before," Judah said. "This mission is based upon stealth. I do not just want you to sneak into the guild. I want you to infiltrate Team Armageddon."

"I don't think having two bandanas is going to work, sir." Dillan said.

"Quite right." Judah said. "That is why I will also be confiscating your wears."

"You will?" Hazel asked.

"Team Armageddon has been here and seen you three gallivanting around town." Judah stated. "They have no doubt seen your gear and the symbol you wear. That is why you must not carry it with you."

"I get it, sire." Ryan said with an eye roll. He removed his arm band and handed it to King Judah. Dillan followed Ryan's example. Hazel stood there, looking at Judah with a look Dillan didn't understand.

"Hazel?" Judah asked.

"Fine." Hazel said. She took her scarf off and gave it to Judah. Judah took all three of the buffs and put them on the desk. Hazel took the new scarf and placed it around her neck. Ryan looked at his bandanna. He tried to put it on his head with great difficulty. Dillan stared at his new bandanna.

"Sir?" Dillan spoke up.

"Yes, Dillan?" Judah asked.

"What do these things do? What special powers do they give us?"

Judah thought about it for a while before saying, "Nothing at all."

"They don't do anything?" Ryan asked with shock. "You mean my speed is gone?"

"Well," Judah started. "We retrieved them from a Team Armageddon rally, so whatever they wanted it to do, it does just that."

"So if they poison us?" Ryan asked. Hazel froze. Her hands were rested on the ends off her new scarf.

"They won't be booby-trapped." Judah announced. "I've had them checked out. They should be fine."

"A-Alright..." Dillan said skeptically as he put his new bandanna on. Ryan managed to figure out his head-band

"Now, listen here you three." Judah began. "This mission is of top priority. The fate of Ganderosa as we know it hangs by the thread of this mission's success."

"That can't be correct." Hazel said. "All of Ganderosa?"

"Precisely." Judah acknowledged. "Think of it this way. We've been keeping this rebellion a secret. No messages are allowed to pass to nor from Alka's Islands. If word gets out about this uprising, we would have a panic. Some pokemon would be too scared to fight Team Armageddon while others would join that filthy group. I do not want to give Ignitus too much control over the fate of Ganderosa."

"So what are we going to do in the Alkan Guild?" Hazel asked.

"I want you three to go in there and kill Guildleader Zinclyde."

"How are we suppose to do that?" Ryan asked. "The Guildmasters aren't called "masters" for nothing. They're the best of the best. You expect us to take someone of that status and win?"

"Yes." Judah said flatly. "It is my understanding that you three took on the vigilante known as Arlon. Am I wrong?"

"Someone died trying to take down Arlon." Hazel told Judah. "Also, me and Ryan came after Arlon was weakened."

"I have no doubt you three can handle the job." Judah said again. He sounded a little more stern this time. "Now I want you to be ready to kill the Guildmaster. Not harm or defeat. Kill her."

"You want us to simply end another pokemon's life?" Dillan asked. He was very worried.

"You will end her life if you are given the opportunity." Judah told Dillan sternly. "Iris Zinclyde's hypnotic abilities are too great to hold back for fear of killing her. Do I make myself clear?"

 _This isn't right. How can he expect us to kill someone so easily?_

"We understand, sir." Hazel said.

"Good." Judah told them. "Now, that is half of your mission. Your other half is to take out Ignitus Blaine."

"The leader of Team Armageddon." Ryan said.

"I told you about him yesterday." Judah said. "Your job is to cut off Team Armageddon's head. They need to be buried. Keeping Iris Zinclyde alive risks Team Armageddon making her their new leader. Now, this is the tricky part. You need to keep Ignitus alive."

"Stop right there." Ryan said. "This is the worst thing I've ever heard. You want us to kill Zinclyde, but keep Blaine alive?"

"Yes, I do." Judah said. "Is there a reason you continue to question my actions?"

"Well, yeah." Ryan said. "This is suicide. You're sending us in alone?"

"Not alone." Judah stated. "You will have the assistance of Bolt Raimi and Adelina Jennings."

Ryan was dumbfounded by the words he just heard. "You're dong what?"

"I haven't informed them yet because I need them to do another assignment before they assist you." Judah stated. "But they will assist you with your assignment."

"They are?" Ryan asked.

"Yes." Judah stated.

"You're being serious?" Ryan asked again.

"Yes, Simon." Judah said sternly.

"This changes things." Ryan announced. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

"I just decided. Garth is informing them of their mission as we speak."

"My king," Ryan said. "You are one-"

"Sire," Hazel cut in. "That is a wonderful idea. Thank you for your generosity."

"At least one of you knows respect." Judah said. "Now then, Adelina's team will be meeting you in Frost Island Village in two days time. They will help you with taking Ignitus Blaine from the Alka islands."

"And why are we keeping him alive?" Dillan asked. It wasn't like he wanted to kill Ignitus. In fact, he preferred they didn't. It was just that he wanted to know why they had to kill Iris and not Ignitus.

"Martyrdom." Judah stated. "If you kill Ignitus, his followers will herald him as a hero. If you capture the snake, you can make your position clear. Set an example for the peasants. Show them that we will not tolerate resistance or uprisings. Ignitus will be captured and locked away on Giratina's Isle."

"And killing him makes him an icon to the rebellion." Ryan said. "We understand."

"Good." Judah stated. "Now, you will meet with an informant in Frost Island's village. You will find him in a place called "Bubba's Fine Dine"." Dillan felt his mind switch gears at those words. His mind flipped back to a few days ago. _Bubba's Fine Dine. I've heard that before._ Dillan felt like vomiting. A voice seemed to flash in his mind. The voice said, "Go to Frost Island Village. There is a pub called the Bubba's Fine Dine. Go to the bar and ask for Trinity Fitz." _Trinity Fitz. That voice told me to find someone named Trinity Fitz. I forgot about that dream. Who's Trinity Fitz?_

Dillan felt the left side of his face ripple. The pain receptors in his scales sent signals to his brain. Dillan put his foot behind him for stability. He looked up and saw Judah was over him. He had his paw in a swiping position. Dillan felt the stinging pain from the slap.

"Why did you do that?" Ryan snapped.

"Snap out of it!" Judah commanded. Dillan stood up straight and looked at Judah. "Focus on what I am saying. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Dillan said. He looked at Judah with a slight bit of fear on his otherwise calm expression.

"Now then." Judah said. "Go to the bar at Bubba's Fine Dine and ask for Hank Peterson. He'll update you on what happens next. Understood?"

No one answered. Everyone was rattled from the king's actions.

"Understood?" Judah asked again.

"Yes, sire." Dillan said. Ryan and Hazel followed his example.

"Good." Judah said. "Now report to the guild's doctor's office. It has come to my attention that there is a pokemon there who will take you to the Alkan Islands. Dismissed." With that, Judah went back to his desk. He sat down and continued scribbling vigorously on the paper. Dillan, Ryan, and Hazel exited the room and made their way to the doctor's office.

* * *

"I've said it before and I'll say it again-" Ryan started. Team Rapture walked into the doctor's office. Doctor Valentine the persian was at the front desk. He was sitting there attentively signing a piece of paper several times before moving on to the next one.

"We get it, Ryan." Hazel said. "And I full-heartedly agree."

"You think something's off about this thing?" Dillan asked. Hazel didn't answer she walked up to Dr. Valentine's desk.

"Hello, Dr. Valentine." Hazel said.

"Ah." Dr. Valentine said. "One second." He stamped the piece of paper one more time before looking at Hazel. "Hello, Ms. Prince. What brings you in?"

"Doc," Ryan began. "King Judah-"

"Doctor Valentine, Mr. Simon." Dr. Valentine said with an annoyed glance at Ryan.

"Whatever." Ryan said. "King Judah said that we'd find someone to take us to the Alkan Islands."

"And might I ask," Valentine began. "What does Team Armageddon want in the Alkan Region?"

"Wh-What?" Dillan asked. _I thought only guildmembers knew about that._

"Why else would you be wearing their colors." Valentine said as he pointed to the new symbol Team Rapture was sporting around.

"Oh, yeah." Dillan said.

"It's confidential information." Ryan said. "Judah doesn't want anyone else knowing."

"Suit yourself." Valentine said. "I think you'll want to go into the patients room. Though, let me warn you. I don't think my patient is very appreciative of guildmembers."

"Who's in the room?" Dillan asked.

"You can't be serious!" Ryan said.

"I've been hearing stories about his adventures." Valentine said. "Don't disrespect him yet."

"Fine." Ryan said. He started walking towards the patients room.

"Who's in there?" Dillan asked.

"Who do you think, brainiac?" Ryan said. He opened the door and Dillan peered inside. There, Tracey was sleeping in a chair with her head on the empoleon's leg. Mr. Tracey looked at Team Rapture with interest.

"Come in." Mr. Tracey said. _He can talk?_ Dillan was shocked to find Tracey's father could say more than "Die". He was also shocked to find Mr. Tracey's voice was different. He had a deep voice that was full of spunk. Dillan, Hazel, and Ryan walked into the room. Tracey perked her head up quickly. "It's alright, Tracey." Tracey's eyes set on Dillan.

"You." she said harshly.

"Hi." Dillan waved nervously.

"You know each other?" Mr. Tracey asked.

"They're part of the Guild, dad." Tracey said.

"A visitor is a visitor." Mr. Tracey said. "Why don't you three take a seat?" Mr. Tracey gestured to three seats along the right side of the bed. Team Rapture sat down in the chairs.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Tracey?" Hazel asked.

"Please, call me Tom." Tom said. "And I'm feeling fine now that I'm out of that dreadful place. I only wish I knew who got me out. Thanking them would make my day."

"That's good enough, sir." Hazel said. Tom looked at Team Rapture with confusion.

"Wait a minute." Tom said. "You kids saved me?"

"You don't remember?" Dillan asked.

"Well, I can't remember much after I entered that dreadful mystery dungeon. Yet, your faces do look familliar." _What's going on? He's being so social. Two days ago, the only thing he could say was "Die". Now he's having a conversation with us. This is too strange._

"Mr. Tracey, we need to ask you something." Hazel began.

"Is it a favor?" Tom asked.

"Daddy," Tracey began. "Don't listen to them. They'll swindle you again."

"Hey!" Ryan snapped. "What's your problem?"

"My problem is with you guys!" Tracey said. "You're obviously here to get something from us as payment."

"Tracey," Tom began.

Tracey didn't listen. She kept going. "Why else would you guys be dressed like Team Armageddon sympathizers? You're obviously trying to get us to beg you to let us help."

"Tracey!" Tom said sternly. Tracey became silent. She continued to scowl at Team Rapture.

"Mr. Tracey," Hazel began.

"If you're not going to call me Tom," Tom said. "Then please call me Mr. Adams."

"Mr. Adams," Hazel began again. "We need to go to the Alkan Islands and we need a ride there. Dr. Valentine said you could take us."

"Is that all?" Tom said. "Now you're talking! I'll take you to the Alkan Islands and even farther! I could take you to Treasure Town if you wanted!"

"We prefer to stay inside of Ganderosa." Hazel said.

"Suit yourself." Tom said. He flung the blanket off of the bed and stood up on the left side.

"Dad!" Tracey said.

"I'm fine, Trace." Tom said. He started doing stretches on the spot. "In fact, I'm more than fine! I've been scheduled to leave this room later today, anyways. I'll be fine!"

"So you'll take us to the Alkan Islands?" Hazel asked.

"Sure I will!" Tracey's dad said. "It depends on where you want to land. You see, Most of the Alkan Islands are safe to land in. Though there are exceptions to everything. For instance. Some islands in the Alkan region are surrounded by glaciers. Those glaciers make it impossible to pass into areas such as Barnicade Island and the Glacier Plateau."

"We need to get to Alka's main island."

"The one with Alka castle?" Tom asked.

"That's the one." Hazel said.

"But first," Ryan cut in. "We need to go to Frost Island."

"That'll be difficult." Tom said. "Pretty much impossible."

"Impossible?" Dillan asked. "Because of the glaciers?"

"Because of the surrounding islands." Tom said. "That one specifically was chosen for the village because of how hard it is to get there."

"Dad, you can't go!" Tracey said.

"I do." Tom said. "These pokemon saved my life. It's the least I can do to repay them." Tracey looked at her father as though he was crazier that Jess. "Besides," Tom's face grew into a beaming grin. He set his right fin on his heart. "How often do I get to sail?"

"You don't owe them anything!" Tracey sounded very disturbed by the fact of Tom going with Team Rapture. "They owe us for what they did!"

"Not these pokemon, Tracey." Tom said softly. He walked around the bed to Tracey's side. He got close to Tracey. He stood above her by a few feet. Tom knelt down to meet the glaceon at eye level. He put his fin on Tracey's shoulder. "Please, Tracey. Let me do this."

"I can't." Tracey said sternly. She backed up from her father. Tom stood up. The glaceon looked at Dillan. He saw her icy gaze stare at him with anger. "You, gabite."

"Yes?" Dillan asked, wondering what would happen next. He felt the hostility build as though a chilly mist condensed the air, causing Dillan's scales to stand up ever so slightly.

"Fight me." Tracey ordered.

"I don't think that's-" Hazel tried to say.

"Shut it, charmeleon!" Tracey snapped. She looked Dillan right in the eyes. "You won't take my father away from me, too! If you want him, fight me for him!"

"Tracey-" Tom tried to intervene.

"No!" Tracey snapped.

Tom set his fin on Tracey's head. "Look at me, Trace." Tom said sternly.

Tracey drew back from Tom. "No!" she snapped again.

"Can you handle this?" Ryan whispered.

"What?" Dillan asked.

"I want to know if you can beat Tracey in a fight." Ryan whispered again.

"Maybe?" Dillan said with a shrug.

"Nice confidence." Ryan said sarcastically. He jumped up on the hospital bed. "Alright, Tracey." Ryan addressed the glaceon. "If you want to fight Dillan, I don't have a problem with it."

"Ryan," Hazel started. "Is this a good idea?"

"Trust me." Ryan said confidently.

"Stop talking about it!" Tracey snapped. "Let's just fight!"

"Right here in the hospital room?" Dillan asked.

"Of course not, you idiot!" Tracey told Dillan. "It's too enclosed!" Tracey gave a huff and left the room. Dillan turned to Hazel for her opinion.

"What are you thinking?" Hazel asked Ryan.

Ryan gave a smirk at Hazel. "Sometimes, pokemon need to fight out their problems in order to move past them. Tracey obviously has something bothering her. Maybe losing to Dillan will give her a push in the right direction."

"That's not how it works, Ryan." Hazel said.

"It worked for Bolt." Ryan told Hazel. He turned to Dillan. "Trust me on this one. At the very least, she wouldn't be able to stop us from going."

 _What other choice do I have? Based on Tracey's hate towards us, I think she would try and fight me if I said no. At least now I have a chance to help her._

"Alright." Dillan agreed. "I'll do it."

"This isn't a good idea." Tom said.

"I agree." Hazel said. "Dillan, you're out of your element against Tracey. She's an ice-type pokemon. You're not going to have a good match against her at all."

"You'll be fine." Ryan assured. "You've got your flame-thrower attack. As long as you dodge Tracey's Ice moves, you'll be set."

"That's not going to be easy." Tom said.

"Why not?" Ryan asked.

"Tracey has a move called Icicle Shards." Tom explained. Dillan recalled the ice that clung to his scales in his first fight with Tracey. It made him shudder. "She'll get the first move on you every time. Don't fight her. You'd just get yourself hurt."

"I have to fight her." Dillan said. "It's my only option."

"Fine." Tom said with a shrug.

"Man," Ryan said. "You're awfully calm for someone who knows his daughter is going to fight someone."

"Oh, I'm not worried about Tracey." Tom said. "I'm worried for you." Tom pointed a fin towards Dillan. _He's that confident in Tracey's abilities?_ Dillan took an involuntary gulp. "Then again, Tracey would follow us anyways. I guess this fight is inevitable." Tom shrugged and walked out of the room.

"This is a bad idea." Hazel said.

"It's our only idea." Ryan told Hazel.

"He's right, Hazel." Dillan said. "I don't like it as much as you, but this fight might be our only way to keep Tracey from attacking us later down the road."

"You can't be sure of that." Hazel said.

"Maybe not." Dillan said. "But even if the odds are against me, I need to try." Dillan began walking out of the room to find Tracey. He felt his tail begin to shake uncontrollably. _It'll be fine. You'll be alright. You can win this... Right?_

* * *

Dillan walked out of the guild. Tracey was waiting for him outside of the gates. She was sitting down, staring at Dillan with eyes of pain.

"What took you so long?" Tracey complained.

"I'm here now." Dillan said. His tail was still shaking uncontrollably, though he didn't know why.

"Let's do this already!" Tracey shouted. She ran down the west street to take a position. Dillan went down the east street. He took five steps before turning around to face Tracey.

"Why do you hate the guild?" Dillan asked. He looked around. Ryan and Hazel were at the Guild's gates. Dillan also found Tom standing behind Tracey.

"None of your business!" Tracey shouted.

"We just helped you with your father." Dillan said. "Isn't that enough to convince you that we're the good guys?"

"Not a chance!" Tracey shouted. She got into a running stance as though she was about to charge Dillan. Dillan felt his body vibrate. He put his arms up in a defensive stance, ready to receive an attack.

"You're going to lose!" Tracey shouted. She began charging towards Dillan. Dillan planted his feet and drew his head back. He used a flame thrower attack on Tracey. Tracey began spinning as she drew closer to Dillan. It was as though she was on ice. The glaceon's tail became bathed in water. The water surrounded her as the flames hit their mark. Dillan watched as the water around Tracey extinguished the flames. _Uh-oh._ Dillan tried to move out of the way, but Tracey was too fast. Her aqua tail attack slammed into Dillan. He felt the energy of Tracey's spinning become infused with the power of her aqua tail. It was as if a mace hit Dillan in the ribs.

The gabite flew back from the force. He felt himself collide with the cobblestone path. Dillan felt a scrape on his left leg from the impact. He tried to get up. He felt his head spinning from the attack.

"Dillan, look out!" Hazel shouted. Dillan looked forwards to see a beam of white flying through the air. It was headed towards him. Dillan moved to the left and evaded the ice beam attack. He felt the chills coming off the white beam affect the air. Dillan gave a shudder. It was freezing.

"Just lose!" Tracey shouted. She ran up on Dillan. The gabite focused his energy into his fins. They grew into a dragon claw attack. Dillan rushed in on Tracey. The glaceon spun around. Five icicle shards flew towards Dillan. The gabite brought his fins up and attacked the shards. He managed to deflect three of them, dodge one, but the fifth one struck Dillan in the chest. He felt chills run through his chest. Dillan tried to ignore it. He continued to rush Tracey. He slashed at the glaceon. She dodged the attack and slammed her tail into Dillan's head. He felt the ground come closer to his skull. He collided with the earth. He looked up to find Tracey charging an ice beam attack at Dillan. The gabite slammed his foot into Tracey's leg. She was knocked off balance and fired the attack into the sky. Dillan stood up and faced Tracey.

"You're all the same!" Tracey shouted. "You say you guildmembers are good pokemon, but that isn't true! You helped my father and want him to repay his debt!"

"He doesn't owe us!" Dillan argued.

"Stop it with the act!" Tracey shouted. "You're just like the guildmembers in Harrier Town or in Lake Town! If I can't pay, then you'll come back for payment later in some other form!"

"We didn't help you for that reason." Dillan said.

"Then why ask now?"

"King Judah told us to."

"Liar!" Tracey began glowing. Balls of light began forming out of thin air around Tracey. They closed in on her as though they were attracted to her. Dillan looked on in awe. "You're guild took away my mother! I won't let it take my father, too!" Tracey's entire body flashed with a white light. Tracey ran towards Dillan and slammed into his chest. Dillan felt a surge of pain through his body. He flew through the air and crashed into a nearby building. He fell to the floor and blacked out.

* * *

"He's waking up." Hazel said. Dillan opened his eyes. He sat up quickly. He then felt a surge of pain in his chest. Dillan gave a sharp inhalation from the pain.

"Easy." Hazel said. Dillan looked around. Ryan and Hazel were near him.

"Where's Tracey?" Dillan asked.

"She's over there with her dad." Ryan said. He pointed down the road. Dillan could see Tracy and Tom talking together. Based on Tracey's cold expressions, the conversation was intense.

"Are you alright?" Hazel asked.

"My chest feels awful." Dillan admitted.

"I would assume so." Ryan said. "I mean, you got hit with a "Last Resort" attack."

"A what?" Dillan asked.

"It's one of the strongest moves out there." Ryan said. "You have to use all of your other attacks before you can pull off a Last Resort. That's the draw back. The good thing about it is Last Resort's power. That attack can win you a match if it hits."

"So I lost?" Dillan asked.

"Yep." Hazel acknowledged.

Dillan hung his head. "Then we'll have to find someone else to take us to the Alkan Islands."

"Not necessarily." Tom said. Dillan looked up to see the empoleon standing there. Tracey was behind him, staring at the ground as though disappointed. "I'll be taking you to the Alkan Islands.

"You will?" Dillan asked.

"Of course." Tom said.

"But I lost the fight." Dillan said. He was highly confused by what was going on.

"Don't worry about it." Tom said. "It was only a test to see if you could hold your own against my daughter!" Tom began laughing out loud.

"Yeah, right." Ryan said skeptically.

"Anyways," Tom said. "Now that we've proven Tracey can beat the strongest of you,"

"Hey!" Ryan protested. "You're saying that because I'm short, aren't you?"

Tom ignored Ryan's comment and continued. "Tracey knows that if she comes on the mission, she has nothing to fear."

"She's coming with us?" Ryan asked.

"I'm standing right here." Tracey said in an annoyed tone.

"Yes." Tom answered. "Tracey won't cause any more issues. She understands what needs to be done and she's even willing to help. Isn't that right?"

"Yeah." Tracey said as she rolled her eyes.

"Now what are we standing around here for?" Tom asked. "Onwards to Port Town!"

"Port Town?" Hazel asked. She reached into her bag and pulled out her map. "I've never heard of that town. Where is it?"

"Oh, you won't find it on any old map." Tom said. "It's a fairly new town that we made off the coast of the Alkan Main-land. It was created as a place to keep boats so we can sail out to the Alkan Islands."

"How new is it?" Hazel asked, clearly intrigued by the new town.

"Fairly new. It was made a few months ago. We don't have a guild yet, but we're slowly growing. Right now we have about five families living there."

"That _is_ pretty small." Ryan agreed.

"Yes, but it's home." Tom said. "Now let's get going!" Tom began walking down the path towards the west. Tracey began following.

"Anyone else feel something weird about this?" Dillan asked.

"I've felt weird about this from the start." Ryan said. "This job isn't for guildmembers. It's for the Royal Guard at the least. Sending us feels weird."

"Those are our orders." Hazel said. "As much as we don't like it, and trust me when I say I don't like it, we have to follow what the king says." Hazel looked slightly disturbed about saying that, though Dillan didn't know why.

"Alright." Ryan said. He began running towards Tracey and Tom to catch up.

"Hazel," Dillan said. Hazel faced Dillan. "What's going on with you?"

"Dillan, I'll tell you later." Hazel said.

"Is this about Jake?" Dillan asked.

"No, it isn't." Hazel said. "As much as that thing scared me, it isn't Jake."

"Then who is it?" Dillan asked.

"Like I said, I'll tell you later. Right now, we just need to keep moving forwards."

"Alright, then." Dillan and Hazel began walking together. _She said she was alright before, but now she says she'll tell me what's bugging her later. I wish I could get some solid answers, but it doesn't seem like she's ready to give any. I guess she'll tell me later, but when will that be? Will we have any time on the road?_

Team Rapture walked with Tom and Tracey towards the unknown. What lied ahead is sure to be a challenge, but Dillan knew that whatever was to happen, Team Rapture would do what they have always done. They would take it on as a team.

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys! MasterKnight here! So, I said I would have this chapter out and I meant it! One of my reasons was that I didn't want you guys to wait two weeks for this, then have to wait even longer. Since I want to keep you guys in mind, here is this chapter! I would have shortened it, but there was a lot of information that needed to be addressed by Judah.

Thanks for reading this chapter! Hope you guys liked it! If not, send me a P. M. on what I can do better! And as always, I'll see you in the next chapter!


	24. Going Overboard

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 24

Going Overboard

* * *

"So how much longer until we reach Port Town?" Ryan asked.

Team Rapture, Tom, and Tracey had been walking for hours. Dillan felt his energy beginning to drain away. He scanned the green horizon. They had been coming up and down hills in waves as they traveled forwards towards Port Town. The occasional tree provided slight shade to the grass below, but not much. Hazel had been checking her map frequently since they left Palando. She seemed to have a strange feeling that checking the map for a twentieth or fiftieth time was going to change their fate.

"Not much longer, now." Tom told the group. "Just over these hills lies the great, treacherous waves of the ocean."

"Once we get there," Dillan began. "What then?"

"Then you throw up from sea sickness." Tracey said.

"No." Tom said. "You won't throw up. We'll just talk with my sailor buddies and get them to let us out of the port. Once they agree, we'll be heading onto the ocean towards the tip of Frost Island."

"Hey, Dillan." Hazel started.

"What is it?" Dillan asked.

"You want to continue with your history lessons?"

"Hazel, I lost the history book when Jake attacked, remember?"

"That's not what I mean, silly." Hazel said playfully. "We don't need the book when we have me."

"Right." Dillan said. He forgot Hazel was a walking encyclopedia when it came to Ganderosa's history. "Do you guys mind?" Dillan asked Tom and Tracey.

"Whatever." Tracey said dismissively.

"We don't mind." Tom said.

"What part are you learning about?" Ryan asked.

"Hans Armadine." Hazel said.

"Horrid Hans?" Tracey asked. "You don't know about him?"

"N-No..." Dillan said. He felt embarrassed, like he should know. _Why should I? I'm not even from this world. Why should I know about its history?_

"Who are you to judge him?" Ryan asked with an annoyed tone. Tracey didn't answer. Dillan felt happy seeing Ryan defend him.

"It's fine." Tom told Dillan. "Some of us don't even know about King Maxamillian." He gave a hearty laugh. Hazel looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Anyways," Hazel said. "You want to start?"

"Why not." Dillan told Hazel.

"Alright." Hazel told him enthusiastically. She looked up at the sky and began. "King Hans, otherwise known as Horrid Hans, was one of the worst. His father, Carnandite Armadine, son of Darwin Armadine, spoiled Hans. As a result, Hans expected everything from everyone. He took from the citizens, pushing them to their breaking point. He hurt his servants for making the simplest mistakes. He would even hurt his wife, Felicia Armadine, when she made him mad. That's how Hans earned the name Horrid Hans.

"All of that happened when Hans was prince, not when he was king. His father was the real tyrant for letting Hans get, and get away with, anything Hans desired. After years of Carnandite's reign, he became sick. Some pokemon theorize that Hans poisoned Carnandite, but no one knows for sure. Well, once Carnandite died, Hans stepped up to be king.

"On the day of Hans' coronation, he stood up on the stage, waiting for his crown to be set on his head. That's when the attack happened."

"What attack?" Dillan asked.

"Remember when I told you that Judah Armadine the Second had a wife and a child?"

"Yeah." Dillan said.

"Well, Judah married a pokemon named Natale Arvaine."

"No way!" Dillan said, shocked by what Hazel had said. "Arvaine? As in the King Arvaine?"

"Well, yeah." Tracey said.

"Natale and Judah's grandson," Hazel began again. "Ronald Arvaine, attacked Hans Armadine. Ronald killed Hans and declared that Hans was a coward who didn't deserve to be king. Ronald Arvaine told the world that Judah Arvaine was correct in trying to kill Darwin because of what Darwin ended up doing. He said Darwin's lack of a relationship with Carnandite is what drove him to spoil Hans, creating a destabilized monarchy, which is exactly what happened. Ronald incited a rebellion against the Armadines. Later, it turned into a civil war that ended years afterwards with the Arvaines winning the Battle of the Red Wood Plains, making them the ruling monarchs. They decided on executing Hardemlite Armadine to end his lineage, and they succeeded."

"That's not true." Tracey interrupted

"What do you mean "that's not true"?" Hazel asked.

"Hardemlite had an heir."

"That's just speculation." Hazel said.

"King Gunter Arvaine hunted for the heir of Hardemlite." Tracey said.

"As a precaution." Hazel said. "He wanted to make sure the Armadines couldn't take control of the monarchy again."

"So you agree with killing off the Armadines?" Tracey asked.

"I didn't say that." Hazel told her. "I'm just stating facts. I'm not saying I supported the execution of Hardemlite or hunting down his son; assuming he had one."

"Whatever." Tracey said as she put her eyes back to the path.

Hazel cleared her throat. "As I was saying," she began again. "Hardemlite was the last heir of the Armadines."

"How do you remember all of that?" Dillan asked.

"Mostly, I just study." Hazel said. "There's actually a nursery rhyme about Horrid Hans that helps.

" _Horrid Hans in his castle of kings. The pokemon he abused by taking their things. They had enough of their home of hell. Ronald Arvaine took control when Horrid Hans fell."_

"Kind of dark, don't you think?" Ryan said.

"Aren't they all?" Hazel asked him.

"Good point." Ryan said.

"And that about raps it all up." Hazel told Dillan.

"That's it?" Dilan asked. "Nothing else is important?"

Hazel thought about his question for a few seconds before saying, "Not that I can remember. Unless you count the three riots that sprung up over the years because of groups like Team Armageddon. Nothing else has had a big enough pact on history to mention."

 _That can't be all there is. I didn't hear anything like the Enemy in any of the lessons. Maybe Hazel missed some information, seeing as she's been reciting from memory. If that's the case, then what's missing?_

"Hey everybody!" Tom called out from the front of the group. "You see that hill up ahead?" He pointed a fin at a green hill that was a few feet ahead. Their path led up to the top of the hill.

"What about it?" Ryan asked.

"Well," Tom started. "When we get to the top, look ahead. I promise you won't be disappointed."

Dillan wondered what Tom was referring to.

"Is there something amazing in the distance?" Dillan asked.

"You bet." Tracey said. "Come on!" Tracey started running towards the hill. She started climbing its side in seconds. Dillan watched as Tracey reached the top.

"Race ya!" Hazel said as she tagged Dillan on the shoulder. Dillan smiled.

"No way you're beating me!" Ryan shouted. He made a dash to overtake Hazel.

"Wait for me!" Dillan shouted with a smile as he ran to join them. The gabite felt the wind in his scales like he hadn't ever before. He took a deep breath from the air as he reached the base of the hill and began climbing it with his friends. There was the slightest smell of salt lingering in the air. Dillan found it to be refreshing. He watched as Ryan ran ahead of Hazel. Dillan tried to keep up, but it turned out he was the slowest of the bunch.

Just then, his instincts took hold. He felt the urge to start shoveling dirt from the hill. Dillan broke away from the path quickly and began tunneling into the hill-side. He felt himself accelerate through the dirt. He was moving faster than before. His "Miracle Sense" kicked in. He saw Tom climbing the mountain slowly. He saw Ryan reaching the top with Hazel trailing. The gabite knew he wouldn't be in last place, not if he could help it.

Dillan made a straight line for the crest of the hill. He felt energized in the soil. The gabite tunneled to the top in seconds, overtaking Ryan from below. He sprang upwards like a rocket for five feet. In that instance, he looked ahead. From his vantage point, he observed the horizon ahead of him.

Tom didn't give a tenth of the information needed to describe what Dillan saw at that moment. Any description he would give the view he was staring at wouldn't do it justice. Dillan felt deep down inside of his heart that he had never seen anything so beautiful in his entire life, even if he had his memories. In a fraction of a second, Dillan saw a massive body of water that stretched as far as the eye could see. The ocean.

The water glittered with the waves that overlapped each other. The sun reflected greens, whites, and blues on the water's surface. The sky was above the body of water. Clouds and different pokemon soared through the sky majestically. Dillan was in absolute awe. All of his senses were focused on this beauty that he beheld. He felt the sea breeze on his scales. He smelled the salt that lingered in the air. He didn't even notice the ground below him getting closer until it was too late.

Dillan hit the grassy hill. The good part was that he had his feet pointed towards the ground. He didn't land on the gravel path, so the grass slightly cushioned his fall. The bad part was he wasn't ready for the shock that gravity had in store for him. Dillan's legs took the brunt of the force, absorbing the shock by bending. He then fell forwards and landed on his stomach with a "thud". He felt his head spin for a few seconds.

"Are you alright?" Tracey asked. She ran up to Dillan to make sure he was okay.

"I'm fine." Dillan said as his vision became stable again.

"Dillan!" Hazel shouted. Dillan looked behind him to see Ryan and Hazel make their way from the path to him.

"Are you alright?" Ryan asked.

Dillan stood up and smiled. "Did you see it?" he asked.

"The sea?" Ryan asked.

"Not the sea." Tracey said with an annoyed inflection in her voice. "The ocean. The sea and the ocean are two completely different things. That," Tracey pointed towards the body of water. "That is the ocean. It's bigger than a sea. Also, Ganderosa doesn't have any seas, so however you got those mixed up, I can't tell."

"Chill out." Ryan snapped. "You don't have to be rude."

Tracey gave a huff. She looked at Dillan for a few seconds before walking away.

"Isn't it glorious?" Tom asked as he reached the top. "The smell of salt, the chilly breeze, even the sight. The ocean _is_ a glorious thing to behold."

"It is pretty cool." Hazel said. "Though, I've already seen the ocean before."

"Ah," Tom said. "But have you seen the Indigo Ocean?"

"Well, no." Hazel said. "Is there a difference between this one and the one in Labensia?"

"Labensia's Ocean," Tom began. "Or as we sea fearers know it, the Lycanean Ocean, is known for its electrical storms. The Indigo Ocean, you might know it as the Alkan Ocean, is known for its green texture created by the coral reefs below the surface." Tom paused and scanned the horizon. Dillan was already staring at the ocean ahead of him. He couldn't pull his eyes away from the sight. To him, it was too spectacular. Tom pointed his fin to a spot on the shores. Dillan could make out a small town in the distance. "That's Port Town. Glorious little place filled with the best of sailors."

"So it does exist." Hazel whispered to herself. She pulled out her map again and looked from it to the town.

"It's about another two hour's walk from here."

"I'll show you guys around when we get there." Tracey said enthusiastically. Dillan was surprised to hear some excitement in her voice.

"That's the spirit!" Tom said as he patted Tracey on the shoulder.

Tracey looked at her father as if he switched on a light in her head. She immediately stopped acting cheerfully and scowled at Team Rapture. "I mean, if you want me to do it, daddy." Tracey said.

"That's a wonderful idea." Tom said, reassuring the point.

"Just try to keep up." Tracey said as she began walking down the hill. Tom gave a hearty laugh and followed.

"She's acting differently." Ryan said, though he sounded a little weird.

"She's starting to warm up to us." Hazel said. "It's nice to see."

"I hope we can be friends after this." Dillan said.

"Why?" Ryan said with a little apprehension.

"You don't like that idea?" Hazel asked.

"She's still rude to us." Ryan pointed out. "And she hasn't apologized for attacking us."

"She will." Dillan assured.

"You can be sure of that?" Ryan asked.

"Well, yeah." Dillan said. "I have this gut feeling that she's a cool pokemon."

"I'l believe it when I see it." Ryan said. "Let's just move on. Tracey and Tom are getting too far ahead for my liking." Ryan started walking dow the hill quickly to accompany Tom and Tracey.

"We better follow." Dillan said.

"Wait a minute." Hazel said. Dillan looked at her. "Have you noticed anything different with Ryan?"

"Different how?" Dillan said with curiosity.

"I'm not sure exactly." Hazel said. "He just seems a little... rude. Back at Harley's in Palando. I saw him acting strangely towards Harley. And he doesn't seem to have a problem with treating Tracey harshly."

"Well," Dillan said. "In both instances, he does seem to have a reason; not that it's a good reason, but that is Ryan."

"I know," Hazel said. "But he seems to be... ruder, if you will."

"Now that you mention it, I have noticed that. Do you think something's bugging him?"

"Maybe." Hazel said. "Whatever it is, I don't think he'll tell me about it. If he's going to tell anyone, he'll tell you. Though, he's not going to give it to you if you ask. You need to let him come to you."

"Alright." Dillan said.

"Now then," Hazel said with a smile. "Let's catch up to them." Dillan nodded in agreement and the two were off to rejoin the group.

* * *

"Here we are!" Tom anounced. "Home sweet home."

Dillan looked at the small town. There weren't many buildings. Dillan counted twelve at the most. All of the buildings were white with a wave pattern painted into the sides. Dillan thought it was a little weird to say the least. The roofs were all as flat as a slate. Almost all of the buildings were a single story. There was one two story building with a turquoise border around the top. The path was white cobblestone. Everything looked pretty and new. None of the town's colors were dim. They were very vibrant. It gave Port Town a nice glow to it. Dillan's favorite part was the sound of the waves that could be heard.

"This looks pretty new." Hazel said with awe. "I've never seen buildings so white."

"Like a clamperl's..." Tom started. "Well, pearls. This place is as fresh as the ocean."

"Where is everyone?" Ryan asked. Dillan looked around. There didn't seem to be anyone in sight.

"They're on the waves." Tracey said. "Everyone who lives here owns a fishing boat."

"Fishing?" Hazel asked.

"You know." Tracey said. "With the pole and the hook. They go out and find the best sea food in Ganderosa. Sea weed and Coral."

"You can eat coral?" Ryan asked skeptically.

"Not just any coral." Tracey said. "You need to find Honey Coral; the kind of stuff they make into sugar."

"Using a hook doesn't sound very efficient." Dillan said.

"It's the life of a fishermon." Tom said. "Now then, why don't we go to the port."

"For your boat?" Hazel said.

"Exactly." Tom said with a smile.

Tom waved as he began walking into Port Town. Tracey ran ahead excitedly. Team Rapture followed.

They strode for about two minutes before turning a corner. Dillan found himself looking at the building with the turquoise roof. There was a sign that was painted half-way. It read, "The Bea" before ending with the rest of the unpainted sign. The building also had a mahogany door with blue-tinted windows. Other than the obvious differences, it looked like the rest of the buildings. To the side of the building was a dock that stretched out onto the ocean. There were two boats parked along the docks. One looked pretty big, like a captain's ship. The other looked like the first, but smaller. Dillan felt the urge to run across the dock to get a better look at the water.

"Alright, guys." Tom began. "I'm going to be inside of this building to get my boat on the water. You guys can either come with me or hang out on the boat. Your choice." Dillan knew which one he found more interesting.

"We're good to go on the boat." Hazel said.

"Alright." Tom said. He gave a wave and then departed through the wooden doors.

Hazel turned around to face Tracey. "So you live here?" she asked.

"I live in Palando." Tracey said sassily.

"Is that why you seem so enthusiastic about being here again?" Dillan asked.

"None of your business." Tracey said. She turned away from Team Rapture and began walking down the docks.

"Hey, Trally!" Ryan yelled.

"Tracey." Dillan and Hazel corrected.

Tracey turned around to face Ryan.

"What's your problem with the guild, anyways?" Ryan shouted.

"You guys are selfish." Tracey said.

"Yeah, and you're any different?" Ryan asked.

"Ryan." Hazel warned quietly. She stepped in front of the pachirisu. "I know she's annoying, but you need to let it slide. She's our ride."

"I don't care." Ryan said. He stepped around Hazel and started advancing on Tracey. "You have an issue with the guild; not us."

"I have an issue with anyone who's a part of the guild." Tracey said. "But you seem to be especially rude for such a small pokemon." Dillan winced at that comment.

"Ryan-" Hazel tried to warn again.

"You want to fight?" Ryan asked.

"You couldn't beat anyone." Tracey said.

"Watch what you say next." Ryan said.

"Ryan," Dillan said. "This isn't going to accomplish anything good. Please stop."

"No, Dillan." Ryan said. "She's been nothing but a royal pain ever since we met her."

"Same for you, shorty." Tracey said. Ryan clenched his fist. "Does that make you mad, tiny?" Tracey obviously noticed Ryan's anger with her short comments. "Based on your size, you must have a short fuse."

"That's it!" Ryan shouted. He pulled his fist back for a punch. Tracey looked at the pachirisu with a grin.

"Ryan!" Hazel shouted as she grabbed his fist mid-punch.

"Let him do it!" Tracey shouted. "Prove you're all nothing but cowards looking to make a quick poke off of the weak."

Hazel, with Ryan's fist still in hand, didn't expect what came next. Ryan brought his foot into Tracey's chin. Tracey's lower jaw slammed into her upper one with the sound of teeth slamming into teeth.

"Shut up!" Ryan shouted angrily. "Stop being such a witch!" Tracey was on the ground. She perked up her head and looked at Ryan with a grin. "What?" Ryan said in surprise. Dillan was taken aback as well. _She's smiling? Why?_

"I won't let you take advantage of my family." Tracey said. "No matter what." Tracey gave a shriek. Dillan felt his ear drums vibrate. Tracey began sobbing, tears and all. If Dillan didn't know any better, he would have believed she was actually hurt.

Dillan looked at the glaceon with shock. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Tracey?" Tom shouted. Dillan realized what she was doing. _She isn't._ The empoleon came out of the shack running. He looked at the group and found Tracey on the ground. Tom looked at Ryan's pulled-back fist. His face changed into one of frustration. "After what you did for me, I thought you were better than the guild."

"Tom-" Hazel began.

"Don't call me that." Tom stated sternly. "That name is reserved for my friends. You are most certainly not my friends. Address me as Mr. Adams."

"Mr. Adams," Hazel began. "I'm very sorry for my friend's actions-"

"Save your "sorry"s for another pokemon." Tom said. "I thought you were good pokemon. Now I see otherwise." Tom walked over to Tracey.

"Are you alright?" Tom asked.

"I think I'm bleeding." Tracey said as she stuck out her tongue. Dillan saw red teeth marks etched along the edge of Tracey's tongue.

"You're alright." Tom said. "You've taken worse hits, so you'll be fine."

"You're falling for this act?" Ryan asked with confusion.

"Don't you lay another paw on my daughter." Tom shouted at Ryan. "I don't care if you're the king's own son. You can't hit her, understand?"

"I-" Ryan began.

"Ryan," Dillan whispered. "You need to apologize."

"There's no way in Ganderosa-" Ryan whispered back. Hazel stepped on Ryan's tail. Ryan grimaced in pain.

"Do it." Hazel whispered sternly. "He's our ride and we can't lose him."

"But-" Ryan tried to protest.

"Ryan!" Hazel whispered harshly.

"Fine!" Ryan whispered. He looked Tom in the eyes and said, "I'm sorry I hit your daughter. I was out of line. As a guildmember, I shouldn't have let my anger get out of hand like that."

Tom looked at Ryan with eyes like swords, ready to cut the pachirisu in half should he step out of line. "I'll take you to Frost Island." He said. "But it'll cost you. Your actions have severed whatever debt I had with your group. So when I take you to Frost Island, you'll all be working for me on the ship. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir." Team Rapture said.

"Do you see that ship?" Tom said as he pointed to the smaller ship. "I want you three to go to that ship and wait for me."

Dillan felt bad. He knew he didn't have anything to do with what happened to Tracey, but he still felt wrong. Team Rapture walked to the ship stationed on the dock.

Dillan caught Tom's words as he was walking away. "As for you, young lady." he said. Dillan didn't catch what was next due to a gust of wing blowing against his face.

When Team Rapture reached the ship, Hazel grabbed Ryan by the shoulder and forcefully turned him to face her.

"Watch it!" Ryan shouted.

"What's your problem?" Hazel asked sternly.

"That glaceon is a massive jerk!"

"So you kick her in the face?"

"I agree with Hazel." Dillan said. "That was going too far."

"She assaulted you at the guild!" Ryan protested. "You didn't beat her then and you didn't beat her last time! She should have been arested, but she wasn't because she's too young!"

"Exactly!" Hazel shouted. "She's too young to do anything! And you kicked her!"

"She deserves more than that!"

"No, she doesn't." Dillan said. "Stop fighting for me. Fighting her isn't helping me. It's hurting our chances of finishing this mission."

"Ryan," Hazel said. "You need to get your head on straight. I don't know what it is that's bugging you, but you need to focus on this mission. Don't jeopardize it for your own personal feelings."

Ryan turned away. He didn't look at Hazel or Dillan.

"Ryan," Dillan said. "Thanks for defending me, but Tracey was using you. I think I know why she came with us. For some reason, she hates the idea of Tom working with us. She tried to stop him by fighting me, but I think Tom wants to go through with this mission. I think Tracey's been trying to get under your skin; which is exactly what she did when you kicked her. Stop giving her control of your feelings. It won't help you or us."

Ryan stood there for a few seconds, taking in what Dillan said, before saying, "You're right." He still kept his eyes off of his teammates. "Something is bugging me. Because of it, I let Tracey in my head. I'll make a promise right now. I won't let my personal problems interfere with the mission any more."

"Ryan," Dillan said. "Tell us what's wrong."

"I can't, Dillan." Ryan said. "More pokemon will get hurt guaranteed. I can't do that to you guys."

"More?" Hazel asked. She tried to sound empathetic to Ryan.

"I can't say." Ryan told them. "But I won't let it interfere." Ryan hopped off of the dock and onto the ship.

"Alright you two." Tom said as he walked up to the group. "Get aboard." Dillan and Hazel complied. _Whatever is bugging Ryan, I believe he won't let it interfere again. But still, what did he mean by "More"? I want him to tell me what's wrong, but he's not going to right now. Guess there's nothing I can do right now except wait for Ryan to tell me on his own time._

Dillan and Hazel boarded the ship. The deck was pretty nice. It was made of white wood with a few barrels scattered about. It had a mast sticking up from the middle that came up to a sail. A crow's nest rested on the top. There was a couple of doors in the deck that probably led below into the crew quarters. At the back of the ship, there was a wheel. Dillan ran over to the edge of the ship and looked over the side. We felt the sway of the ship with each wave that hit its hull. Dillan was very excited to be on the water.

"Alright you four." Tom said. Team Rapture walked up to their new captain. Tracey walked next to Dillan and sat down. _She's with us?_ "Ryan, I want you to swab this deck." Tom walked towards the back of the ship and grabbed a mop and a bucket. He tossed it to Ryan.

Ryan caught the stick with both hands. It was twice the size of him. The mop threw Ryan off balance. He tried to stay up, but fell backwards instead.

"Hazel," Tom said. "I want you to take inventory below deck. There's a list of things we need for the voyage down the stairs." Hazel gave a nod and went to the double doors on the floor. She opened them up. It revealed a flight of stairs that led below. Hazel descended the stairs. "Dillan, I want you accompany me at the wheel and read the map. There are a few things we need to avoid on the ocean and I need someone to help me out." _I get to help guide the ship? That sounds really cool!_ Dillan couldn't help but smile. "Tracey, I want you to help Ryan with the deck." T _racey's working, too?_ Dillan looked at Tracey. She gave a nod of acknowledgement to the job she was given.

Tracey and Ryan broke from the group and began mopping the deck; neither one paying any attention to the other. Dillan followed Tom to the back of the ship.

* * *

"Alright, kid." Tom said as he grasped the wheel. "Here's what I need you to do."

It took about thirty minutes to get the ship out of the dock. Dillan felt somehow at home with the tasks Tom was giving him. He also felt invigorated with the rocking of the ship. Dillan looked out on the ocean whenever he could, just to catch a glimpse of the view that presented itself.

The work Tom gave Dillan was unceasing. Tie this, untie that, check on this, go tell Tracey or Hazel to do something else, anything and everything that could be done. Dillan didn't care. It felt nice. Infact, he didn't even realize it had been three hours since they left the dock as well as the drop in temperature.

Dillan came back to Tom after checking on Hazel's progress with her new job.

"Hazel's doing fine, sir." Dillan said. "She's just about done with the last box."

"Good work, Dillan." Tom said. "Now, I want you to go up to the crow's nest and watch out for the glaciers. Shout down to me when you see any."

"Yes, sir." Dillan made his way to the middle of the ship where the mast was located. He found the ladder on the side and began scaling it to the top. Each ladder rung seemed to remind him how cold the air was. Maybe it was the increase in altitude. _Don't be dumb. I'm not going that high. I must be getting tired._

As Dillan reached the top, he peered over the side of the crow's nest and viewed the ocean. He just couldn't get enough of it. _I wonder why the ocean is so intriguing to me._

"What are you doing up here?" Tracey asked. Dillan jumped from the shock. He turned around to find Tracey on the crow's nest with him. "Really?"

"I didn't know anyone else was up here." Dillan said.

"Whatever." Tracey said as she rolled her eyes. She began staring out to the ocean as well. Dillan did the same. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what. Tracey gave a groan. "Why aren't you mad at me?"

"What?" Dillan asked, surprised by Tracey's sudden question.

"It's annoying!" the glaceon shouted. "I've attacked you twice and you're still so calm! It's unnatural!"

"What's wrong with giving someone a second chance?" Dillan asked.

"There's nothing to gain from it! I just don't understand!" Tracey turned back to the ocean. She continued to stare at the waves. She gave a sigh and said, "How do you move on so easily?"

Dillan thought about the question. "I don't know." Dillan said. _Come on. You have to have a better answer than that._ "Well, maybe it's because I want to give others the chance to be good, you know?"

"But how?" Tracey asked again. "You make it sound so easy."

"I already have someone that I can't ever forgive." Dillan told Tracey.

Tracey turned and looked at him with confusion. "Really?" she asked.

"A pokemon named Arlon." Dillan said sadly. "I don't know why he hurts others, but he's the worst pokemon I've ever seen."

"What did he do?" Tracey asked. Dillan froze. He turned away from the glaceon. He looked to the sky sadly. "Sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"It's fine." Dillan said. "Basically, what I'm trying to say is that I've seen the worst in pokemon and I can't ever forgive them. I don't see that in you. I think you've been hurt by the guild. You mentioned something about your mother."

Tracey didn't say anything. She turned to look at the sky as well. The two stood in silence for a few minutes before Tracey said, "Her name was Arora." Tracey sounded as though she was drifting in a pleasant memory. "Years ago, my dad was sailing around on this very ship when he heard a beautiful singer on the front of the deck. Now, the strange thing was, he was supposed to be the only one on the ship. He investigated it to find a vaporeon. That vaporeon was my mother. She boarded the ship to cause some trouble, but when she met my dad, she was head over paws for him. My dad questioned her, but she eventually got him to loosen up and date her. Kind of strange, but that story is how I'm here today."

"So what happened?" Dillan asked.

Tracey's face tightened into a scowl. "I was eight when it happened. One day, my mother and I were walking home from shopping. Out of nowhere, a group of pokemon ambushed us. They were asking about an orange rock on a necklace. My mom said she didn't know what they were talking about. That's when they took her.

"I ran as fast as I could back home. When I got there, me and my dad went to the guild for help. They told us we needed to pay for their services. My dad agreed. They took our money up front. They said, "It's for the resources we're going to spend to find her". My dad spent his entire life savings trying to find my mom. The guild failed. They took advantage of my dad and left us with a broken family." Tracey was finished talking. She had her eyes squinted together tightly.

"I'm so sorry." Dillan said.

"I've been blaming the guild the entire time." Tracey said. She sounded angry. "It's their fault. They didn't help one bit. They said they found a few dead-end clues and told us she was gone. Liars! They didn't find anything! We asked for the evidence, but they told us they weren't allowed to give it to us!"

"Tracey, I'm very sorry for what happened to your family, I truly am. But you can't blame the entire guild for what one portion did to you."

"But what if it happens again?"

"I'm not saying that you should let your guard down, just that you should give the guild another chance."

Tracey didn't say anything. The two sat in silence, staring at the ocean.

"Ice bergs." Tracey said. Dillan looked ahead and saw a bunch of floating platforms of ice. The gabite just realized how cold it was. Dillan gave a shudder. "I better tell my dad."

"I'll do it." Dillan said. "He sent me up here for that very reason."

"Wait a minute."

"What?"

"What's that?" Tracey stuck one of her paws out to the horizon. Dillan followed where she was pointing. There was what looked like a brown boat floating towards them. It had a black flag with some kind of blue wail on the front. It was catching the wind, propelling the boat towards theirs.

"A boat." Dillan said.

"That's not good." Tracey sounded worried. She began climbing down the ladder with her paws like any bipedal pokemon would, which surprised Dillan. "Come on! We've got trouble."

* * *

The boat was gaining on their ship, getting into boarding distance. Team Rapture gathered on the main deck of Tom's boat accompanied by Tom and Tracey.

"What's going on?" Ryan asked.

"Did something happen?" Hazel asked.

"Dad," Tracey said. "It's them."

"Them?" Ryan asked.

"Pirates." Tom said with a grimmace towards the other ship. "This group of pirates in particular are the nastiest of ocean thieves that roam this part of the waters, waiting for travelers to get close enough to the glaciers so they can raid them."

"So what do we do?" Dillan asked.

"Can we scare them off?" Hazel asked.

"There's no scaring them." Tracey said.

"Then we fight." Ryan said confidently.

"I would like to deal with them without destroying my ship." Tom said. "Don't attack until I give the signal."

"And what's the signal?" Ryan asked.

"Just in case, when I say "Dairy Berries", attack them." Tom told the group. "I'll use it in a sentence. Don't attack before and most certainly not after."

"Yes sir." the group agreed.

They waited as the ship came up to the side. It was about two times bigger than Tom's ship with three masts, each dawning the same flag. Dillan shuddered, and not from the cold air. He counted at least fifteen crew members on the deck. He guessed there were probably more waiting underneath the ship's main deck. A plank of wood was lowered between the two ships. A pokemon hopped up onto the plank. If Dillan wasn't scared before, he was now.

The pokemon had a blue hat on his head. It looked like a captain's hat. The pokemon was about a foot taller than Dillan. It stood on six legs with bubbles for joints. The pokemon's legs were yellow that turned to black half way down. Its body was spherical with a brown pattern on its back. The most terrifying part was its head. It had brown, bushy eyebrows sitting on top of its massive, blue eyes. The pokemon's head was black with three blue spikes protruding from its forehead. It also had four black mandibles sticking out from the bottom of its head. It had a massive bubble of water surrounding its face. Dillan could only guess if it was used for defensive or offensive purposes.

The araquanid strode across the plank to Dillan. It was followed by a couple of orange crabs with fish tails.

"Greetings, my friends." Tom said cheerfully. "My name is Thomas Adams. Can I help you fine sailors to some beverages?"

"Beggin' your pardon," the araquanid said with a funny accent. His voice sounded gruff and like it was underwater. "But we be humble sailors in this region searchin' for a place to rest. You wouldn't happen to have some gold to part with to ease our weary burdens?" The two corphish snickered behind the araquanid.

"If you're feeling tired from the journey," Tom began. "Then why don't you take these?" Tom motioned a fin towards a barrel on the araquanid's left. "Its filled with whatever you wish to take."

The araquanid stamped one of his long legs on the floor. The corphish went to the barrel and opened it. They dumped the contents of the barrel on the floor. Dillan was surprised to see big chunks of shiny, raw gold spill out onto the deck.

"Boss!" one of the corphish shouted. "We're rich!"

"Not so fast." the araquanid said. He went over to the gold. The pokemon knelt close to the chunk of rock and examined it. He bean prodding it with one of his legs. He continued to do so for nearly two minutes.

"What's he doing?" Dillan asked.

"Making sure it's real." Tom said.

The araquanid picked the gold up and threw it onto the ground. The gold broke upon contact with the wooden deck, leaving a dent.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" the araquanid asked.

"Depends." Ryan said. Hazel nudged him with her foot.

"Watch yer tongue, tiny." the spider said.

Ryan took a deep breath in, attempting to remain calm. "Don't overestimate your chances against me." he told the pirate.

The araquanid began laughing. "He thinks he can fight us and win?" The corphish joined in, too. "Ye're outta yer mind! Don't ye know who yer dealin' with?"

Ryan didn't say anything. He just stared at the pirate with eyes of anticipation.

"We're the pirates who don't take no lip from anyone! We're the ones who'll take yer face and feed ye to the ocean godess herself! We're the ones known as the Marauding and Obliterating Pirates!"

One of the corphish jumped in. "Otherwise known as Mop!"

 _What?_

"Did he just say..." Hazel said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Your team name is mop?" Ryan said with a smile.

"Garry!" the araquanid yelled at the corphish. "They're not suppose to know that!"

"Oh." the corphish, Garry, said. "Sorry, boss."

"What does it matter?" a new voice said from behind the group of pirates. The araquanid's eyebrows raised as though he was shocked. He turned quickly to face the new voice. Dillan couldn't tell who or what it was, but the araquanid took a step back when he was faced with the new pokemon.

"Sir!" the araquanid said fearfully. "Why're ye out?"

"Silence, Fredrick." the new voice said. "I told you to make this job simple and quick. We've already wasted five minutes on this hunk of trash and you're the one to blame.

"I'm tryin' to make it quick, but-"

"Stop making excuses." the voice said as though it was bored. "And drop the stupid accent. It's not cool and no one talks like that."

"But me voice." the araquanid complained.

"Garry. Leopold." the voice ordered.

The two corphish stepped out of the way.

"Sir!" the araquanid shouted with a new accent. "Please! Have mercy!"

"Get out of my way." the voice ordered. The araquanid stepped out of the way as well. That's when Dillan got a look at the source of the voice.

There was a green, small, chubby dinosaur sitting on the plank. It had white cheeks with a white stomach. It had its eyes shut.

"What?" Dillan said with surprise. He was shocked to see this small dinosaur bullying a pokemon like the araquanid. Dillan noticed Ryan looked confused as well. He had a paw under his chin as though he was thinking.

"So you're the captain of that ship?" Tom asked.

"Indeed I am." the dinosaur stated. "Let's get down to business. We're here for your women and children."

"Not going to happen." Hazel said defiantly.

"Well, do you at least have any treasure?" it asked. "You must have treasure."

"No treasure here." Tracey said.

"Then we'll take the boat!" the dinosaur said. "Jesse, make it quick and simple."

The araquanid gave a nod and started advancing on the group. Dillan planted his feet, ready to take or dodge an attack. Ryan took a step forwards before Tracey stopped him.

"What gives?" Ryan said.

"Not until the signal." Tracey whispered.

"Tell me, captain," Tom began. "What rules do you pirates abide by?"

"We have no rules." the dinosaur said. "We're pirates."

"Well," Tom said. "You do have rules."

"Your point is?" the dinosaur asked.

"One of your rules states that you can't show your face to your enemies." _What?_

The araquanid stopped in his tracks.

"Are you saying this isn't me?" the dinosaur asked.

"Of course!" Ryan exclaimed. "You're using "Substitute"."

"What's substitute?" Dillan asked.

"The user sacrifices some energy to create a fake for his opponent to attack." Hazel explained with a tone as though she just realized what Ryan said. "It usually comes in the form of that doll."

"So, captain," Tom said. "Now that I know that rule, I know your others as well as who you are."

"And who might I be?" the substitution doll asked.

"Captain Walter Green. I knew it was you from the start."

The doll exploded on the spot into a bunch of smoke. Once the smoke dispersed, Dillan saw a new body standing in the doll's place. The pokemon was a bipedal pokemon. It looked like a green frog. It had red cheeks and a green swirl on its yellow stomach. The pokemon had a yellow chin. It also had a lone, thick, blue hair coming off of its head and ending at a swirl.

"You're no push-over." the politoed, Captain Green, said. "Then I assume you know about the rule, "No Return"?"

"I do," Tom said. "But that rule belongs to another group of pirates."

"I'm surprised you know so much." Captain Green said.

"Your group likes to trick other sailors into thinking your group isn't what it appears to be. You're not the pirates of Mop." Tom gave a defiant smirk. "You're the pitrates known as the Alkan Special Slavers."

"Excelent!" Captain Green said as he began clapping his hands. "Spectacular! You've studied this ocean's pirates until mastery!"

"I envoke the Pirate Code of S. D. R."

The politoed stopped clapping. He stared at Tom with anticipation. "You do?" he asked.

"I do." Tom said.

"You do know the rules, correct?"

"I do." Tom said.

"Well, I don't." Ryan said. "Can someone tell me what's going on?"

"The rules of S. D. R. Are exactly as they imply." Captain Green said. "S. D. R. Stands for the Sudden Death Round."

"Sudden Death?" Dillan asked.

"The S. D. R. Simply means I have to fight an opponent of my choice."

"Of your choice?" Dillan asked. _So I'm guessing he's a water-type. If he were to choose one of us, I think he would go with the person he thinks he can beat. Which of us is weak to water-types?_

"I choose the charmeleon." Captain Green said.

Hazel gave a sigh. "I was hoping we could solve this without fighting."

"Not possible." Tom said. "A fight was inevitable. At least with an S. D. R. They'll have to leave when they lose."

"If they lose." Tracey said.

Captain Green walked across the plank and onto the deck of Tom's ship.

"We'll be fighting here." Captain Green said. "I wouldn't want to damage my ship with all the fighting."

"Alright." Ryan said to Hazel. "You can do this, Hazel. Use a Fire-Spin attack to blind him, then hit him with your Scratch attack."

"Alright." Hazel said.

"What's your last move?" Ryan asked.

Hazel looked at Dillan. "How do you use your Dragon Claw attack?"

Dillan thought about it. "I guess I focus on my fins and it just happens."

Hazel gave a sigh. "Alright." She turned from the group and faced Captain Green. The politoed stood proudly, staring Hazel directly in the eyes. Dillan and Ryan took a few steps back. They didn't want to get caught in the cross fire of this fight.

"So, you're with Team Armageddon?" Captain Green asked.

Hazel didn't respond.

"I guess it doesn't really matter." he said. "Even if you were, it isn't like we have a treaty or anything with Ignitus."

Hazel struck first. She didn't want to give Captain Green the upper hand. She stopped in her tracks aand planted her feet. She drew her head back and shot a swirling burst of fire towards Captain Green. The pirate didn't make any attempt to dodge the attack. He started dancing on the spot, moving his body around in quick movements. The fire ball made contact. It spread around Captain Green, engulfing him in a fiery tornado. Dillan couldn't see what was going on inside of the tornado. _Is he stunned?_ When the Fire Spin died down, Captain Green was in a pose. He had his hands towards the sky, as if begging for rain. Dillan noticed Hazel was grimacing. He looked at Ryan who also seemed disturbed by the pose.

"Rain Dance." Ryan said distastefully.

"What's that?" Dillan asked.

"It's a move that summons a rain storm." Ryan explained. "It lowers fire moves and raises water-type attacks."

A group of clouds began spinning in the air, creating a thick layer in the sky. Rain started coming down, soaking the ships and its crew members.

"Moves like those won't work against me." Captain Green announced cockily. He knelt down and leapt into the air. The amount of height he had from a single bounce shocked Dillan. The politoed disappeared into the clouds above.

Hazel grimaced. She had her eyes towards the sky, waiting for the politoed's strike. She waited for about a minute, but the attack didn't come. She lowered her guard.

"Where did he go?" she whispered to herself. That's when he struck. The politoed came down with such speed and force. Hazel tried to get out of the way. She slipped and fell onto her stomach. The politoed landed on Hazel's back. She gave a cry of pain as her back bent from the impact.

"Hazel!" Dillan and Ryan yelled. Captain Green hopped off of her back. He went to the side of the ship and leapt off into the ocean.

Hazel, very shakily, got to her feet. She grabbed her tail with her left hand and began holding it under her chest.

"Oh, no." Ryan said. "That's why he chose Hazel. She's a charmeleon. Being a fire-type in the rain is bad enough, but to have a weakness like Hazel's makes it worse."

"What do you mean, "A weakness like Hazel's"?" Dillan asked.

"Her tail-flame isn't meant to be exposed to too much water." Ryan said. "It can last a good amount of time, but after a while, it'll take a drain on Hazel's energy to stay lit."

"That's not good." Dillan said.

"She needs to beat this guy or she's toast." Ryan told him.

Hazel closed her eyes, as if she was focusing. She extended her right arm all the way out in front of her. He kept it there.

"What's she doing?" Dillan asked Ryan.

"I don't know." Ryan said.

Out of nowhere, a massive wave washed over the deck. Dillan looked on top of the wave and saw Captain Green riding it. He was heading straight for Hazel. She didn't move. She didn't look at the wave. She just kept her paw out in front of her. Her face began twitching as though she was trying to concentrate.

"Hazel, move!" Dillan shouted.

Hazel opened her eyes and looked at the wave that came towards her. She gave a shocked grimace and attempted to jump out of the way, but she wasn't fast enough. The wave smashed into her, consumed her. She began rolling around in the wave, being pulled to the top before smashing into the deck of the ship. Captain Green jumped from the wave before the impact. He landed on top of Hazel.

"Is this the best Team Armageddon has to offer?" he asked. "I thought you guys took over the Alkan Guild. Seems it was just dumb luck."

"Get off!" Hazel shouted.

"Little missy," Captain Green said. "Just give up. You can't win. This match was decided the moment I chose you. Give up now, or face my strongest attack."

"And let you take this ship?" Hazel said weakly. "No way."

"Suit yourself." Captain Green said. He stepped off of Hazel and planted his foot in her stomach. Hazel inhaled sharply. Captain Green stepped back. His red cheeks began growing. The politoed opened his mouth. A beam of light shot from Captain Green's mouth. It went straight for Hazel. She looked at the attack and rolled to the right. The beam grazed Hazel's back. She gave a cry of pain. Dillan noticed Hazel's crimson scales were a bright red on her back.

Captain Green got down on one knee. "You dodged the attack?" he questioned.

Hazel stood up very quickly, almost falling over. She was obviously tired. She dashed shakily towards Captain Green. The politoed grimaced. He tried to move, but he seemed weak from the last attack. Hazel jabbed her paw into the politoed's chest. She fell on top of him because of her momentum. The two were on the floor. Hazel got up first. She began slashing her claws across the politoed's stomach in an attempt at weakening him. Captain Green was only fazed by the attack. He recovered quickly. He pulled his feet back and kicked Hazel. His kick was packed with so much force, the charmeleon flew into the air and off of the ship.

"Hazel!" Dillan called out. He ran over to the right side and looked down at the waves.

Hazel was in the ocean, bobbing up and down. In a split second, Dillan saw a blur move past him and dive into the water. He watched as Tom tore through the waves towards Hazel. He grabbed her and turned back towards the ship. Tom moved with such speed, he launched himself out of the water, Hazel in tow, and landed on the ship. All of this happened in seconds.

"Hazel," Dillan began. "Are you alright?"

Hazel was shivering, but she stood up and faced Captain Green.

"You lose, girl." Captain Green said.

"I'm still standing, Captain." Hazel protested, ignoring Dillan's question.

"That will change very quickly." Green announced. He dashed forwards towards Hazel. She extended her right arm in front of Green with an open fist. She tightened her expression as though once again trying to concentrate. She flexed her hand. Her claws began glowing slightly. They extended about an inch. Hazel opened her eyes and stared at her Dragon Claw Attack.

"That's it?" she said with surprise. Captain Green was on top of her now. Hazel turned her attention to his attack. The politoed began throwing punches, attacking Hazel. Hazel blocked and dodged the attacks, but Dillan could tell she wasn't going to last long. _The rain's affecting her too severely. She needs to end this fight, or she'll get too warn out to battle._

Captain Green gave a right hook at Hazel. She ducked below the attack. That's when the politoed swept underneath Hazel, making her fall to the ground.

"Give up, girl." Captain Green said. Hazel looked up at the politoed. She gave a yell as she swept her own foot at Captain Green's legs, forcing him to jump backwards. The pirate landed on his feet and stared at Hazel. The charmeleon slowly made her way back to her feet.

"How many pokemon have you hurt, Captain?" Hazel asked.

"Let's just say you aren't the first and won't be the last." the captain said. "Why do you ask?"

"So you don't care?" she asked. "You don't care about hurting others?"

"Miss," Captain Green began. "I'm a pirate. Baddest of the bad. Richest of the rich. If I have to hurt a few random pokemon to achieve my goal." He gave a shrug. "What does it matter? If anything, I'm sparing those idiots from the burden of their heavy wallets." Hazel began to shake. Her breathing became heavier. Captain Green looked at the charmeleon with interest. Her shaking worsened. "Is this some kind of trick?"

Hazel fell forwards onto her knees. She began to hyperventilate.

"What's going on?" Tracey asked Dillan. "Is she alright?"

"Hazel?" Dillan asked. He took a step forwards, but Tom grabbed his shoulder from behind. Dillan looked back.

"If you intervene, we'll all be fighting for our lives." Tom said.

"But-" Dillan tried to say. He was interrupted by Hazel. She gave a yell. Dillan turned to see what was going on. The charmeleon's tail started flailing around. Hazel started gripping at her head. She was looking into the sky.

"What in Ganderosa?" Ryan exclaimed.

Dillan watched Hazel's tail. He was very shocked by what he saw. Her tail-flame began flaring, sending embers all over the place. Dillan watched as Hazel's flame suddenly went out.

"What?" Ryan asked fearfully.

Dillan watched Hazel. Her tail-flame was out, but surprisingly, Hazel continued to grip at her head.

"That's abnormal." Captain Green said. "You're flame is out, yet you aren't dead."

Hazel continued panting. Hands continuing to shake, she grabbed on her tail and slowly pulled it in front of her. Hazel looked at it with shock. She tightened her grip and slammed it into the floor. The tip of her tail shot a few embers. Hazel looked towards the sky and gave a shout. A massive beam of blue light emerged from Hazel's mouth and shot into the air into the clouds. Dillan watched in absolute awe, wanting to know what was happening. The clouds stopped spewing water.

"You stopped my rain?" Captain Green said with awe. "How is that possible?"

"What's going on?" Hazel asked. She stared at the sky, eyes wide open. The clouds began to part, revealing the sun. Dillan was shocked. He didn't know how, but the sun seemed very bright and harsh, spreading its heat all over the boat. Dillan looked at Hazel. Her tail sparked. A new flame appeared on the tip of Hazel's tail. The shocking thing about it was that her tail-flame turned blue.

"I don't believe it." Tom said with awe.

"What?" Dillan asked. Tom looked at the gabite with a smile.

"What are you doing?" Captain Green asked. Dillan thought he detected a slight bit of fear in the captain's voice.

"I don't know," Hazel said. She took a deep breath. Her tail stopped flailing and her arms stopped shaking. "But it feels good."

Hazel stood up. Dillan was surprised to see her do it without wobbling. She began walking towards the politoed.

"You seem to have recovered your energy." Captain Green said. He gave a menacing grin. "It doesn't matter. You'll still lose!"

Captain Green's cheeks grew. They became bulbous sacks. The pokemon opened his mouth and used another Hyper Beam. Hazel planted her feet as though she was ready to take the attack. She opened her own mouth and breathed a massive, blue stream of fire. Dillan, standing feet from the battle, could feel the heat that came off of the flame. It engulfed the hyper beam attack. It looked as though it had absorbed the blast. Captain Green's eyes grew wider than Dillan thought was possible. The flame hit the politoed in the chest, throwing him into the ship's railing. He hit the wood with such force, he broke it. The flames sent him over the edge of the ship and into the water below.

"Captain Green!" the araquanid shouted. He dashed over to the side and looked down at the waters below. He turned to the two corphish and yelled, "The Captain's down! You two get down there an' fish 'im out!" Dillan noticed he was using his accent again.

"You can do that," Tom said. "But I want you off of my ship."

"We aren't goin' anywhere!" the araquanid shouted as the two corphish jumped overboard to retrieve their captain.

"Get off of this ship." Hazel ordered. Her tail-flame fluctuated wildly. The araquanid looked at Hazel with a scowl. "Now."

"This won't be the last you see of us!" the araquanid shouted as he made his way over the wooden plank and onto his ship. A group of pokemon removed the plank from the two ships.

"We better hurry," Tom said. He dashed towards the ship's steering wheel. "Before they hange their minds." Tom moved the steering wheel left, breaking away from the pirate's ship.

Dillan moved to the side of the ship. He watched as the two corphish bobbed in the water, carrying their captain back towards their gabite turned around to face Hazel.

"That was amazing!" Tracey said. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"What did you just do?" Dillan asked.

"And why is your tail-flame blue?" Ryan asked.

"Honestly," Hazel said. "I'm not-" she stopped abruptly. Hazel fell to her knees. She moved her paws to her chest and began panting again.

"What's wrong?" Dillan asked as he ran over to his friend.

"My chest!" Hazel said. She sounded strained, as though she was in a lot of pain. "It feels like its on fire!" Dillan watched Hazel with fear. _What's going on with her?_ She began shaking. Her tail started flailing wildly again. Dillan noticed Hazel's tail-flame fluctuating. It started shifting from blue to orange. Hazel fell over onto her stomach. She stopped moving.

"Hazel!" Dillan shouted. Ryan moved closer to Hazel. He began checking her for vital signs.

"She's breathing," the pachirisu said. "But not very well." He turned to Tom. "Tom!" he shouted. "How far are we to the next town?"

Tom was staring at the group with worry. He obviously saw what had happened. "A few hours at the least." he announced. "Take Hazel below deck. We have a room with a bed and some medical supplies."

"Alright." Ryan said. He turned to Dillan. "Help me out." Dillan moved towards Hazel. He didn't get very far before a loud "boom" accompanied by a shake threw him to the ground.

"What was that?" Ryan asked.

Tracey looked over the ship's railing. She turned back and said frantically, "Captain Green isn't holding up his end of the bargain!"

"He's attacking?" Dillan asked.

A fire ball just missed the ship, hurdling itself past and into the water.

"With a vengeance!" Tracey shouted.

"Dillan," Tom said. "Take Hazel below deck! Tracey and Ryan, get to the crow's nest and start attacking that ship!"

"Right!" they all said in unison. Dillan parted ways with the group.

 _He went back on his word. What did I expect from a pirate? The only thing to come out of Hazel's fight was the loss of an ally who can help us. I need to get Hazel below deck so I can help before we're all sunk!_

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Alright. Now I know exactly what some of you may be thinking, "You can't make Hazel do that! No one's ever been able to do that! You're changing how pokemon works for your own advantages!" Well, you're wrong. I'm not going to tell you exactly where something like this pops up in the pokemon cannon, but it does and once I explain what's going on with Hazel, then I'll tell you. For now, trust it is a legitimate part of the Pokemon franchise.

That's all for now! Thanks to everyone who's read thus far! If you had an issue with the chapter, tell me. I'm doing this for personal growth as well as bringing enjoyment to you guys. As such, I'll try to make things better! Anyways, I'll see you guys in the next chapter!


	25. The Frying Pan

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 25

The Frying pan

* * *

Dillan stumbled down the iced-over stairs and entered the lower deck. It smelled very musty. He took in a breath of dust and coughed. The gabite saw boxes littering the floor. A wooden door was in the wall at the back of the room. Thankfully, it was with a handle instead of a knob. He began walking as fast as he could, with the unconscious Hazel in his arms being dragged behind him, towards the door. Dillan heard a "Bang" come from the left. The ship rocked from the waves, testing Dillan's balance. With difficulty, he remained on his feet.

"Dang it!" Dillan said. _They need help up there!_ He continued on his way to the back room.

Dillan pushed on the door, opened it, and looked at the room. There was a bed made of blue cloth stuffed with hay. There was also a wooden desk along the wall to Dillan's right. He moved towards the bed and laid Hazel on it. He then made a mad dash back out of the room and carefully up the stairs to rejoin Tracey and Ryan.

* * *

"Dillan!" Tom called out as Dillan emerged from the double doors embedded in the floor of the ship. Another "Bang" came from the ship's right. Dillan looked as splinters flew into the air. Tom inhaled sharply. "That'll cost me."

Dillan heard a crackle above him. He looked up to see a yellow arc of electricity flying through the air above him. He traced the source of the attack to Ryan. Tracey began shooting a volley of icicle shards towards the prates.

Dillan turned his attention back to Tom and said, "What can I do?"

"I need you to tell Tracey that we're doing the Ferriday Maneuver." Tom told him.

"Right." The gabite said. _Normally, I would ask questions, but there's no time for that._ He turned towards the ladder attached to the main mast and began climbing it. _I won't wait for something bad to happen. I can't forgive myself if someone gets hurt because of me._

There was a "Splash" off the right of the ship. It rocked due to the waves created, but Dillan kept his balance. He continued to climb the ladder to the top.

"What's the captain want us to do?" Ryan asked Dillan as he scaled the last few rungs of the ladder. Ryan swished his tail and sent five stars towards the enemy.

"Tracey," Dillan started. "Tom said he wants to use the "Ferriday Maneuver"."

Tracey gave a groan. She looked down at Tom and yelled, "Really?" She then got up and faced the front of the ship. "You'll have to work without me... pachirisu."

"What?" Ryan said with shock. "We've been having trouble intercepting all of these attacks! I can't do it alone!"

"Well," Tracey said with annoyance. "Make due! Your friend's unconscious in the lower deck and Dillan's going to help me, so you're on your own!"

Ryan gave a huff and began blasting swifts as fast as he could at the pirate's attacks while focusing some attacks on their ship.

"Alright, Dillan." Tracey said. "I need you on the middle of the ship's ladder relaying what I say to my dad."

"Got it." Dillan said. He made his way down the ladder to the middle like Tracey instructed.

"You ready?" Tracey shouted.

"I'm ready!" Dillan said as he hooked his right leg through one of the rungs so he couldn't fall.

"Port, fifteen degrees!" Tracey shouted.

Dillan relayed the command back to Tom.

The ship lurched left as Tom turned the steering wheel.

"Starboard, seventy-five Degrees!" Tracey shouted again.

Dillan, again, relayed the command. This time, the ship made a hard right, sending one of Ryan's attacks off into nowhere's land.

"Are you insane?" Ryan shouted from above Dillan. "Our course is going to kill us!"

"It wasn't my idea!" Tracey shouted back.

"Stop arguing and focus!" Dillan shouted up at the two. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't yell at his friends. It wasn't like him. But right now, their lives were at stake. Fighting wasn't going to help.

Dillan looked to the front of the ship. He saw what Ryan was talking about. About fifty feet in front of them was a cluster of icebergs. His face tightened into a grimace. "We aren't going in there, right?"

"We are!" Tracey shouted. Dillan gave a hard gulp. "Once we get in there, I need you to relay my commands precisely, accurately, and quickly; otherwise we'll damage the hull and we'll take on water!"

"Right." Dillan said halfheartedly. _Can I do this? I don't like this much responsibility. What if I mess up? What if I'm not fast enough? I-_

"Dang it, Dillan!" Tracey shouted. "Stop thinking about it and just do it!"

 _She's right. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this._ Dillan took a deep breath. A "Bang" came from the back of the ship. It shook from the impact.

"That's not good." Tracey said. Dillan barely heard her.

Tom began moving the steering wheel wildly to the left and to the right. He slammed the edges of his fins on the wheel. It shattered from the impact.

"Abandon ship!" Tom shouted up to the group.

Dillan's face turned into a look of horror. "A-Abandon ship?" he shouted down to Tom. He was positive he heard the empoleon wrong.

"What?" Tracey shouted worriedly. "Tell me I heard that incorrectly!"

"Everyone get down here, now!" Tom ordered.

"Come on!" Dillan shouted to the crow's nest. He unhooked his leg and began his descent down the ladder followed by Ryan and Tracey.

The gabite hopped down onto the deck and faced Tom.

"We need to abandon ship." Tom said sternly. Another "Boom" sounded from the back of the ship.

"Why?" Tracey asked as she and Ryan reached the bottom.

"The rudder's damaged beyond repair." Tom said with a frown and saddened eyes. "The pirates are going to sink her."

"So we give up?" Tracey asked, thoroughly stunned by what she was hearing.

"We can't do anything else." Tom said. "We'll jump ship and swim to the glaciers. The ship will sink and those pirates will think we're dead."

"That's a horrible plan!" Ryan said.

"What's wrong with it?" Tom asked.

"I-It's... Um..." Ryan stuttered. His cheeks went orange. _Right. You couldn't swim back on the Kerroshian border, so it makes sense why you would be worried._ As much as Dillan thought that was a problem, he thought of a bigger one.

"It's Hazel." Dillan said.

"R-Right." Ryan said. "If she goes into the water now, her tail-flame might go out for good. She can't make it."

"I'll take Hazel first." Tom said. "I can make it to a glacier in-" A splash went off on the right side of the ship. "Seconds." Tom finished. "I'll come back for you guys and take you over."

"That won't work!" Ryan said.

"Just go with it!" Tracey shouted. "We're running out of time!"

Tom went down below the deck to get Hazel. Another "Bang" sounded. This time, Dillan could see it. The mast had been hit right in the middle.

"Move!" Tracey shouted as she tackled Ryan, moving them both out of the way. Dillan jumped to his left. The mast smashed into the deck, tearing through the wood. It sliced the boat from the middle to the end of the right side, creating a gap in the ship that lead into the water.

"Are you alright?" Tracey asked Ryan.

"Yeah." Ryan said.

"Everyone abandon ship already!" Tom called from below deck. Dillan knew why. The ship was sinking, and fast.

"I can't!" Ryan shouted.

"Get on my back!" Dillan told Ryan.

"What?" Ryan asked, obviously appalled by the idea.

"Just do it!" Dillan shouted again.

"Alright!" Ryan said as he ran up to Dillan. The pachirisu made his way up Dillan's tail and sat on his back-fin.

The water was almost up to the deck.

"Come on!" Tracey shouted. She leaped over the right side of the ship and into the water. Dillan did the same.

He hit the water. _I...I..._ Dillan couldn't think. It was as if the icy water froze his mind the instant he plunged into the water. He kicked his feet in short bursts attempting to get above the waves. Each kick felt harder, as if his muscles were starting to go stiff. He gave one final kick and emerged from the water. Dillan felt himself bobbing in the water, barely managing to stay afloat.

"Dillan!" Ryan shouted.

"I-It's..." Dillan tried to say. He felt his jaw muscles begin to tighten. They began burning. "T-too cold." he finished feebly.

"Dillan!" Tracey shouted. She jumped from the ship and hit the water with a "clap" sound. She came up in seconds and swam over to him. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know!" Ryan shouted. He started throwing his head in different directions frantically for something to help. Dillan felt his legs lock. He felt the water rise over his head. The air escaped his lungs and floated up to the surface. The gabite stayed under, unable to move his limbs. Dillan's eyes grew wide, focusing on the white light that shot into the ocean. He watched the beams start to shrink as he sank. Dillan felt his heart stop from pure fear. He felt a tingling sensation on his back. Ryan was slamming his feel against his back in a wild attempt at swimming upwards. Dillan focused on his arms and legs. With a great and pain-filled effort, the gabite gave a kick and pushed with his fins. He watched the beams grow closer as he came up above the water again.

"Take this!" Tracey shouted as she shoved a piece of wooden wreckage towards Dillan. He threw his arms over the piece of wood. For the moment, it seemed to be keeping him afloat. "Can you move?"

Dillan tried to answer, but he felt his muscles burn at the mere opening of his jaw.

"Dillan!" Ryan shouted from Dillan's back. A white paw came over the gabite's shoulder and pointed out to sea. Dillan followed the pachirisu's pointing.

The gabite saw three yellow prongs sticking out of the water, making its way towards them at a great speed. The force of its speed was so great, it seemed to create white waves that shot out around the yellow objects. They seemed to be coming straight towards Dillan.

"It's Tom!" Ryan shouted. Dillan took a closer look. That's when he saw the black figure underneath the water. Dillan was shocked that the empoleon could move at such a speed.

Tom stopped in front of the group, sending a mini-wave over Dillan's head. If he could move, Dillan would have shuddered from the wave.

"What's wrong?" Tom asked with eyes of worry.

"Dillan can't move!" Tracey shouted. "Hurry, dad!"

Tom dove beneath the water. Dillan watched as the black pokemon moved underneath him and came up from behind. Tom emerged and grabbed Dillan's waist.

"Hold on." Tom told the two. He kicked his feet and the three were off. Dillan felt his body skid through the water as such great speeds, he felt like he was about to bounce on the waves. The empoleon went nearly twenty miles per hour. Dillan watched as the group dashed towards a glacier.

"Hold your breath." Tom told the group.

"Don't!" Ryan told Tom sternly.

"Here we go!" Tom shouted. Dillan took a shallow breath, which was as much as his lungs would allow.

The empoleon dove under the water, pulling Dillan and Ryan with him. Dillan couldn't see much due to the blurry effect the water gave him mixed with the speeds Tom was swimming; but he did see the black void below him along with the beams of light that pierced the dark waters ahead from holes in the glaciers. Tom continued under the water for a few seconds before making his way upwards. The group entered one of the rays of light and emerged from the water on an icy ground covered by snow.

Tom dragged Dillan out of the water and put him on the snow, stomach down.

"Alright." Tom said. "You two need to start rolling in the ice."

"We're already cold, Tom-" Ryan tried to say as he got off of Dillan's back.

"Do it!" Tom ordered. "It'll help with the cold." He turned around and dove back into the water.

Ryan looked at Dillan. Dillan could see the pachirisu shivering from his soggy fur. "Are you alright?" he asked with knitted eyebrows.

"I-" Dillan tried to say. His body seemed to be relaxing slightly due to being out of the water, but that made it all worse. Every movement felt like a numbing-burn which discomforted the gabite terribly. His body was shaking uncontrollably which made the numbing-burn feel even worse. "No." he said flatly.

Ryan rotated his head in order to see his surroundings. Dillan watched as the pachirisu's eyes widened and a smile dawned on his face. "Hazel!" he called out. Dillan followed Ryan's gaze. He felt his heart leap for joy as his eyes set on Hazel. She was sitting up, conscious, holding her tail with her right paw. Hazel looked over at her friends. A massive smile came to her face as she stood up and darted to where her friends were.

"Are you guys okay?" she yelled as she tackled Dillan in a hug.

"We're fine." Ryan said. "We just need your flame." Hazel broke from her hug and grabbed her tail once more. "Dillan, where did the wood go?"

Dillan looked to the hole in the ice where Tom had emerged earlier. The piece of wreckage was sitting in the snow. Dillan pointed shakily at the wood. Ryan walked over and grabbed one side of the wood. Upright, it was the side of the pachirisu. Ryan didn't seem to take note as he began dragging the wood behind him to the group. He then turned to Hazel and said, "Can you light it?"

"I can't hear you." Hazel said. "My ears are too numb."

Ryan pointed to Hazel's tail-flame and then to the wood. Hazel nodded her head. She set her tail-flame on the piece of wood. She then closed her eyes. The wood began to burn until there was a nice fire resting on top of it.

A "Splash" came from the water. The group looked to see Tom and Tracey emerge from the ocean.

"Is everyone alright?" Tracey asked.

"No," Ryan said. "Dillan can hardly move and Hazel can't hear."

"That'll clear up in a little bit." Tom said. He looked at the still-wet Ryan. "Now I thought I told you to roll in the snow."

"What good will that do?" Ryan questioned. "It's just going to get snow in my fur."

Tom gave a sigh. "The snow will absorb the water on your body, therefore drying you. Once you're dry, you'll warm up faster and avoid hypothermia."

Ryan thought about it for a few seconds before saying, "Oh." He looked at the snow for a few seconds before getting down and rolling around in it. Hazel looked at Ryan for a few seconds with a raised eyebrow. Dillan tried to move his leg in order to get down in the snow, but he couldn't.

"Hazel!" Tom shouted at the charmeleon. Hazel looked at Tom. "Can you hear me?" Hazel gave a nod. "Use your flame-thrower attack on Dillan!"

Dillan looked at Tom for a few seconds with shock. _A-Attack me? How does that help? A-All it'll do is burn me and m-melt the..._ Dillan thought about it for a few seconds. _On second thought, it m-might warm me u-up._

Dillan looked at Hazel. She was looking at him, waiting for his approval. Dillan nodded as best he could, though to the charmeleon it seemed more like a twitch. Hazel's brow-line tightened together. Nevertheless, she stood up, planted her feet, and blew a burst of fire on top of Dillan. The gabite felt the warmth immediately. He also felt the water start to evaporate from his body. He did feel a slight burn on certain parts of his body, but he didn't care; as long as he was warmed up, the pain didn't matter.

After a few more seconds, Hazel stopped. She looked at Dillan for a sign that he was in any pain. He gave a smile to Hazel, signaling to her that he was alright. Hazel gave a grin, obviously happy she could help the gabite out.

"Alright." Tom said. "I'm going to check on the pirates. If they're not coming this way, I'll come back and we'll leave." With that, Tom jumped back into the water and swam away.

"Are you okay?" Tracey asked Dillan as she walked over to the campfire. "You looked bad out there."

"Still cold," he said. Dillan felt his muscles were starting to loosen. "But yeah. I'll be fine."

"That was _not_ an experience I would go through again." Ryan said.

"Agreed." Hazel told them, obviously gaining some of her hearing back over time.

Dillan took a look around. The group was on a glacier, or an island of ice. He wasn't sure how to classify it. There were hills of snow surrounding them, creating a natural valley that hid the group from the outside world. There was a hole of green and blue water next to where they were sitting that led into the ocean. That's how they entered their safe-haven.

"Hey," Tracey said to Ryan. She started shifting her weight nervously. "Um..."

"Look," Ryan said flatly. "If your going to be rude, don't bother."

Tracey hung her head in shame. "It's just that..." she began. "I'm sorry for how I treated you guys..." Ryan looked at Tracey with wide eyes of confusion. Tracey looked at him. When she saw his expression, she gave a scowl "I'm not heartless, you know."

"Oh." Ryan said. "Uh... I mean..." Ryan sat there for a few seconds, trying to think of what to say.

"Whatever." Tracey said. "This was a bad idea, anyways." She lied down in the snow, annoyed by Ryan's lack of words.

"N-No," Ryan stuttered. "Th-That's not it. What I mean to say is..." He trailed off.

"What he means to say-" Hazel said, attempting to cover for Ryan. But the pachirisu held up his paw, stopping Hazel.

"It was also my fault." Ryan said sincerely.

"How was it your fault?" Tracey asked with a raised eyebrow, now curious about what Ryan had to say. "I was the one who attacked you guys."

"But I didn't try and understand 'why'."

"But I was the one antagonizing you guys." Tracey said. "And I'm sorry for that..."

Ryan walked over to Tracey and sat down next to her. "It's fine." he said. "We all have our own problems. Some of us choose to keep their feelings to themselves while others let their feelings show. We all choose to deal with pain differently." He waited a few seconds before saying, "So... why do you hate us so much?"

"It's not you." Tracey said. "I don't hate you. To be honest..." Tracey paused for a good thirty seconds. "I'm... envious of you." she said softly.

"Envious?" Hazel asked.

Tracey gave a sigh. "You guys have everything. You have each other as friends who would help one another no matter what. You guys seem to care about each other as a team. Me? I have Team Armageddon who left me behind to go on some mission here in the Alkan Islands. They don't care about me or what I've been through. They were just using me as another member of their group. I'm a nobody. I'm alone."

"Tracey," Dillan said. "You're not alone. You have us."

"Even after the way I've treated you?" she asked.

"You have a reason, right?" Hazel asked. "A reason to hate us? We just don't know what that is."

Tracey looked at Dillan, as if waiting for his acknowledgment that it was alright to tell the group about her past. Dillan gave a nod.

"Alright..." Tracey said. She told the group about her mother; about when and who took her. She then told them about how her guild used her.

"So the Guild wanted to use you?" Hazel asked.

"There aren't enough good pokemon watching the Guild." Tracey said. "It's too easy to take advantage of civilians, so they do."

"Tracey," Ryan said. "What guild said they had information on your mother?"

"What they said is they couldn't give me any information." Tracey said. "But it's the Harrier Town Guild. That's where we use to live; or near to where we lived. We were closer to the coast, but Harrier Town was the nearest town we had."

"That's shocking." Ryan said. "I have... Friends down in Harrier Town. As such, I've been to the Guild there. I've never known them to do anything wrong to another pokemon."

"Well, they did." Tracey said sharply. "They left my mother for dead."

"Ryan," Dillan said. "You have friends in Harrier Town?"

"Well..." Ryan said slowly, thinking about what to say. "They're more like my foster parents."

Hazel snapped her claws together. "I've got an idea."

"What is it?" Ryan asked.

"Well," Hazel started, looking at Tracey. "Once we finish this mission, we'll stop by Harrier Town and get information on your mother for you."

Tracey's eyes lit up. She stared at Hazel with a hopeful gaze. "R-Really?" she asked.

"How does that work?" Ryan said. "What makes you thin they'll give us anything?"

"Think about it like this." Hazel said. "We're working for King Judah, right?"

"Right." Tracey said. "I forgot about that."

"Yeah." Ryan said. "What about it?"

Dillan perked up. "I think I get it." he said. "The King would owe us a favor."

"Exactly." Hazel said. "We could get the King to tell the Harrier Guild to give us their evidence. That way, we could investigate into your mother."

"R-Really?" Tracey asked. She began tearing up.

"Let me point out one thing." Ryan said. "From what I've seen about Judah, he's the kind of guy to be all, 'I don't owe you anything. You three did the job for your guild, and that's it'."

"It doesn't matter." Hazel said. "He'll agree."

"How can you be so sure?" Ryan asked.

"Because Judah wants to set an example for his Guild." Hazel said. "He's going to reward those who do a good job for him. Trust me."

"Yeah. With a fruitcake." Ryan said. He gave a sigh and said, "Oh, well. Sure. Why not?"

"Sounds like it'll work." Dillan said.

Tracey's lip began quivering. The glaceon tackled Hazel in what looked like a very tight hug. "Thank you!" she shouted as she began to sob. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem!" Hazel said with a strained voice.

A "splash" came from the water behind the group. Dillan looked to see Tom come out with a bunch of planks in-hand. He walked over to the group, not noticing Tracey's bear-hug. Tracey broke away from the hug of gratitude. Tom set the wood on the snowy ground in front of their one-plank camp fire.

"Alright, then." Tom said. "If we go North from here, we should only need to hop over to a few ice bergs in order to get to Frost Island. From there, it's about an hour's walking distance to the village.

"Not much longer, now." Dillan said. He looked up at the sky. The sun was about three-fourths of the way down, touching the peaks of the floating ice-mounds.

"And if the sun goes down before then?" Ryan asked.

"It won't." Hazel told him. "We've got about four hours left of sunlight. Plenty of time to get to Frost Island Village.

"Not if we keep standing around talking." Tracey said with a smile.

"Hold on, Trace." Tom said. "The guildmembers don't have a source of heat." Tom grabbed one of the pieces of wood and set it on fire. He was about to hand it to Dillan. "Oh." Tom said as he realized Dillan couldn't hold onto anything with his claws. He thought about it. "Well, that presents a problem."

"It'll be fine." Hazel said. "My flame can keep Dillan warm."

"What about Ryan?" Tracey said.

Ryan looked longingly at the piece of wood. He wanted to carry it, but he rolled his eyes in annoyance. "My fur will work." he told the group. "Stupid height..." the pachirisu mumbled to himself.

"Well, if that's settled," Tom said. "I guess we won't be needing these. And to think I went all the way out to the ship for nothing." The empoleon gave a hearty laugh.

"Let's go!" Tracey urged excitedly. "By this rate, it'll be sun-set by the time we get to Frost Island!" Tracey ran up the snow-hill with Tom following at a walk. Team Rapture walked close together to get at Hazel's tail-flame.

"She seems more cheerful." Dillan noted.

"What made her come out like that?" Hazel asked.

"I don't know," Ryan said. "But I hope she stays like this. I like the change in atmosphere and I _really_ don't want to fight with her again."

"Agreed." Dillan said. The group walked onward, following Tom and Tracey.

* * *

Nearly three hours went by. Team Rapture had made their way onto Frost Island an hour ago. Tom was leading the way with Tracey hanging out with Team Rapture.

"So Ryan," Tracey began. "You're from Harrier Town?"

"Uh..." Ryan said slowly. "Yeah... Well, no... It's complicated."

"I like complicated." Tracey told him, trying to get him to talk.

"Well," Ryan said as he stared up at the sky. "My blood family hated me, so I left them. I ended up in Harrier Town. From there, I met my foster parents. I stayed there for a few years before going to Castelum Town."

"Is that where you met Adelina?" Hazel asked.

"She's a very good friend of mine." Ryan explained to Tracey. "But yeah. After a while, I left that place, too. Things happened that led me to meet Dillan and Hazel and I found myself in Palando Town."

"Don't look now," Tom said with a light smile. "But Frost Island Village is right there."

Dillan looked ahead. There was a snowy plain surrounded by white hills. In the middle of the plain was a town as white as the snow. The only defining difference between the buildings and the ground was the yellow light making its way out of the tiny windows as well as the colored roofs which were also covered by snow.

"It's so pretty!" Hazel exclaimed. "It looks like a town of ice!"

Dillan shuddered. "I hope not." he said. "I want to warm up." As cool, or in this case warm, as it was to have Hazel's tail-flame warm him up, it was only enough to keep parts of his body from freezing. His feet and tail had no such luck.

"Well," Tom said. "Not that much further now. Probably another fifteen minutes."

"Already?" Tracey asked. "But we were just starting to get to know one another."

"You're leaving?" Dillan asked.

"Once we get to Frost Island Village." Tom told them. "We don't have much of a choice. We have to find another boat to take us back to the main land."

"Alright." Tracey said with a frown, obviously sad about their inevitable departure. _I am, too. Now that we're on friendlier terms with Tracey, I would've enjoyed being with her for a while longer._

"We might as well make the most of right now." Hazel said.

"Good point." Ryan agreed.

"Well," Tracey said. "Why don't we make it a race to the town? One final challenge for us to take on."

"Sounds cool to me." Ryan said. "I like a challenge."

"Just as long as Dillan can't use dig." Hazel said with a laugh.

"Hey!" Dillan protested with a smile.

"If you're that scared of losing to him." Tracey said.

"Scared?" Hazel said. "I'm not scared."

"Then let's..." Tracey began. "Go!" the group was off. Dillan was about to use dig when Tom grabbed his shoulder.

"I would run if I were you." Tom told Dillan. "The whole island is made out of ice. It's thick ice, but not thick enough to use dig."

"Really?" Dillan asked. Tom didn't give any answer, not even a nod. Dillan imagined digging only to find the icy water again. He gave a gulp. "Thanks!" he shouted back as he dashed away in an attempt at catching up to the group.

* * *

Tracey made it to the town first followed by Ryan, then Hazel, and Dillan in last.

"I won!" Tracey shouted with glee. "That was fun!"

Ryan was panting. "Not... a good... idea... in cold... weather."

"I feel fine." Hazel told Ryan. "How about you, Dillan?"

Dillan shook his head quickly. His jaw was clattering from the cold.

"You, too?" Tracey asked. "Well, that's alright." She turned towards the town. Dillan did as well.

The place was very pretty. There were icicles hanging from the edges of the roofs. Snow lined the town like a thick carpet. Dillan noticed the road they were on stretched towards the center of the village that was about four blocks down. The windows of each town had a light peering out of it due to the sun almost setting.

"I love Alka." Hazel said. "All the snow makes everything look like a foreign land. It's hard to imagine a place like this."

"Alright, Tracey." Tom said from behind the group. Dillan turned around to face the empoleon. He was surprised. Tom seemed to catch up pretty quickly and he didn't look worn out one bit. "We best be heading off."

"Right." Tracey agreed with knitted eyebrows. She turned to Team Rapture. "I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you guys."

"It's alright." Ryan said with a smile. "We understand now."

"It was fun, Tracey." Dillan said. "I hope we can see you again."

"Hope?" Hazel asked. "Don't worry. We _will_ see you again. Next time, it'll be as friends."

Tracey nodded in agreement.

"Thanks for the help, Tom." Hazel said. "Sorry about your boat."

Tom gave a sigh. "It's alright." he said. "At least she saved all of us."

"We'll see you later." Dillan said.

"Will do."

With a final wave, Tom and Tracey Adams turned away from Team Rapture and began walking down the path. _I wish we had gotten along earlier. Maybe that would have saved us from all the arguing. We might have enjoyed the trip a lot more. Oh well. We'll have more fun when we see each other again._ With that last thought, Tracey and Tom turned the corner, out of Team Rapture's sight.

"So," Hazel said as she got the group's attention. "What's next?"

"I think we needed to..." Dillan started. "Find a diner?"

"Right." Ryan said. "Then we ask for someone named..." He thought about it. Dillan did as well. "Hank something."

"Peterson." Hazel finished. "Hank Peterson."

"Right." Dillan said.

"King Judah said he'd give us more information, right?" Ryan said.

"Yep." Dillan said.

"Did I mention how much I hate this plan?" Ryan said.

"Would he be at the diner right now?" Hazel asked, ignoring Ryan's comment.

"Maybe." Dillan said.

"There's one way to find out." Ryan said, ignoring Hazel's ignoring. He waved for Team Rapture to follow him. Dillan and Hazel did just that.

* * *

They had been walking around the town for about an hour. Seeing as Team Rapture made their way to about every yellow-roofed building they found, it took a while for them to find what they were looking for. On top of that, the snow made it harder to see what color the roofs were. Some pokemon must have seen that was a problem because they had chimneys coming off of some of the houses that were colored. However, some didn't, which made it even harder.

"Ah." Ryan said. "Here we are." It was dark outside, but there were torches above the doorway that lit up a sign. The sign said, "Bubba's Fine Dine". There was a picture of a pokemon on the sign. It was a green sphere that opened its massive mouth. The sphere had little stubs for arms on the side of its body. The pokemon had a small, yellow feather jutting up from the top of its head. The pokemon was squinting its eyes.

The front of the diner was nice. It had a pair of red doors attached to the white walls. It also had a pair of windows with plaques on them that said things like, "Number One Nachos" or "Snot fries: Don't hate 'em until you've tried 'em".

"Classy place." Hazel said sarcastically as she looked at the "Snot Fries" sign. She and Team Rapture entered through the red doors and into the diner.

The inside was better as the outside. The main difference Dillan loved about the place was the burst of warmth he felt upon entering. He gave a sigh of relief and took in the smell of different delicious dishes. He took a look around. The floor was gray cobblestone. The walls were white just like the outside. They seemed to sparkle, which made Dillan fell as though he was in a fancy restaurant. There was a metal chandelier suspended by a chain that was attached to the middle of the wooden ceiling. There was a flight of stairs that led up to a second-story balcony which overlooked the restaurant. The odd thing was the mienshao standing by the stairs. It didn't seem to look at anyone or anything that went on around it, yet Dillan guessed it was guarding the steps. Why else would it be standing there? Other than the balcony, there were booths and tables all over the place. There was also a bar with a group of pokemon sitting down having drinks and nachos.

"Hello!" a cheery voice welcomed. Dillan looked ahead of him to see a pokemon he didn't recognize. It was a tall, bipedal pokemon that stood on long, yellow legs. Its body seemed to be wrapped in leaves sewn together with string to make some sort of cloth. Judging by the fact that it had a thorax, Dillan guessed it was a bug pokemon. The upper side of its yellow thorax was draped in leaves, leaving the underside exposed. It had long arms with leaves that had a hole on the ends like a leafy hook. The pokemon's head was exposed and looked like a yellow circle with antlers. It seemed to have a leaf bonnet around its head which Dillan thought looked like a strange style. The pokemon had red eyes that seemed warm and welcoming accompanied by its light smile.

"We were hoping you could help us find someone." Ryan told the leavanny.

"Well, there's a bunch of people here." the leavanny said. "Take your pick."

Ryan looked at the leavanny with a raised eyebrow. "Really?" he asked.

"Only playing." the leavanny chuckled. "Have to do something for some fun in here, am I right?" no one on Team Rapture responded.

At that moment, Dillan felt his crystal begin to tug on its chain. It seemed to want him to do something. _What is it?_

"Remember." A voice called out.

 _Who are you?_

"Dillan, remember."

 _Remember? Remember what?_ The gabite thought about it. _What was it I was suppose to remember?_

"Could you lead us to-" Hazel began saying before Dillan cut in.

"Trinity Fitz?" The gabite asked himself aloud.

The leavanny looked at Dillan. "You want to see Trinity Fitz?" she asked with shock. Dillan noticed her tone. It seemed to him that the name Trinity Fitz didn't seem random to the leavanny, but something weird. That's when it clicked in Dillan's head. He felt his crystal fight the string harder the more he

"N-" Hazel tried to say.

"Yes." Dillan interrupted, remembering what the voice had told him days ago. _Go to Bubba's Fine Dine and ask for Trinity Fitz. But is this going to interfere with my mission? Man, I hope I'm doing the right thing._

"I'll be a minute." the leavanny told the group. She walked away towards the stairs that led up onto the balcony.

"What are you doing?" Hazel asked Dillan with knitted eyebrows. "We were suppose to talk to Hank Peterson. Not... Trin... Whatever you said!"

"Sorry." Dillan said. "I guess I should have told you guys about my dream."

"What dream?" Ryan asked.

"I-"

"Excuse me." a pokemon with a deep voice said from behind Dillan. The gabite turned to face the pokemon.

Dillan looked on at a pokemon that was slightly taller than him. It stood at nearly five feet. The pokemon was a stained red with black markings along its back as well as stripes on its arms, body, and legs. The pokemon was a bipedal pokemon with black scales around its eyes, giving it an ominous look. The pokemon looked like an overgrown lizard. Its arms were thin as can be with small hands. The opposite could be said for its thick feet and legs with pearl-white talons. Its head came out like a crocodile to a snout with sharp teeth protruding over its lower lip.

"You're interrupting." Ryan told the krookodile flatly.

"Who do you think you are?" the krookodile asked.

"I could as the same, buddy." Ryan said.

The krookodile took one look at Ryan and gave a snort. He turned to face Dillan. His eyes landed on the gabite's chest. "Nice crystal." he said. "Where did you get it?" _He's interested in my crystal? Why? Well... What if... No. That can't be right._

"Are you Trinity Fitz?" Dillan asked.

"No." the krookodile answered.

"Where is she?" Dillan asked. _But if I don't ask..._

"Hold on, buster. You need to answer a few questions first."

 _Well, the voice in my crystal_ did _tell me to go here. Alright. Here goes nothing._ "Does she have a sapphire cut into the shape of a star?" Dillan asked, hoping he knew what he was doing.

The krookodile looked at Dillan with a scowl. He didn't seem to like what Dillan said. The krookodile stood up straight and said, "We're done here."

"So she does?" Ryan asked. The krookodile ignored him. He started walking towards the balcony.

"Wait!" Hazel called out to the krookodile. "We're here to buy something." The pokemon stopped in his tracks and turned around. "If you take us to Trinity Fitz, we'll give you five hundred pokes."

"Ten-thousand ." the krookodile said.

"One-thousand." Hazel said.

"Five-thousand and not a poke lower."

"Two-thousand is my final offer." Hazel told the krookodile blatantly.

The krookodile thought about Hazel's offer for a few seconds before saying, "You've got yourself a deal." the pokemon grinned and held out his paw.

"We'll pay you after we meet with Trinity Fitz." Hazel said. Dillan was surprised. _Hazel helped me out? But she didn't even know I wanted to meet with this guy until now._

"Right this way." the krookodile said with a wave of his hand. He began walking towards the balcony. Team Rapture followed him.

"Why did you help?" Dillan asked Hazel.

"For starters," Hazel began. "That's what friends do. Secondly, you said something about a sapphire necklace. Is it the same one that you wore when we met? Do you really think this pokemon has it?"

"I've come this far without a hitch." Dillan said. "And something tells me that I'm close."

"Well," Hazel said in a whisper. "Based on this guy's reaction, I'd say we're on the right track."

Dillan nodded. The krookodile led the group past the stair's guard and up to the balcony.

* * *

The balcony had a bunch of wooden tables. Each table had a plate at the chairs with some napkins as if waiting for someone to come by and sit down, yet all but one were unoccupied. There was only one pokemon sitting down at the table next to the railing. The pokemon was looking down into the diner.

"Ms. Fitz," the krookodile said. "These guys are looking for you."

The pokemon sitting at the table waved a hand in the air, signaling the group to come forwards. Dillan looked at Fitz. Something seemed familiar about her.

Team Rapture walked to the table. Fitz turned around to face the group. Once she laid eyes on them, she rolled her eyes and went back to the balcony.

Dillan looked at the pokemon again, thinking about if she looked like someone he knew. That's when it clicked. He had met Trinity Fitz before in Kerroshia Castle, only they didn't have a face to face conversation like Dillan would have wanted to.

"What do you three want?" the hakamo-oh, Trinity Fitz, asked.

"Ever heard of greeting your guests?" Ryan asked Fitz. The hakamo-oh turned around and faced Team Rapture. Dillan, this time, looked for the Sapphire Star around the pokemon's neck. He felt his heart sink when he saw Fitz didn't have it. Instead, she seemed to be wearing a purple scarf with the Ganderosan symbol on it, a dragonite skull with two spears on either side.

"I saw you Armageddons come in." Fitz said. "Now why are you here?"

"You don't remember me?" Dillan asked, trying to keep calm now that he saw she didn't have his crystal.

"Should I?" Fitz asked slowly as if bored by the conversation.

"A few weeks ago in Kerroshia Castle." Dillan said.

Trinity Fitz sat there, thinking about it. "Did you..." she thought. "Did I sell you something?"

"Wait a minute." Ryan said with a stunned expression. He turned to Dillan. "It was her?" he asked quickly. Dillan nodded.

"That's not it." Fitz said. "I... screwed you over somehow. Did I sell you that thing?"

"You already asked that." Ryan said.

"You sold it?" Dillan yelled worriedly.

"Um..." Fitz said as she put her paws to her temples as if trying to concentrate. She sat there for a few seconds before dropping her hands and saying, "I give up. What did I do?"

"Where's my crystal?" Dillan asked.

Fitz looked at him. Then, recognition dawned on her face. "Oh. You were that idiot with the pendant who walked out of that club."

"That was you?" Hazel asked with shock, finally realizing who they were talking to. "You were the thief?"

"I am _not_ a thief." Fitz said sternly. She began scowling at the group. "I am an opportunist. I search for idiots who cannot keep track of their valuables. If they do not want their things taken, they should keep better track of them."

"Don't sugar-coat it." Ryan said angrily. "You're a thief!"

"I am no thief!" Fitz yelled as she slammed her paw on the table. "F-" she stopped herself. She closed her eyes as she thought about her words carefully. "I want you to leave."

"Where is it?" Ryan asked forcefully.

"Ms. Fitz?" the krookodile asked.

"Take them away, Captain." Fitz told the krookodile. The pokemon began advancing on the group.

"We aren't leaving." Dillan said. "Not until you tell us what happened to the Sapphire Star."

Fitz looked at Dillan with curiosity. She raised her hand and the krookodile stopped advancing.

"What did you say?" Fitz asked.

"I asked what happened to my crystal." Dillan said.

"No, you didn't." Fitz said. "You called it something. What did you call it?"

"The Sapphire Star." Dillan said again.

Fitz looked at him for a while before smiling and saying, "I sold it."

"You did?" Dillan asked, horrified by the answer.

"Yes."

"When?"

"A few weeks ago." the hakamo-oh said. "Some... lycanroc came in. the first thing she talked to me about was the stone. I was shocked by the fact that the pokemon knew I had the gem. She bought it for a bunch of pokes. Easiest poke I have ever made."

"You just sold it?" Dillan asked again, processing what he had just heard.

"Was that all?" Fitz asked. "I am a very busy pokemon and I need to be getting back to... my work." Fitz turned around to spy on the pokemon below again.

"I'm not finished."' Dillan said sternly. "What was the lycanroc's name?"

"My customers deserve privacy." Fitz said. "From me and from you."

"Oh, no." Hazel said. "You're giving us more than that."

"No, I'm not." Fitz said. "You can either take what I've given you and you can leave, or my associate can take you out." The krookodile took a step forwards to enforce Fitz's point.

"I choose neither." Ryan said with a glare at the krookodile

Fitz gave a sigh. "You're making this difficult. Just leave."

"Alright, you three." the krookodile said. "Out."

"We're not going anywhere." Ryan told the krookodile.

Hazel didn't say anything, not to Ryan or the krookodile. Dillan couldn't blame her. She must have been fighting with herself. Dillan knew how much Hazel liked to avoid a confrontation, unlike Ryan. He also knew she probably didn't wan to leave until they got the information they needed.

"The crystal you stole from me," Dillan said. "I need it back. Some really bad pokemon are hunting it and they can't have it. I think something bad will happen when they get their paws on it."

"Who?" Fitz said quickly. She turned around forcefully and began leaning over the table, intently listening to what Dillan had to say. The gabite was surprised by her reaction. "Who's hunting for the crystal? Do they have the second one?"

"Second one?" Dillan asked.

"N-Never-mind that." Fitz told them. "Just tell me who's hunting the crystal."

"I don't think that's any of your business." Ryan cut in rudely.

Hazel looked at the conversation with shock. Dillan could say the same thing. He was lost. _What is she talking about?_

"Besides," Ryan said. "Why do you want to know so badly?"

Fitz looked as though she was going to give an answer, but she said nothing.

"Look," Dillan said. He was getting tired of all the other information diluting the purpose he was there. "All I want to know is who has my crystal."

Fitz turned away from the group. She looked down from the balcony. The group stood there, waiting for her response for a good minute before she said, "You'll need to fight for it."

"What?" Hazel asked.

"I don't trust you three with that information." Fitz told them. "If you expect me to believe what you are saying is true, then you need to prove to me you are strong enough to keep the crystal safe."

"Fine." Ryan said. "This should be quick."

"Not you, shorty." Fitz told Ryan dismissively.

Ryan slammed his foot on the floor and said, "What did you say?"

"You." Fitz pointed towards Dillan.

"M-Me?" the gabite stuttered, caught off-guard by Fitz's direct challenge.

"You're the one who had the crystal to begin with." Fitz said. "So you're the one I should be testing, no?"

Dillan looked over at Hazel and Ryan for their approval.

"I mean," Hazel said. "I guess that's alright. I don't have an issue with it. Ryan?"

"W-What?" Ryan stuttered.

"You're better at battling than me and Dillan." Hazel said.

Ryan put his paw under his chin as he thought about it. "Well," he said. "You'll both be at a disadvantage in the fight." Ryan said. "You'll both probably be using your dragon moves, so you'll be at an advantage as well as an advantage." Ryan stood there for a few seconds before saying, "I'm not sure. I'd have to see her moves before deciding what you should use."

"Well?" Fitz asked. "What is it gonna be?"

"I say you fight her." Hazel said. "If you lose, we don't get any information which would be the same outcome if we don't fight at all."

"Agreed." Ryan said. "Just watch out for her dragon-type moves."

"Alright." Dillan said. He faced Fitz and said, "I'll fight you."

"Good." Fitz told them. "Come with me." She got up from her chair and walked towards the stairs, descending them into the lower levels. Dillan, Hazel, and Ryan followed, followed by the krookodile.

* * *

Fitz, weaving between tables, lead the pokemon towards what looked like the back of the diner. There was a set of wooden doors hanging on the white walls. The hakamo-oh pushed on the doors and let Team Rapture pass into the next room.

The group found themselves in another white-walled room. There were fancily set tables positioned around what looked like a stage. The stage had poles sticking out of the corners and rope tied to each making a sort of barrier around the inside of the stage.

"Really?" Hazel asked with a curled lip. "A fight club?"

"If you do not approve," Fitz said. "Then you can leave."

"I think it's neat!" Ryan announced with wide eyes and a smile.

"This is where we're fighting?" Dillan asked.

"This is where _you're_ fighting." Fitz said.

"What do you mean?" Hazel asked as she looked at Fitz through the corner of her eye.

"I said _you_ will be fighting." Fitz said. "I never told you who you would be fighting."

"So, who am I fighting?" Dillan asked.

"I'll beat him, Ms." the krookodile said. "It'll be a piece of cake."

Fitz thought about it. "I was going to pit you against the gabite," Fitz said. "But now that you mention it, it would be to easy for you. Not a very entertaining fight."

"Entertaining?" Ryan asked.

"This isn't about proving ourselves to you, is it?" Dillan asked

"That's part of it." Fitz said. "Though it is not the whole reason." She clapped her hands together. "I have a better idea. I want you to fight each other."

"What?" Team Rapture asked in unison.

"The gabite versus your strongest member!" Fitz told them enthusiastically.

"You expect us to fight against each other?" Ryan asked. "Do you think we're stupid? The moment we weaken each other, you'll just run!"

"I will not run." Fitz said with a hand to her chest as if the mere suggestion of dishonesty on her part was an attack on her ideals.

"Lets say Dillan _is_ our strongest member." Hazel said.

"Hey!" Ryan protested. "I could beat Dillan easy!"

"What?" Dillan asked. _When did this become a competition between us?_

"An excellent idea!" Fitz said. "Pachirisu, if you think you are so powerful, then prove it by fighting your friend."

"Wait a minute!" Hazel shouted.

"I'm cool with that." Ryan said.

"I'm not!" Dillan argued.

"Why not?" Ryan asked Dillan. He smirked. "Don't you want to know which one of us is stronger?"

"Now?" Hazel asked.

"It'll be like sparing." Ryan said.

Hazel turned to Fitz with a raised eyebrow. "How does that prove Dillan's strong enough to be trusted?"

"The fight can prove that much." Fitz said. "And I have a solution to the problem of you being too weak to stop me."

"Which is?" Hazel asked.

"I will tell you in the middle of the fight." Fitz told the group. "That way, I will have seen if you are strong enough, the fight will entertain me, and you will have the information you want."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Ryan said.

"Ryan!" Hazel snapped.

"It's alright." Dillan said.

"It's far from alright!" Hazel said. "this isn't the way to get the information! All it's doing is weakening our team!"

"What other choice do we have?" Dillan asked. "Besides, I think I know who we need to look for. I just need some more evidence before we go out of our way to see if I'm right." As much as he wanted to say it was his only motive, he had to admit that he wanted to see if he was stronger than Ryan. Besides, the pachirisu looked so excited to fight him that he didn't want to ruin it.

Hazel looked at Dillan for a few seconds before saying, "This is still a bad idea!"

"Hazel," Dillan said. "Trust me."

Hazel stood there for a few seconds before face-palming and saying, "Fine..." She turned to Fitz and said, "But your lackey needs to leave the room."

"I won't do that." the krookodile said.

Fitz thought about it before shrugging and saying, "Fair enough."

"Ms. A-" the krookodile tried to say. Fitz turned to the pokemon with sharp eyes. She slammed her fist into the krookodile's chest, cutting off his sentence. He didn't seem hurt by the attack. He merely flinched.

"Don't." Fitz warned sternly.

"My apologies, Ms. Fitz." the krookodile said.

"Leave." she said sternly. The krookodile bowed and exited the room. Fitz turned to Hazel and said, "Better?"

Hazel turned to Ryan and Dillan. "Are you two sure about this?"

"Let's just get on with it!" Ryan said enthusiastically as he dashed on all fours towards the stage. He slipped below the ropes and entered.

"I'm sure." Dillan said.

"Alright." Hazel sighed.

"Come on." Fitz said. She tapped Hazel on the shoulder as she went over to a table right next to the stage. Hazel rolled her eyes and begrudgingly sat next to Fitz.

Dillan walked up and climbed onto the stage, crawling under the rope before standing up. He looked around. Different pokemon at different tables were either looking at him and Ryan, wondering if they were about to fight, or minding their own business and chatting among themselves.

"So how is this going to work?" Dillan asked. "Do I fight until you drop?"

"Standard stadium rules." Ryan said. "The first pokemon to be knocked to the ground three times losses. And no attacks fly outside the ring or you lose automatically."

"So knock you down five times?" Dillan asked. _It's only a friendly competition, so it makes sense._ He smiled. "Alright, then."

"No holding back!" Fitz shouted from her table.

"Wasn't planning on it." Ryan told Fitz, not taking an eye off of Dillan. He grinned.

"Your move." Ryan told the gabite.

Dillan nodded. He focused on his arm-fin. It began to glow a dim blue and extended. Dillan rushed in towards Ryan. Ryan looked at Dillan with a grin. The gabite slashed at Ryan. The pachirisu jumped to the left and swished his tail through the air, sending yellow, glowing stars towards Dillan. The gabite put his fins in a cross to protect himself. The stars collided with his arms, sending a dull pain through his bones. Dillan grimaced. He felt his fin shrink back to normal as it lost its glow.

"Right here!" Ryan shouted from behind Dillan.

 _He's behind me? How'd he-_ Dillan's thoughts were cut off by Ryan leaping onto his back fin. The pachirisu's teeth bit down on Dillan's neck. He felt his energy start to leave him. _Already?_

Dillan gave a grimace of pain.

"What now?" Ryan asked with a mouth-full of scales.

"This!" Dillan shouted. He started shaking his body wildly in an attempt at removing the pachirisu. Ryan didn't seem to be biting very hard, because he flew off of Dillan after a few seconds. He began rolling on the ground for a second before bouncing onto his feet.

"Does that count?" Dillan asked.

"Did you attack me?" Ryan asked.

"Well, no." Dillan said.

Ryan smiled and said, "Do the math." He rushed in on Dillan.

The gabite had a second to react. He side-stepped out of Ryan's way. The pachirisu slammed his feet and turned sharply towards Dillan. He started glowing white as he rushed around the gabite. Dillan tried to keep track, but Ryan started gaining speed. He became a white and blue blur.

Dillan watched Ryan's movements. "Wait for it." he told himself quietly. Dillan watched Ryan slam his feet on the ground again to change his direction. _There._ Dillan focused on his fins again. They extended one more time. He watched the white blur get close to him in seconds as he slashed at it. He saw through the light that Ryan looked away as if expecting the impact. Dillan's fin collided with Ryan's head. The pachirisu flew a few inches before rolling once again on the ground. Ryan was about to go over the edge of the stage. _That's it._

Dillan watched Ryan. The pachirisu was at the edge when he slammed his feet mid-roll onto the ground. He bounced up and landed on the ropes that created the barrier. They pulled back and sent him back onto the stage. He hit the ground and kicked off, launching himself towards Dillan.

The gabite had no time to comprehend what had happened. He only had time to widen his eyes as the pachirisu slammed into his chest. Dillan fell backwards onto the ground, air being forced from his lungs. He slammed into the wood, sending a dulling pain into his back accompanied by the sharp pain of his fin bending. Dillan gave a cry of pain. Ryan hopped off of Dillan's chest and landed at the edge of the stage.

"You alright?" Ryan asked, though he didn't look worried. In fact, he was smiling.

Dillan got up, trying to ignore the pain in his fin. "Is my fin bent?" Dillan asked.

Ryan looked at the gabite's back and said, "Nope."

"Then, yeah." Dillan said. "I'm fine."

"Cool!" Ryan said.

"Stop stalling!" Fitz shouted, though she seemed happy with how the fight was going so far.

"We're not 'stalling'." Ryan said in a mocking tone. He turned to Dillan and said. "Score stands at one to one."

 _I'm going to win this._ Dillan planted his feet and focused on his pain. He used it to arouse the miniature fire that was dormant in his chest. It seemed to flare inside of him, rising up through his throat. _Alright. Not too much fire. Just enough._ Dillan opened his mouth and let a stream of fire fly towards Ryan. The pachirisu grinned as he rolled to the side. He rushed in on Dillan, bearing his teeth with a wide mouth. He was close to biting Dillan's left arm when the gabite cut the fire and swiped it at Ryan's head, sending him flying to the side. The pachirisu landed on his feet and jumped once again at Dillan. He swiped his tail in the air, sending five stars at Dillan. Dillan focused on his fins and swiped at the stars. He managed to block three of them, but the other two hit him square in the face.

Dillan stumbled backwards, trying to recover. He then felt an object collide with the side of his head, once again, sending him onto the ground. He felt the object leave his face once the right side of his head hit the floor. The gabite tried to see what had hit him, but the world seemed to be spinning.

"That makes two." Ryan said from next to Dillan's head.

"What?" Dillan asked as his vision started to stabilize.

"Two to one." Ryan said. "I'm winning."

Dillan tried to get up. He felt warn out. "A-Alright." Dillan stumbled. He got onto his feet and took a quick glance at Hazel and Fitz. He saw the hakamo-oh was leaning over the table, whispering to Hazel. The charmeleon looked at Dillan with knitted eyebrows as if she was concentrating.

"One more time?" Ryan asked. He had his paws up in a fighting stance.

"I'm out." Dillan said.

"You're done?" Ryan asked, dropping his stance.

"Yeah." Dillan said. "That last attack had my head spinning."

Dillan looked at Fitz as she pulled away from Hazel. She faced Dillan and Ryan and said, "Thanks for the entertainment. You're friend has the information you were looking for."

"Alright, you two." Hazel said. She waved her hand in the air, telling the two pokemon to come down from the stage.

Dillan walked towards the edge and stepped down. The moment he left the stage, clapping came from different tables around the room accompanied by a few whistles. Ryan looked around and saw the pokemon congratulating him. He took a bow and began smiling. He walked over to the edge of the stage as well and hopped down.

"Well," Ryan said. "That means I _am_ the best fighter on our team."

"that remains to be seen." Hazel said.

"If that is all you three wanted," Fitz said as she stood up. "I'll be taking my leave."

"That's it?" Dillan asked. He turned to Hazel.

"She told me who bought the crystal." Hazel told Dillan.

Dillan watched as Trinity Fitz walked away from the table. She walked with her chest out proudly as she exited the room.

"Well, what did she tell you?" Ryan asked as he hopped onto the table to see Hazel at eye level. Dillan sat down in the chair next to Hazel's to listen.

"She told be that the lycanroc's name was 'Lily' and that she was from the lycanroc tribe in Fericia."

"So it _was_ Lily." Dillan said.

"You knew?" Ryan asked.

"I had a feeling it was her." Dillan said. "I mean, she gave it to me. So that means it's probably with her in Fericia."

"Well, that's good." Ryan said. "At least you know where it is."

"Hey, you three!" a deep, male, and commanding voice said. Team Rapture looked towards the exit to "Bubba's Fine Dine" to see a pokemon walking towards them. Dillan did not like what he saw.

There was a bipedal pokemon staring at the group. He had stubby legs and stubby arms. He didn't have hands or feet. The tips of his legs and arms were red. He had ears that were as big as half of the pokemon. His head was circular with a small black nose. He had red cheeks with a "plus" sign in the middle of them. The pokemon looked at the group with its black eyes. It had a stubby tail with a red "plus" sign on the end.

If it was just the pokemon, Dillan didn't think he would have had a problem. The issue was with the crest the pokemon had strapped to his chest by black bands that slung around his shoulders. The crest was that of Team Armageddon.

The plusle looked at the group furiously. "Just what are you three doing here?"

"We're talking." Ryan said flatly. "And you're interrupting."

"You maggots have got to be kidding me!" the plusle yelled. "You were suppose to be at the guild waiting for the Armageddon meeting!"

"You're a Team Armageddon commander?" Hazel asked.

"What in Ganderosa do you think this crest is for?" the plusle asked sharply as he slammed a paw onto the symbol strapped to his chest. "How did an idiot for a maggot like you get into Team Armageddon? And another thing. How did an idiot for a maggot like you get chosen for this mission?"

Hazel looked at the plusle with discomfort. Dillan couldn't blame her. If he was an Armageddon commander, they were probably about to be tested on how well they could act like Armageddon members.

"Then why are you here?" Ryan asked with a raised eye brow.

"Don't sass me, maggot." the plusle said. "Who's squad are you with?"

"Sir?" Hazel asked.

"I asked you who's squad you were with." the plusle repeated. A vein began to bulge from his forehead. "Who's your commanding officer?"

Team Rapture sat in silence for a few seconds before Hazel said, "You, sir." The plusle moved five times faster than Ryan. In a second, the plusle had his paw planted in Hazel's stomach. Hazel doubled over and fell to the ground.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" the plusle shouted at Hazel. "If you were on my squad, you wouldn't be here!"

 _I need to think of a name and fast._ Dillan thought about it for a few seconds. His heart started thumping on his chest. Then, a name came to his head. "We're with Molan, sir." Dillan said quickly.

"Molan?" the plusle asked. "I always knew his tastes in good soldiers was lacking, but to hire you maggots?" the plusle rolled his eyes. "You three are coming with me." The plusle turned away from the group and waved for them to accompany him out of Bubba's.

"This isn't good." Ryan whispered to the group. Hazel stood, gasping for breath, on her feet.

"We can't go." Hazel whispered back. Her voice sounded strained from the plusle's attack. "We need to meet with Hank Peterson."

"Do we have a choice?" Dillan asked. "I mean, if we stay, he might find out we're not really..." Dillan didn't dare finish his sentence.

"I say we take him out." Ryan said. "Then, we meet Hank."

"Really?" Hazel asked in disbelief.

"What?" Ryan asked.

"Too many witnesses, for one." hazel told Ryan sharply. "Word would spread about a rebellious group in Team Armageddon and then we'd be sunk!"

"Dang it, maggots!" the plusle yelled at the door. "Unless you want to die, get your sorry tails over here!"

"Now that I think about it," Hazel told Ryan. "I'm with Dillan."

"Fine." Ryan agreed. "I guess we could always ditch him later and come back here."

"I like that plan." Dillan told the group.

"Then we're all in agreement." Hazel said. Team Rapture broke from their huddle and walked towards the plusle.

"You maggots done with your powwow?" the plusle asked.

"We're ready, sir." Dillan stated.

"Then, let's move out!" the plusle led the way out of the diner. Dillan couldn't say he wasn't worried. In fact, he was terrified. He couldn't help but think about what would happen if they were to get caught. Would they die? Would they be tortured? He didn't know. As he walked with his team, he could only hope that things would turn out for the better.

* * *

(Author's notes)

Hey guys! I'm back! I just wanted to thank everyone who's favorited/followed/viewed the story! It means a lot to me that you guys are here enjoying what I'm writing.

Shout-out to msimang475 and Idfiction! This and the reviews, and even the views on the story help me to know that it's something that you guys like to read.

I wanted to say sorry to everyone for my rant I had before I took a break. I realized it had the potential to come off as me blaming you guys for myself not being happy with my writing and I just wanted to say that's not true. You guys are the reason I took the break; not because I wasn't getting the amount of feedback I wanted, but because I wanted to improve _for_ you guys. Again, I'm sorry if it came off as me blaming you guys, that was not my intention whatsoever.

So, I wanted to tell you all of you that I'm at a point where I feel as though I've been able to seriously grow in my work as a writer (even if it isn't much, I have grown) as well as take a step back and think about where I've wanted to take the story (Had it all planned out, just needed to think about my execution). So, I wanted to thank you all for bearing with me for the month I've been gone. I will be posting a chapter to my regular schedule from now on (once every two weeks) starting May 4th.

If you have an issue with my "new" writing style, feel free to point it out! My reason for the break was to improve for you guys and if it somehow made a new mistake arise, I want to hear about it.

Anyways, thanks again for reading! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Have a great day! I'll see you guys in a few weeks!


	26. Living the Nightmare

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 26

Living the Nightmare

* * *

Team Rapture walked down the snow-covered street as they followed the plusle to a building near the center of town. The building had a big spire shooting up from the middle for what Dillan guessed was three stories. It had a snow-covered roof with a black stripe painted on the grey stone, so Dillan guessed it was the guild. It had a courtyard with a fountain in the middle like in Palando, but the statue standing on its pedestal was made out of ice. The statue that stood in the middle of the fountain was of a dragonite with a cape, but almost all of its head was scattered around the courtyard in pieces as though it was hit with a bomb. There was a white, wooden sign next to the red doors that was plastered with torn pieces of paper. Team Rapture walked with the plusle through the iron gates and into the courtyard.

"Sir?" Dillan asked.

"What is it, maggot?" the plusle asked.

"Why are we at the guild?"

The plusle stopped in his tracks and whipped around to face Dillan. The gabite was disturbed to find the plusle's vein located near its temple was pulsating. "Where have you been?" he shouted. "We're here for the meeting!"

"So, Team Armageddon's taken over this town too." Hazel said. Dillan couldn't tell if she sounded worried or curious.

"Of course we have!" the plusle yelled. "We own the Alkan Islands!"

"So, we do." Ryan said with a fake-joy.

Dillan felt his heart drop. _Does that mean Team Armageddon killed the guildmembers here?_

"Where did the guildmembers go?" Hazel asked. Dillan was surprised to see Hazel had the same question on her mind.

"That's not my concern." the plusle said angrily. He turned away from the group.

The plusle was about to continue walking when Dillan asked, "Are they dead?" The plusle stood there for a while. Dillan looked at the plusle, wondering if he was going to explode. After about twenty second, Dillan decided he wasn't going to. He just stood there. However, that didn't put Dillan's worries at ease. In fact, it made him even more worried.

"Is he alright?" Ryan whispered to Hazel.

"Sir?" Hazel asked.

The plusle didn't say anything. He began walking forward into the guild. Dillan looked at Ryan who shrugged his shoulders. He began following with Hazel. Dillan walked with them. They went around the fountain and through the guild's red doors.

* * *

Dillan was horrified. Team Rapture found themselves in what looked like a war zone. The grey, stone walls had holes blown into them. There were Ganderosan banners on the floor that were scorched from flames and replaced by Team Armageddon banners. The brown, wooden floor had ash scattered across the different planks. Some planks looked fine while others were splintered with holes in them. There was also the occasional plank sticking up from the floor, revealing what looked like some sort of basement below. There was a desk on the right side of the entrance that was split down the middle. Dillan found he couldn't open his mouth without getting the taste of dust and ash in his mouth. He also noticed that it wasn't any warmer in here than the outside. The holes in the wall seemed to be blowing cold air into the room, making little patches of snow below the holes in the walls. Dillan found there was a bunch of noise coming from the room ahead of them.

"Oh my gosh." Hazel said with an open jaw.

"Get over it." the plusle told her flatly. "This is war. We need to win at any cost."

"This fight looks like someone had to have gotten hurt or worse." Ryan said.

"Again," the plusle said with what Dillan thought was a little less anger in his tone, though he still sounded very harsh. "We need to win at any cost." The plusle continued walking onward, leading Team Rapture towards a set of dented doors at the end of the hall accompanied by the increasing volume of voices. The plusle pushed opened the doors with little effort.

They were now in what Dillan could only assumed use to be the meeting room for the guild. It had the same damaged as the previous room. This time, there was a stage at the back of the room with a collapsed right-corner. Other than that and a few dents and boards sticking up, the stage was completely usable. In front of the stage was the source of all the noise. There was nearly thirty Team Armageddon members standing in groups, talking about their own respective topics.

Dillan froze when he saw how many Team Armageddon members there were. He felt his muscles tighten. _If we get caught now..._

"Dillan," Ryan whispered worriedly. He looked at the pachirisu who had narrowed eyes and a furrowed brow. _Ryan's worried, too?_ The pachirisu's eyes moved towards the massive group of Team Armageddon members _._ "Keep moving or you'll draw attention to us."

The plusle turned to face Team Rapture. "Alright, maggots." he said commandingly. "Take your place in the group." With that, the plusle turned right and walked around the edge of the circle of Armageddon members.

Team Rapture walked closer to the group of Armageddons.

"So what now?" Ryan asked.

"Well," Hazel said. "I'm not sure." Dillan found Hazel didn't seem very worried. In fact, she seemed confident.

"Can't we just walk out?" Dillan asked.

"Maybe," Hazel said. "But I don't think that'll work, either. We're on that Armageddon Commander's watch list. He'll probably be watching us wherever he is."

"That sounds really drastic, don't you think?" Ryan asked.

"You three have no idea." a pokemon told them from the Armageddon Circle. Dillan looked at the pokemon. It was a bipedal pokemon with baby blue scales. It also had a tan pattern on its stomach like a toga with baby blue holes in three different places. The pokemon had red scales protruding from three different places: a group of three on the head, a group of three on the back, and a lone scale on its tail. It had chubby arms and legs. The feet were chubby like the legs. The hands, compared to the feet, looked smaller than they should be. The pokemon had a snout that stopped at two nostrils. The lower jaw was tan with three teeth protruding onto the upper lip at the back.

"Were you listening to our conversation?" Hazel asked.

"What?" the croconaw asked, as though shocked Hazel could accuse him of spying. "Now, why would I ever do that?"

"Shut it." Ryan said. "Mind your own business and get lost."

"Wait a minute." the croconaw said taking a close look at the group. "I don't recognize you three." Dillan felt the back of his neck getting hotter from the statement.

"W-What do you mean by that?" Dillan stuttered nervously.

"I know every member of our group." the croconaw said. "Yet, I don't know you three. "That means..." Ryan clenched his fist as if ready to brawl.

"We're new." Hazel said. "Just recruited."

"Hey!" the croconaw shouted. "That's what I was about to say!"

"Attention, maggots!" the plusle's voice shouted from in front. Dillan looked ahead to find the small pokemon was on the stage, scowling at the group ahead. Everyone quieted down and faced the stage without a second's delay. They all looked at the plusle attentively. "Good. I see you can follow orders. You've all officially graduated to crap." The Armageddon's gave a light chuckle which seemed to please the plusle. Team Rapture, however, was too on edge to laugh. "Now then, you're all here today for a special job. If you'll all give your attention over to your new commander. You've all probably met him by now, but in case you haven't, this is Team Armageddon Commander Molan."

 _D-did he say..._ The group didn't cheer. They all stood in silence as if they respected Molan enough to give him their undivided attention. The horror-struck gabite looked on as the greninja walked onto the stage accompanied by the charizard Dillan recognized as Titus.

"Good evening." Molan said. "I come with great joy to announce that we've successfully driven the Guild's Resistance out of most of the Alkan Islands." Everyone began cheering. Team Rapture did the same, but someone who might be paying them attention might be able to tell it was a forced joy. "Now then," Molan continued. "Ignitus has allowed me to tell you all that we have an issue."

"What kind of issue?" an Armageddon asked from the crowd.

"The Resistance has taken shelter inside of Ice Spear Cave." Titus announced

A roar of disapproval rang out in the group.

"Settle down, crap!" the plusle shouted. Everyone became quiet.

"Thank you, Pete." Molan said. He cleared his throat before saying, "The Resistance needs to be chased from the cave as soon as possible."

"Sir!" an Armageddon shouted. "If the Resistance is inside of Ice Spear Cave, a mystery dungeon, won't they become feral?"

"What is your point?" Molan asked.

"Well," the pokemon began again. "If they're going to go feral, why do we have to deal with them?"

The pokemon looked at Molan for an answer. Molan stood up even straighter, making himself gain an inch, and began by saying, "How did we take the Alkan Guild? Anyone?"

"By force!" a pokemon yelled. The group shouted their approval.

"No," Molan said proudly. "Not by force." Molan began scanning the crowd. Dillan got a little lower in an attempt to avoid Molan's gaze.

"What's wrong?" Hazel whispered.

"It's him." Dillan whispered back. "He's the guy who," Dillan made a slashing motion across his neck with his claw. "At you-know-where."

Hazel looked at him, trying to piece together what Dillan was trying to tell her. She gave a confused shake of her head.

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked. Dillan didn't want to answer. He didn't care. He wasn't going to say his sentence out loud in front of all of Team Armageddon.

"Never mind." Dillan said as he shook his head. Ryan and Hazel, still confused, directed their attention back to Molan.

"No one knows?" Molan asked again. No one responded. Molan gave a sigh. "We took the Alkan Guild not by force, but by convincing a leader of our cause." Some Armageddons nodded their heads in recognition. Others, like Dillan, tilted their heads in confusion. "We convinced the Alkan Guldmaster to back us up, allowing us to take the Alkan Guild. Diplomacy won us the Alkan Guild, not force."

"But what about the guildmembers?" an Armageddon member asked.

Molan gave a scowl into the audience. "Those that resisted were taken care of." the greninja announced. "It's common knowledge."

"So, what now?" the croconaw next to Team Rapture asked.

"Now? Well, that's why we're having this meeting. There has been talk within our group that we went too far when we attacked the Alkan Guild. Does anyone agree?"

No one responded. There were a few nervous glances around the room as well as some pokemon shifting their weight, but no one spoke up.

"Of course you do." Molan said. "And I agree."

"What?" Hazel whispered seemingly to herself, yet Dillan thought she was asking him and Ryan.

Dillan was shocked as well. From their first encounter, he had always guessed Molan was a thug. He thought the greninja was just someone who used whoever he could. To hear Molan say he doesn't feel right about what he's doing was somehow wrong.

Titus looked at Molan with a curious scowl. Molan continued to look at the group and said, "I think it was wrong. What we had to do in order to end the Guild's tyranny here in the Alkan Islands was hard. It still hurts me, as I'm sure it hurts you. But then, I thought about the oppression that the guild has enforced upon us." Molan stuck out a finger into the front of the crowd. "You, sir. Tell us what led you to take a stand against the guild."

"Me?" a voice asked in the crowd. Molan nodded. "Well, my family lived in Shrindant Town in Labensia. We couldn't afford the food there, so we had to move."

"Now," Molan began. "Some of you may be asking yourselves, "How is that the guild's fault?" and I ask you my, skarmory friend, did the guild help you?"

"No." the voice said forcefully.

"Did you ask them for help?"

"Yes, I did."

"So you asked for help, yet the guild didn't do a thing." Molan said. He stood there for a few seconds to let the words sink in before he said, "You, ma'am." He pointed to the middle of the crowd. "The primarina. Why did you join the fight?"

"Mr. Molan," a prideful, yet sad voice said. Dillan watched as a pokemon stood up above the crowd. To Dillan, the primarina looked elegant. "My child was kidnapped and taken into the Palando Mountain Pass. I went to the guild for help, but they turned me away."

"Wait a minute." Ryan whispered angrily as his paws clenched together, making his knuckles pop.

"I know." Hazel said sternly.

"Know what?" Dillan asked.

"It's Jeremy's mother." Hazel said. _Jeremy's..._ Dillan looked into the crowd. He stared at the primarina. She had an angry expression on her face and looked as though she was on the verge of crying

"What happened next?" Molan asked the primarina.

"The kidnappers hurt my son and blamed me!" Jeremy's mother said. "They convinced the guild my son's marks were a result of domestic violence! The guild then tried to arrest me!"

"So you're saying the guild trusted kidnappers over a mother who was only trying to get her child back?"

Dillan felt his heart begin to pound in his chest. He looked at Ryan. The pachirisu's fist began shaking. His face was filled with frustration.

"Yes, they did!" the primarina announced.

"Liar." Ryan said to himself. As much as Dillan felt like what Ryan said implied they weren't with Team Armageddon, he couldn't blame the pachirisu. He also felt frustrated. _She should have been arrested! How is she here?_

"Thank you." Molan said with a disturbing sweetness in his voice. "As you can all see, we have our own reasons for fighting against the guild. This road may seem wrong at certain points in time. It might tug at our very souls. But we need to carry onward. We need to fight the injustices forced upon us! And no matter what the cost, we need to win and take back our kingdom!"

Team Armageddon cheered for Molan. The atmosphere in the room changed into one of enthusiasm. Team Rapture, however, didn't cheer. They looked on at Molan with scowls. Dillan didn't think it was the best way to keep their cover, but he didn't care. For one, he was in the back. No one would see his scowl. Another thing was that if he and his team did cheer, it was guaranteed to feel forced and fake. They were all frustrated.

"She didn't just do that." Dillan said.

"She did." Ryan said. "I can't believe that liar just inspired pokemon with her fake story."

"Let's talk about it later." Hazel said. "It isn't safe right now."

"Settle down!" Titus ordered. Everyone quieted down.

"Now then," Molan said. "I'm glad to see you all have your moral boosted. Now for the reason we're having our meeting.

"Who here has heard of an M. P?"

No one raised their hand.

"Well," Molan continued. "Its technical term is a "Mystery Pocket". The basic definition is its the area of a mystery dungeon that's unaffected by the actual dungeon itself _._ You can get more information on the M. P.s somewhere else. For now, I'm only here to tell you that the resistance standing against us are taking refuge in Ice Spear Cave. To be more precise, they're staying in Ice Spear Cave's M. P. I've gathered you all here today so we can stamp out the resistance once and for all and finally take the Alkan Islands from the Guild. If you have any doubts of your moral status, look back to the testaments today and remember what was said. Let these stories drive you back into the fight so we can save Ganderosa from the enemy that has plagued us for generations!" Molan raised his fist into the air and said. "For freedom!"

Everyone in the room raised either their right fist or their head and said, "For freedom!"

"Everyone rest up for tonight." Titus said as he took a step closer to the edge of the stage. "Tomorrow, a group of you will move out to attack Ice Spear Cave. Dismissed." Titus went over to Molan. The two began discussing their own matters. All of the Armageddons began discussing their situation in their own groups. Dillan was disgusted to see pokemon flocking to Jeremy's mother and apologizing, saying things like, "I'm so sorry for your loss", as if she was some kind of hero. _That liar's looking like the victim. She's using her abuses as an opportunity!_

"Ryan." Hazel said. Ryan looked at Hazel as she grabbed Dillan's arms and began pulling him around the Armageddons.

"Where are we going?" Dillan asked, shocked by the sudden movement.

"To meet with Hank Peterson." Hazel said. She led the group around towards the stage.

"Didn't you say we couldn't leave Team Armageddon because we'd get caught?"

"I did, but that was before I found out he's here."

"He is?" Ryan asked.

Dillan watched the stage. As he got closer to it, his heart began beating harder on his ribs. He finally pulled his arm from Hazel's grip. The group stopped feet from the stage. Hazel looked at Dillan with confusion.

"I can't go up to the stage." Dillan said fearfully, not taking an eye off of Molan who was still on the stage with Titus. He felt his anxiety start to build up inside of him. "Molan will recognize me."

"He will?" Ryan asked.

"We had a face-to-face conversation back in Palando." Dillan said.

"Alright..." Hazel said as she looked on the stage.

"Wait a minute." Ryan said. "Peterson's on the stage?"

"Weren't you paying attention?" Hazel asked. Ryan looked at her with confusion. "The plusle."

"You mean the one who led us here?" Ryan asked. "'No way that's him."

"Molan called him Pete." Hazel said. "As in Peterson."

"Stop." Ryan said. "Just stop right there."

"What's wrong?" Hazel asked.

"Peterson isn't the same as Pete, only similar."

"Yes it is." Hazel said.

"Even if it was, do you think it's a good risk to take? I mean, if you're wrong, we could get killed."

"But if I'm right?"

"The risk outweighs the gain."

"I don't agree." Hazel said flatly.

Dillan's gaze drifted away from Molan. He looked for the plusle, but he didn't see him.

"Guys?" Dillan said. "Where's the plusle?"

"What?" Hazel asked. She looked onto the stage as well. She gave a groan when she saw the plusle wasn't there. "Come on!"

"I don't like this." Dillan said.

"It's fine." Ryan assured.

"No, it isn't." Dillan told him worriedly. He knelt forwards before whispering, "We're going to get caught. If Molan sees us, he'll know who we are. In fact..." Dillan paused. He took a worried look around. "I wouldn't be surprised if other pokemon would recognize us from Palando."

"Dillan." Hazel said. "It's going to be alright."

"No." Dillan said. "It's too risky here."

Dillan." Hazel said forcefully. She stepped forwards and grabbed his arms, though she didn't have a tight grip. She only used enough force to get his attention. Dillan looked at her. "You're freaking out." she told him calmly. "There isn't any reason to freak out."

"But-" Dillan tried to say.

"Dillan." Hazel interrupted. "Do you trust us?"

"Well... yeah." Dillan said.

"Then trust me when I say that our group is going to make it through this." Hazel said. "We're a team. We won't let anything happen to each other. Alright?"

Dillan looked Hazel in the eyes. He felt his anxiety start to die down. He focused on her words. She seemed confident, while he was scared. "How can you be so sure?"

"We've been through worse." Ryan said. "And even then, we've relied on each other up until now. We'll get through this."

"Couldn't have said it better." Hazel told Ryan. He gave a smile of acknowledgment.

"Alright." Dillan said. He focused on Hazel and Ryan's words to keep his calm. At the moment, it seemed to be working.

"Are you alright, now?" Hazel asked.

"Yes." Dillan said. "I think so."

"Alright." Hazel said. "Just remember we have your back." The charmeleon turned away towards the stage. She then gave a moan. "Where's Molan and that charizard?"

"Titus." Ryan said. "And I saw them walk into that room." Ryan pointed a paw towards a door on the left wall next to the stage. "I'm guessing that's the Guildleader's quarters. So, based on the fact that Molan is a commander, I think it's safe to assume that "Pete" or "Peterson" or whatever his name is is in that room."

"Maybe." Hazel said. She turned around and faced the crowd. It was beginning to shrink. Small groups of three to five pokemon were breaking from the crowd and began entering a hallway towards the right of the stage. "Wait a minute." Hazel smacked her palm to her forehead. "Duh!" She ran away from her team and went up to a group of three pokemon. To Dillan's worry, she began talking to a big, purple snake in the group. The snake looked at Hazel and talked back. They both started to have a conversation with each other.

"What is she doing?" Dillan asked.

"I'm not sure." Ryan said. The two watched as Hazel and the snake continued to talk for a few minutes before the charmeleon smiled at the snake. She gave a wave and came back to Dillan and Ryan.

"He's in there." Hazel said. "That's where the commanders sleep."

"Did the snake tell you that?" Ryan asked.

"The arbok?" Hazel asked. "Yeah. I figured that he would answer my questions since I'm practically part of Team Armageddon."

"Good thinking." Ryan said.

"Thanks." Hazel said with a wink. "I also asked where everyone was going. The arbok told me that we're suppose to go into the guild's dorms for some rest."

"I don't like that idea." Ryan said.

"I agree." Dillan said. "We'd have to split up; Ryan and I in the boy's dorm while you would be in the girl's."

"Don't worry." Hazel said."I thought about that as well. I figured we'd just sneak out and find some place to sleep in town."

"Good plan." Ryan said. "I like that plan."

"Yeah." Hazel said. "The only problem I could see is that I think we're all suppose to get up tomorrow for a debrief."

"You got all that in seconds?" Ryan asked.

"If you ask the right questions and make them brief enough," Hazel began. "You can get some good information in a short time."

"Well, when do we have to be here?" Dillan said.

"Sun rise." Hazel said.

"Well, that sucks." Ryan said.

"Agreed." Dillan said.

"It'll be fine." Hazel said. "I'll make sure to get us up on time."

"Well then," Ryan started. "In that case, I guess tomorrow we start as full fledged members of Team Armageddon."

Team Rapture departed from the room as fast and as quietly as they could as to avoid the attention of anyone standing in the room. They exited the guild and began walking down the white path.

* * *

Team Rapture scanned different roofs in the town until they found one with a yellow ring barely visible from underneath the white snow. The building the group stopped at was a place called, "Snowed Inn". The group ignored the cheesy pun and entered the building.

Hazel took care of renting two rooms while Dillan and Ryan waited. Once the charmeleon was finished, the group walked up the stairs slowly, visibly exhausted from the long voyage they had just been through. Dillan and Ryan got a room together while Hazel stayed in her own room. The three pokemon said their "good night"s and went to bed. Dillan didn't talk to Ryan. He felt so tired that he strode towards the bed, letting Ryan shut the door, and fell down on the hay. Dillan immediately closed his eyes and slipped into a dream.

* * *

The gabite opened his eyes. He found himself inside of a white room that he recognized. He was back in the room with the paintings. He noticed there were new ones he didn't recognize. Colors formed, creating paintings of the past Dillan remembered so visibly, it felt as if the events had only happened yesterday. He looked at the paintings ranging from fighting Arlon as Dillan watched Reya being taken away by the baby-blue lizard in Castellum Town to getting shipwrecked in the middle of the green and blue ocean as pirates blasted the waters around him. Even with these new paintings, one caught Dillan off guard. It was the horrific scene that unfurled when Arlon killed Koa. Dillan stared at the red eyes present on Bolt's horrified, tear-drenched face. Dillan and Adelina were watching with a mixture of shock and anger on their faces. The gabite also saw Arlon staring at the scene as the green blade bathed his face in a green hue, magnifying every wrinkle in the shiftree's nasty smile.

Dillan felt his eyes start to tear up from staring at the scene. It forced him to think about everything about Koa he didn't know, making him even more depressed. Dillan turned away from the picture, trying to get his emotions in check.

"Isn't it sad?" a cold voice asked. Just hearing the voice made Dillan's scales stand up ever so slightly. Dillan looked towards the voice quickly to see the charred shiftry looking back at him.

"How did you get here?" Dillan asked sharply.

Arlon looked at Dillan with a twisted smile. "Wouldn't you like to know." he stated. "You're pathetic, Dillan."

"You're not really here." Dillan stated flatly, ignoring the shiftree who practically breathe over his shoulder.

"This again?" Arlon asked with a sneer. "We've already done this. You say I'm not real, I say I'm as real as you. Eventually I'm just going to kill you and you'll have no choice but to believe I'm here!"

"Well then, why are you here?"

"I'm here for you." Arlon said. "Well, I'm _really_ here to torture you in whatever way possible."

"Is that why you killed Koa?" Dillan asked forcefully. "To hurt me?"

"Oh, him?" Arlon said. He looked towards the painting. "No. I killed him for me. You suffering from it is just an added bonus." The shiftree walked closer to the painting and put his hand up to it. "This is a great interpretation!" he announced.

"I'm done with this." Dillan said. He moved his claw to his green crystal. He was about to touch it when Arlon tore towards him and slammed his wrist to Dillan's arm. Vines grew from Arlon's hand-leaves. They trailed across Dillan's arms, wrapping them like an old building, and tying them down to their sides.

"You think you can run?" Arlon asked. He started laughing. "That's too funny! No. It's not that simple!"

The shiftree swept his leg below Dillan, taking the gabite's feet out from under him. Dillan started falling sideways. He expected to hit the floor, but he didn't. He started doing cartwheels. When he managed to see the floor, he realized it wasn't there. It began rising above him as he fell deeper into a black void. Dillan felt his fear start to take him. Arlon's vines extended the more Dillan fell. Everything started to go black around him. Dillan lost all sense of where he was.

* * *

"I don't mind it." Grace said. Dillan instantly recognized the voice as Grace's. "I just want you to stay here." The gabite recognized that phrase. He had heard it just about every night. _I'm in my dream again? But I was just with Arlon. Where did he go?_

Dillan recalled what Reya had told him before. He remembered her telling him he couldn't see what happened next. _I can't be here. I need to leave._ The gabite tried to move his claw towards his chest, but he found his arms were still restricted by the green tendrils.

"But you can't." Arlon said. Dillan looked to his left and saw Arlon standing next to him. He had vines trailing from his leaves to Dillan. The gabite then faced Grace again. She was blurred like usual, but he found a new blurred figure he didn't recognize was almost attached to Grace's side. _Who-_

"That's you, idiot!" Arlon shouted as he rolled his eyes.

"Dillan." The doctor said from his usual spot at the door to the hospital room.

"I'm only going to be outside the room, alright?" the blurred Dillan told Grace.

"You promise?" Grace asked.

"Cross my heart." The blurred Dillan let go of Grace. "I'll be back in once the doctor's finished."

"Okay." Grace said with a sniffle.

"How touching." Arlon said with a false sweetness. "Let's follow."

"Stop!" Dillan shouted at Arlon.

"But, don't you want to see what's going to happen?" Arlon asked.

"Stop it!"

"So you don't. Well, I do!" He began pulling the tied-up Dillan across the room and out the door.

Dillan tried to resist, struggling his body in an attempt to wriggle out of the vines. It didn't work.

"Arlon, stop it!"

"Struggling won't get you anywhere."

 _This isn't going to work! I need to do something!_ Dillan focused on his fins, attempting a "dragon claw" attack. His fins began glowing a dim blue as they grew outwards, putting pressure on the vines until they snapped. Dillan jumped quickly to is feet and shoved Arlon out of the door. He tried again to touch his crystal, but a new vine appeared. It grabbed Dillan's green gem and yanked it, snapping the string. The vine retracted towards Arlon as he stood up. Arlon brought the crystal to him.

"It's not going to be that easy." Arlon told the gabite.

Dillan gave a shout and advanced through the door towards Arlon. Arlon quickly side-stepped out of Dillan's way and stuck out his wooden foot. Dillan's ankle caught on the chunk of burned bark, forcing Dillan onto his stomach with a "thud". He landed on what he could only guess was a tile floor. The impact rattled his head as is chest stung. _How am I hurting in my dream?_

"Be thankful for it!" Arlon shouted happily. Vines snaked their way off of Arlon's leaves. They wrapped themselves around Dillan's chest and pulled him up, hanging the gabite in the air. Dillan's head stopped spinning. "Some of us can't feel anything! Besides, pain is in your mind! So is this dream! It only makes sense you would be able to feel the world around you when the right parts are stimulated!"

"Then can't you feel this as well?" Dillan asked as he slashed at Arlon's vines. Arlon didn't recoil, though he did drop Dillan onto his head. The gabite felt his neck sting from the surge of pressure forced on his spine.

"You're starting to tick me off!" Arlon shouted, visibly annoyed by Dillan's question. "That fire damaged my mind! It doesn't work anymore!"

The gabite stood up. He felt some strain on his body from the impacts, but it wasn't enough to stop him just yet. "You act as though I should care!" he shouted. "And why should I? You're self-proclaimed purpose is to hurt me!"

"Which is exactly why we're here!" Arlon stated. "To make you suffer!"

Dillan heard a sound like leaves being raked together. He watched new vines appear from Arlon's arm and snake their way across the floor towards him, though he was ready this time. Dillan took a deep breath and exhaled a stream of fire. He hit Arlon's vines. They disintegrated into ask upon impact. Arlon flew through the fire. He slammed into Dillan and shoved him to the ground. Dillan was shocked to see that Arlon backed off. He was even more shocked to find a scarlet-red seed on his chest. It looked familiar. _Wait._

"Too late!" Arlon shouted.

The seed split open, shooting vines across Dillan's scales until he was covered from head to toe in green tendrils. They then glowed red as they zapped Dillan. He felt as though he was getting weaker by the second. The gabite fell onto the floor in a laying position. Arlon strode towards Dillan. He got behind the gabite and pushed his back up until he was in a sitting position. Dillan was scowling at Arlon through the corner of his eye.

Arlon took a look around before saying, "I feel bad for you; having to live in such a blurry world. Or I would if you didn't take my sense of touch." Arlon looked at the ceiling. "Logan!" he called. "Everything's pretty blurred down here! Could you fix it?"

"Who's Logan?" Dillan asked.

"None of your-" Arlon started before he stopped himself. Dillan saw why. Everything started shifting. It all began to come into focus. Different blurred colors were coming together to form actual objects. Dillan was surprised to see a tan blur in front of him start to change colors. It turned into a pokemon that looked like Anna the audino from Ferricia Castle. "Ah! Much better!"

Dillan looked around. They were in a long hall way. Both walls had a set of doors leading into different patient's rooms or offices. There were different pokemon shuffling around. Some were pushing carts and carrying supplies while others were just walking to their next destination. Some pokemon were wearing blue outfits while others were wearing white coats.

"What in Ganderosa?" Dillan said to himself.

"Dillan, I'm warning you." a stern, familiar voice ordered. The gabite turned towards two pokemon who were standing next to a door. They both looked like a gabite, yet the one with the stern voice was bigger and nastier. Its forehead protruded farther than its actual face. It came out to a star pattern and ended. The pokemon had colors like a gabite with the red and blue, yet they looked diluted; as if they were mixed with some dirt before being applied. It had longer fins and claws. Dillan also noticed more teeth protruding onto its lower lip.

Dillan automatically identified the garchomp as his father based only on his voice. That meant the gabite was him. _But why am I a pokemon? Shouldn't I be human?_

"You don't know what a human looks like, do you?" Arlon asked.

"I don't know what that looks like!" Dillan shouted as he pointed to the garchomp. "And stop reading my mind!"

"I'm _in_ your mind, idiot!" Arlon said with a maniacal smile. "I don't have to read it! Now stop talking and watch!"

"Why would I do that?" Dillan asked sternly as he tried to struggle out of his foliage prison. The moment he struggled, the vines lit up again. Dillan felt like his whole body was on fire. It lasted for a few seconds before stopping.

"Shut up!" Arlon snapped with a malicious grin. "This is the big reveal! The crowd's been waiting for this moment! Don't you want to see what's going to happen?"

"Stop!" Dillan shouted. He focused on his fins again, hoping that would work. His movements were once again interrupted by the red flash of the vines. Dillan gave a cry of pain. The vines went on for a few more seconds before stopping again.

"Mr. Lambert?" a pokemon asked from the door to Grace's room. The doctor looked like Doctor Valentine the persian from Palando.

"Not now!" Dillan pleaded. "I can't see this yet!"

"I know!" Arlon said with glee. "Reya doesn't want you to, but I'm not Reya! That's why you get to see it _now_!"

"I wanted to ask you a question about your daughter." the doctor stated.

"How are you even here?" Dillan asked Arlon, trying to do anything to keep his attention off of the situation that seemed to be forcing him to do the very thing Reya told him not to.

"Stop avoiding the inevitable, Dillan! Stop running! Embrace the truth!"

Dillan smashed the back of his head into Arlon's face. Arlon's head was forced backwards from the impact. Dillan focused on his caws once more. They began glowing and extended, tearing the vines. Dillan looked back to see his green crystal flying through the air, landing feet from the gabite lunged at the green gem. He flew through the air, but was stopped by a force holding him by the ankle. Dillan knew based on the feeling of leaves and vines that Arlon ad grabbed him once again. The shiftree then threw Dillan like a mace at the wall. He smashed into it, but it didn't seem to leave a dent. Dillan's back wasn't so fortunate. He gave a cry of pain as his face tensed up and his fin bent to the side.

"How many times do I have to do this?" Arlon asked as he walked to Dillan. He stopped over the gabite. "This seems like a reoccurring problem for you, doesn't it?" Arlon brought his foot up and slammed it on Dillan's right ankle. Dillan heard a "pop" noise as his ankle gave. A surge of pain flooded into his mind. Dillan gave a cry of agony as his ankle felt as though it was about to fall off. "Now then. Where were we?" Arlon grabbed Dillan by his newly injured ankle and began dragging him. Dillan felt his scales were the only thing keeping his foot attached to the rest of his body. The gabite continued to yell from the pain surging in his ankle.

"Now, watch!" Arlon shouted. He grabbed Dillan's waist and put him into a sitting position. Dillan looked down at his ankle. The pain became a little more tolerable, but it still felt like fire. Arlon put his leaves under Dillan's chin and pushed it up, making sure Dillan couldn't look down. "Watch!" he insisted. Dillan looked at his double who was staring at the doctor next to him. The second him looked annoyed.

"How does your daughter do with running?" the doctor asked.

"She does fine, I guess." Dillan's dad said.

"No, she doesn't." the second Dillan interrupted. Mr. Lambert closed his eyes and gave an annoyed sigh. "Shouldn't that be on record?"

"What do you mean by that?" the doctor asked.

"We've been here before and we've talked about this." the second Dillan stated. _Please something, anything, stop this!_

"Nothing's going to stop this!" Arlon said. "Now watch!"

"My sister can't do any sports." the second Dillan explained. "If she tries to be active for too long, she passes out. You told us it had something to do with her blood pressure."

"Get ready!" Arlon shouted with glee.

"That's probably the reason this wasn't identified earlier." the doctor said calmly and empathetically. _This can't be it!_

"Here it comes!" Arlon said.

"Dillan?" a voice called out. "Come on, Dillan. You need to get up." Dillan recognized the voice.

"Ryan?" Dillan called out.

"He can't help you here!" Arlon said.

"What wasn't identified earlier?" the second Dillan asked the doctor.

"Dillan," Ryan said. "Get up!"

"Ryan!" Dillan shouted.

"Grace has..." the doctor said. His voice trailed off. "There's no easy way to say this." Dillan was shocked. He looked at the doctor. _He's never said that before._ Dillan saw the doctor's face was filled with an emotion he could never have see before. The doctor's face became one of empathy. _Wait..._ For the first time he'd been in the dream, he felt something inside of him. As much as he felt as though he needed to leave, something inside him wanted him to stay. No, that wasn't it. It begged him to watch what was going to happen next. Seeing the doctor's face reminded Dillan of a feeling he didn't know; yet it felt very familiar. It was as if something inside his mind clicked. He felt like an older brother who wanted to protect his little sister at all cost, yet he also felt trapped. He felt like he wouldn't be able to help, no matter how hard he wanted to. _Why does he look that way?_ Dillan felt his heart start to sink. _Wait... No._

"I'm sorry to tell you this." the doctor said. "But your daughter has a rare disease." Dillan felt his heart start to drop as though it was thrown off of a cliff and plummeting quickly to meet the solid bottom that was fifty feet down.

"What?" Both Dillans asked in unison.

"What does that mean?" Dillan's dad asked sharply.

"Well," the doctor said. He turned to the second Dillan. "You're sister has a tumor in her cerebellum. In laymen terms, there's a blood clot in her brain." _What?_ "Based on its size, it's been there for some time now."

"What does that mean?" Dillan's dad asked.

"You see, when her blood pressure goes up, the blood in her veins starts to build up in the tumor. That tumor starts to grow from the pressure. It isn't able to move because it's between Grace's skull and her brain As a result, it starts to push _on_ her brain. The pressure keeps Grace's brain from functioning correctly. That's why she can't do anything that gets her blood pressure too high, like sports. Under normal circumstances, we would have caught this earlier. Grace's abnormal blood pressure. The other doctor thought it was because of a disease Grace has called diabetes, which I assume you know about. The diabetes screws with her blood pressure making it higher than it should have been. As you can imagine, that caused even more problems for the tumor."

"So why can't she see?" the second Dillan asked slowly.

"The tumor got too big." the doctor said sadly. "It's put too much pressure on her brain."

"So she won't be able to see?" Dillan's dad asked with worry and sadness.

The doctor didn't say anything.

"Is she going to..." the second Dillan said. His voice trailed off. Tears began to fill both Dillan's eyes. _Die?_

"I'm sorry." the doctor said. Dillan felt like his heart stopped falling. He felt like it had hit the ground and splattered against the surface like an egg, sending pieces all over the place making a massive jumble of emotions; all were bad. Dillan's breathing became harsh.

"There has to be something you can do!" the second Dillan shouted.

"I'm sorry." the doctor said. "We can't do anything. Under normal conditions, the only option would be to remove the clot, but because of where it is on Grace's brain and how bad its gotten, a surgery would burst the tumor and kill her."

"H-" Dillan's dad tried to say. His voice cracked. A tear fell down his face. "How much longer?"

"Do you really want t-" the doctor began slowly.

"How much longer!" Dillan's dad shouted as he pounded his fin into the wall making a big "smack" sound. His eyes began streaming with water.

The doctor took a deep breath before saying, "Two weeks at the most."

"No." the second Dillan said. Dillan watched the second him mimic his feelings. His mirror closed his eyes as tears began flowing down his face. His arms began vibrating uncontrollably and his breathing became very shaky. "No!" he shouted.

Dillan watched as his double ran off down the hall way. Dillan felt like following. He couldn't believe what he heard. He wanted to run away. _She's going to die?_ He then remembered how long he'd been in Ganderosa. He'd been here for a few months now; more than two weeks. _But... I don't even remember Grace... And she's dead?_ Dillan felt the tears start to flow out of his eyes and down his cheeks. He felt like falling onto his side and laying there. It was as if the world was beginning to collapse around him. The memory went white.

* * *

Dillan opened his eyes and saw the room. The walls had paintings all over them, telling the gabite was back in the memory room, but he didn't care. He just thought about Grace. _She's dead... All this time and she's dead..._

"Great show!" Arlon shouted gleefully. He began clapping his leaves together. "Encore! Encore! Tit was an amazing spectacle! The very thing the hero has been fighting for has been taken before his very eyes! And by the looks of it, this isn't the first time it's happened! Just spectacular!"

"It's not true..." Dillan said slowly, tears still falling down his cheeks. "It didn't happen..." He turned to Arlon with red eyes. His teeth were gritted together. "You showed me that!" he shouted. "That didn't happen! It's a trick!"

"Then what's that?" Arlon asked as he pointed to the East wall. Dillan turned around and faced the wall of his past memories. All but one were blurred. The second-to-last one on the wall showed Dillan running down a hall. He was running away from the doctor and his father. Tears were flowing down his cheeks.

"That just happened!" Dillan shouted.

"But based on the other walls, I'd say that one's the wall of your past. Face it, Dillan! Stop running from what you know is true! That wall shows what happened a while ago. That memory might be modified so you could experience it once again, but the basic history is still history."

Dillan stared at the painting. _He's lying! He has to be! It can't be true! It can't be! It can't be..._ Dillan felt a wave of nausea come over him. The room started to twist into waves as the room collapsed in on itself.

"I'll see you outside, Dillan!" Arlon shouted gleefully. Dillan felt himself slip from his dream.

* * *

The gabite quickly opened his eyes. He bolted upright and began panting heavily. He felt very sweaty and uncomfortable. Head still shaking from the dream, he looked around the room.

The gabite found himself in his bed of hay. There was another bed next to his. A window on the wall revealed that it was still dark outside. Dillan looked at the lone torch that lit up the room. It shone on the door at the front wall that lead out to the hotel's hall way.

"Dillan?" Ryan asked. Dillan looked to the gap between the beds. Ryan was standing there with a worried expression. Dillan turned away from Ryan and started looking into his lap. _She's gone... All of my hopes and dreams to see her again... All of my hopes to love my sister... Gone..._ Dillan felt his eyes start to water. His heart began to ache terribly.

"Was it the dream?" Ryan asked with knitted eyebrows. He watched as tears fell from Dillan's face. "Dillan?" The pachirisu sounded worried. "Dillan, what happened?"

"She's-" Dillan's voice cracked. "She's dead, Ryan."

"What?" Ryan asked, shocked by what Dillan said.

"Grace is dead."

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys! MasterKnight here! I just wanted to say a few quick things.

Shout-out to PlayingMKS for following the story! I can see you just joined, so if you need help getting accustomed to the site, PM me! I'd be happy to help!

So, here's the excuse! I posted this chapter at 1 A. M. (Pacific Time Zone (No, that's not where I live, just giving you a basic idea of when it was posted)) on Saturday (Not Friday ;-;). Now, I'm very (very) sorry to the fans who came on yesterday expecting for there to be a new chapter, just to learn that there wasn't. Finals for college are right around the corner! As a result, my time is taken up by everything in my life! It's been hard to find time to edit the chapter and I'm sorry for that! You can tell I'm still trying to get it posted in time (or as close to "on time" as possible) based on the fact that I'm up very early in the morning (take your pick of US Time Zones), trying to get this chapter posted for you guys. I would have posted it regardless, but I feel like this chapter was SOOOOO IMPORTANT! I just needed to finish it. So, sorry for being late! It shouldn't happen again (until the next semester starts up, but I hope to finish the story by then).

Thanks for reading the story and sticking with it up until this point! Hope you guys liked this chapter! It only gets better (or worse, depending on your perspective) from here on out! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!

P. S. Thanks to the guests who have commented on the story! It means so much that even though you don't have a profile, you're still commenting! See you guys in two weeks!


	27. Allegiance

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 27

Allegiance

* * *

"Daddy!" Hazel shrieked at her father, Kalen Prince. She was cowering in a corner, heart beating at a million miles an hour and tears flowing down her small, orange cheeks as she watched her father. She looked on at Kalen's green blade that extended from his left wrist hack at the pokemon he was on top of. The ghost was no longer moving, just lying inanimately on the hard, cold ground. Kalen, panting heavily, finished his onslaught, and turned around to face his little girl. Hazel looked into his sorrowful eyes. The little charmander realized he was missing his right arm.

"Daddy!" Hazel screamed again. She watched before he fell into his own pool of red. Hazel screamed again.

She wanted everything to end. She wanted to see her mother; feel her warm, surrounding embrace protect her from the outside world. She wanted her mother to rush down into the cellar where Hazel waited. The charmander wanted her mother to appear at the stairs along the left wall and say everything was alright; to tell her it was all some sick joke one of the local bullies were playing on her. Hazel hoped for it all to end. She stared at the body of her father; the only movement she would get from him was his expanding back caused by short breaths.

Hazel watched as the dream started to shift. Everything around her started fading into the darkness of a black expanse. She continued to sob, grabbing and squeezing her tail in front of her like a child. Hazel watched as her paws began to change. They grew bigger. Her orange pigment turned crimson. The muzzle she called her own extended a few inches before ending at a point. In mere seconds, she turned back into her older, charmeleon self. She looked on at the void, tears still present in her eyes.

A red glow appeared in front of her. It was like a beam of red, visible light. Then, the beam parted into what looked like two scowling eyes. The glow dissipated near the middle of the eyes, making black holes that looked like pupils. As she looked at the eyes, she felt her scales come up ever so slightly. She felt her eyes widen from the creature before her.

"What do you want from me?!" Hazel shouted, her voice cracking from the horrid image of her father still present in her mind.

 _"I want you, Wicker!"_ the creature shouted.

"W-wicker?" Hazel asked hesitantly.

The creature roared as gnarled teeth darker than the surrounding void appeared below the red, glowing eyes. It rushed in on Hazel. The charmeleon gave a shriek as the creature bolted towards her, taking her into its gigantic mouth.

* * *

Hazel bolted upright from the dream with sweat on the back of her neck. She was panting heavily. Her heart felt like it was going to explode from the rate it was forcing blood into her veins. Her tail and paws were vibrating uncontrollably. Hazel looked around the room. It was just like any other inn room. There was the bed Hazel was sitting on which was squished from her weight. She looked at her bag that was resting at the bed's base. The other bed to her right was still puffed up as if untouched. There was the lone, snuffed torch hanging on the wall next to the wooden door. Hazel looked behind her and peered out of the window embedded in the stone wall. The stars present in the dark sky were dimmer than normal. That told Hazel the sun was going to rise soon. The other indicator was the bat pokemon that flew by the window.

 _It was just a dream._ Hazel closed her eyes. The image of that creature Dillan had called Jake was still there. Hazel didn't know why it was so terrifying, but just seeing him made her scales shift as if there was some kind of creature inside of her moving around.

Hazel took a few deep breaths, trying to get control of her heart. _One... Two... Three..._ She felt her heart rate starting to slow. _That's right. Breathe. You're fine. Jake and that ghost aren't here. Just breathe._

Hazel sat there for a few seconds listening to the silence. It was soothing. _Again with that same dream? He really got under my scales with that talk. I wish he would have just stayed in Labensia; it's starting to interfere with the mission._ Hazel thought about what had happened in her dream for a few seconds. _Jake was there again. Why is he haunting me? Was I that afraid of him? And why did he mean by "Wicker"?_ She shook her head and pushed that thought to the side. _Alright, Hazel. Now's not the time to think about it. You're heart is under control, so get the boys up._

She got off of the bed of hay and grabbed her bag from the floor. She shouldered it as she walked towards the door. Hazel grabbed the handle and stopped. _Stay positive. This day will be better than the last guaranteed._ She opened the door and entered the hallway.

She reached into her bag, grabbed the key, and locked the door behind her. She then went to the room next to hers and knocked.

"Guys?" Hazel called out through the door, trying not to let her nightmare taint her voice with the fear she felt inside. "You need to get up. We're going to be late if you don't hurry."

"What?" Ryan asked groggily, muffled from the door. "Who's there?"

Hazel gave a light smile. It soothed her to hear Ryan's voice. "It's me," she said. "Is Dillan up?"

"Uh..." Ryan said. "No. One second. Dillan?" A few seconds of silence went on before Ryan yelled, "Dillan, you need to get up!"

Hazel waited for about a minute before she heard Ryan say, "Dillan?" Ryan paused before saying, "Was it the dream?" He paused again. "Dillan, what happened?"

"She's-" Hazel heard Dillan say. To her surprised, his voice cracked. "She's dead, Ryan."

"What?" Ryan asked. He sounded stunned. Hazel's brow line tightened into a concerned stare. _What? Who's dead?_

"Grace is dead," Dillan said. _Grace?_ Hazel thought about that name. It seemed familiar to her, but she couldn't remember why. There was silence for a few seconds before Hazel heard shuffling in the room.

"Dilla-" Ryan tried to say.

"Shut up!" Dillan shouted. "Just shut up!"

Hazel grabbed the key to Dillan and Ryan's room and inserted it into the hole. She twisted it until there was a "click" noise. Hazel pulled open the door to find Dillan rushing towards her. His eyes were swollen and red. Tears were flooding from his eyes and streaming down his face in droplets. Dillan had a grimace on his face as he pushed past Hazel. The gabite began running down the hallway towards the stairs.

"Dillan!" Hazel called out.

"Just leave me alone!" Dillan shouted. He reached the stairwell and disappeared off to the lower level.

Hazel looked into the room at Ryan. "What happened?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Ryan said. "One second, I couldn't get him up. The next, he tells me his sister's dead." Hazel's eyes grew wider. She stared at Ryan with disbelief. _Grace was... Dillan's sister..._ "Me, too."

"We need to go after him," Hazel said, worry flooding her voice.

"Agreed," Ryan said with a concerned scowl. Hazel turned to chase after Dillan when Ryan shouted, "Wait!"

The charmeleon looked back at Ryan and said, "We need to go!"

"I know," Ryan acknowledged. "But what about the Team Armageddon meeting?"

Hazel cursed internally. She looked to the ceiling and said, "Why did Team Armageddon have to invade now?" The charmeleon thought about her options. _Dillan definitely needs help, but we can't all go. Someone needs to find out what this meeting is going to be about; it could be important!_

"Go," Ryan said. "I'll help Dillan while you go to that meeting." Hazel looked at Ryan with a raised eyebrow. She wasn't at all confident in the pachirisu's abilities as a shoulder to cry on. "Hey!" Ryan said with a scowl. "I can be emotional support! Just ask Bolt!"

"I have a feeling that was more Adelina than you," Hazel said skeptically. _Then again, what choice do I have? I trust Ryan_ less _to go to the Armageddon meeting and not blow up at anyone there._ Hazel gave a sigh. "Fine, but you need to hurry or you'll lose him."

"Right," Ryan said with a nod. He darted on all fours down the hallway towards the stairs where he descended to the lower level.

Hazel took a deep breath. _Dillan, I wish I could help you, but someone needs to go to the meeting. Please, please be okay._ The charmeleon turned towards the stairs and broke into a run, making her way to the Team Armageddon meeting.

* * *

Hazel approached the guild's open, iron gates that were hinged to the stone wall that surrounded the building. She took a deep breath before putting on a confident smile. It was pretty convincing, and why shouldn't it be? She'd done it plenty of times before without so much as a suspicious glance in her direction. Sure, it didn't always work; there were some times when her feelings overwhelmed her to the point of shutting down, but it's normally foolproof.

She raised her shoulders to give off a confident vibe as she began walking through the gates. Hazel was forced to stop by a pokemon who immediately stepped out from next to the gate, blocking her path.

"Who are you?" the guards asked. Hazel could instantly tell what pokemon it was based on the big, red wings it had. She looked at the pokemon's brick red back with its navy blue underside. Its red, yellow, and blue tail feathers were especially helpful; as well as the white fuzz it had all over its head. The pokemon's yellow beak came out of the fuzz and ended at a hooked tip. The red eyebrows gave the pokemon a scowl. The guard had a black scarf with the "Team Armageddon" symbol on the end telling Hazel what group he was a part of.

"Were you seriously waiting behind that wall?" Hazel asked. The braviary didn't seem to take note of Hazel's question. The charmeleon pushed that thought out of her head and said, "I'm here for the group meeting," The guard looked at Hazel sternly. It continued to stand in silence. "Uh... Can I go in?"

"Who are you?" the guard asked again.

Hazel gave a sigh. "Does it matter?" she asked with a smile.

"Of course it does. It helps us to make sure you aren't a spy coming in to get information for the guild."

Hazel forced a look of shock. She widened her eyes and took a step back as if appalled by the mere suggestion. "What?" she asked. "Has anyone done that before?" _A little dramatic, Hazel. Tone it down._

"Your name," the braviary repeated.

"Alright," Hazel said. _I can't give my real name, so..._ Hazel thought of what to say. She kept staring at the guard with a confident look while she thought. _Uh..._ Hazel's heart began beating against her rib cage, but she didn't let it change her expression. _Come on, Hazel! Think of something!_

"You name," the guard said forcefully.

 _Fine! If you can't think of one, come up with one!_ "Right. My name is..." Hazel said. She forced a word out of her mouth saying, "Phimpledink!"

The guard looked at Hazel with a raised eyebrow. "Phimpledink..." he said suspiciously. "Your name is Phimpledink?"

"With a 'P. H.'" Hazel finished.

"And that's your first name?" the guard asked.

"My last," Hazel said.

The guard shook his head, saying to himself, "Your parents must have hated you." Hazel raised an eyebrow. She didn't care about him insulting her fake name as much as she cared about this guard's attitude towards her. "Well, Phimpledink, who's your commanding officer?"

"M-" Hazel stopped herself. _Wait. This could be my chance. If it's true, he'll confirm it._ "Hank Peterson," Hazel told him.

The guard looked at Hazel with a glare. He stood up, making himself look really tall. _Uh..._ Hazel felt the back of her neck starting to heat up. Her confident look contrasted to how she felt at this moment.

"Alright," the guard said. "You can go inside." The braviary stepped out of the way. Hazel felt like cheering for joy. _Then that means Hank Peterson_ is _in Team Armageddon. Great! One step finished. Now to meet him!_

Hazel walked towards the door, eager to enter the guild to take the next step towards completing their mission.

* * *

The charmeleon tore into the guild, not looking at where she was going, and hit the back of a blue pokemon. Its skin felt smooth against her crumpled muzzle. Hazel fell backwards onto her tail. It bent upwards and pushed her onto her backside. She felt a small surge of pain go through her tail as it bent from the impact. She rubbed it immediately in an attempt at numbing the pain.

"Are you alright?" a voice kind voice asked. A different adjective Hazel enjoyed using for this voice is "sickening". She looked up at the blue pokemon with a forced smile, making her look very nervous. _Why now?_

"I'm so sorry, sir!" Hazel said to Molan. The greninja was standing above Hazel with a webbed hand stretched out to help her up. She grabbed Molan's hand and he pulled her to her feet.

"It's alright," Molan said. He stood there for a few seconds before saying, "Do I know you?" _Crap, he recognizes me!_

"Maybe..." Hazel said. She didn't want to say no and make Molan think too hard about it, yet she didn't want to come up with some excuse. Molan might see through that. "We might have met before, but I don't remember." Molan took a step back and bowed to Hazel. "Well, I'm Commander Molan. May I ask your name?" Hazel's muscles relaxed a bit as she felt a burst of relief spread over her body. _He doesn't remember me. Thank goodness._

"I'm Phimpledink," Hazel said, sticking to her horrifying decision.

"That's a strange name," Molan stated. _Sure is._ "I'm assuming it's your last."

"Y-yeah," Hazel said with a nervous smile.

"So, what's your first?" Molan asked.

"I-it's..." Hazel stammered. _Ah! This is_ not _the time to hesitate! Just say something!_ She said the first name that came to her head. "Sigourney." Hazel felt her heart stop. She resisted the urge to tighten her paw into a fist and whack herself in the cheek.

"Sigourney Phimpledink," Molan stated with a raised eyebrow.

"That's me!" Hazel said with a fake confidence. She felt like laughing at her own recklessness, but she decided that would be even worse.

"Well, Ms. Phimpledink," Molan said, "It was nice meeting you."

"Molan," a stern voice said to Hazel's left. She looked over to find Titus walking towards the two of them at a quickened pace. He stopped right in front of Molan, a scowl present on his face.

Molan gave a sigh. He began rubbing his eyes as if annoyed by the sudden intrusion. "What is it, Titus?" he asked. Hazel was surprised to hear Molan talked to Titus like a respected acquaintance instead of an annoying pest as his expression led her to believe.

"Sir, the members are gathered in the meeting room," Titus informed Molan, obviously unperturbed by Molan's reaction. The charizard looked at Hazel. He began staring intensely at her. _Uh..._

"Ah," Molan said, dropping his annoyed look for a more joyful smile. He looked at Titus and said, "This is Sigourney Phimpledink."

Titus looked at Hazel. He seemed to be thinking of something. Hazel recognized this charizard by the black scales; he was the one she had seen back in Palando at the Armageddon protest. _He doesn't recognize me, does he?_ Titus looked at Molan and said, "That's not important now."

Molan gave a nod. "Correct as usual," He straightened his back and crossed his arms in a commanding posture. "Remind me why Ignitus didn't make you a commander?"

"You're more fit for the job, sir." Titus said with little emotion, reminding the charmeleon of Haily.

"Yes," Molan said, "That's what he said." The greninja looked at Hazel. He beamed at her before saying, "Anyways, it was nice talking to you, Ms. Phimpledink." Molan extended his arm and held out his hand. Hazel set her paw in his and Molan kissed it as if she was a lady. Hazel gave a forced smile. In actuality, she felt like throwing up. There were times when being treated like a lady was nice. This, however, was an exception due to the fact that she _hated_ Molan.

Molan let go of Hazel's paw, smiled one last time, and began walking away with Titus. Hazel, once Molan was out of sight, spat on her paw and rubbed her spit all over it in an attempt at making herself feel more comfortable. _I don't want to go through that again._ She put her composure back together. _Now what was I suppose to do?_ Hazel recalled the reason she was here. _The meeting._ The charmeleon began walking towards the back of the room where the door to the meeting hall was located.

* * *

Hazel found herself in a room filled with Team Armageddon members. There was a small opening between the Armageddons and the damaged wall which had torches that lit the room, giving everything there a tint of orange. Hazel joined the group of Armageddons as she tried to blend in. Hazel sat there in silence for a few minutes, listening to everyone else. The topics seemed to be about normal, everyday things such as, "So, what's been going on with you?"

"If I can have everyone's attention," Titus called out from the stage. Hazel was surprised to see that the charizard was already on the stage. _He moves quickly for a charizard._ All eyes directed themselves towards Titus. "We have a special announcement from Commander Molan."

The whole room was shockingly quiet as they watched the greninja as he strode towards the middle of the stage. Nodded his head at Titus. Hazel looked at Molan's expression. Something seemed weird. His eyes were in an intense stare as if he had something on his mind. _Why does he look like that? Wasn't he just happy?_ The greninja turned towards the crowd.

Molan took a step closer to the edge of the stage before stating, "As Titus said, I have something important to tell you all. You've all have no doubt gotten letters from your families over the past few weeks." Everyone eyed Molan suspiciously. "Well, I'm sorry to say that you all won't be able to get any more letters from your families."

The atmosphere shifted in a split second. Fists were raised in the air as pokemon shouted profanities in Molan's direction. The volume in the room was raised to an unimaginable level as shouts echoed off the walls and rattled Hazel's brain.

"Shut your mouths!" Titus barked. At least half of the group fell silent, making the volume a little more tolerable for the charmeleon. The other half didn't seem to care. They continued to let the filthiest things flow from their mouths. Hazel was practically in the middle of it all. She decided to join the group doing nothing so she would attract less attention to herself.

"Listen up, crap!" a voice boomed above all the others. Everyone fell silent and looked towards the back of the room. Hazel followed their example and saw Pete the plusle was standing there in front of the door at the back wall, looking at the group with a scowl as big as a wailord. His arms were crossed and his lip twitched with his eyebrow. Hazel could see a small vein popping out from his forehead.

"But, Com-" one pokemon tried to protest.

"Did I ask for your opinion, crap?" Pete interrupted sharply. He got no response. "Look at all of you. I thought you pokemon were the best Team Armageddon had to offer, yet here you all are shouting at your commanding officer! It's shameful!"

"But Molan told us we won't be getting anymore letters from our family!" another Armageddon argued.

Pete's vein went down. He seemed to go from "Explosion imminent" to "Angry". The plusle didn't say anything. He just gestured his head towards the greninja.

Everyone turned towards Molan for an answer. Molan looked at the group with tightened eyebrows. "As I was saying, you all won't be getting letters anymore. The reason for this is because the Guild controls the ships that come to the Alkan Islands. As a result, we haven't been able to get any letters from the shore. The Guild has been confiscating them all." Hazel felt like cheering from pure joy. _That's genius!_

"Why's that?" an Armageddon asked _. It's simple, yet very effective._

"The Guild's trying to make you all back down," Molan stated. "They're trying to discourage you all, to get you to leave us and go back to your homes where they'll arrest you."

"But what about our families?" another Armageddon asked. "Won't the Guild be arresting them as well?"

Multiple Armageddons agreed with that statement. Molan looked at the group with a scowl. "It's hard to say," he told them. "Based on the stories told yesterday, we've seen that the Guild has crossed well over the line. I wouldn't put it passed them to take our families hostage or force them or they against us in an attempt at discouraging us all."

The room filled with nervous glances.

"What do we do next?" someone asked.

"We push back," Titus announced.

"That brings us to today," Molan said. "Ignitus has ordered us to attack the shores and liberate some more land from the Guild." A pit began growing in Hazel's stomach. _Uh-oh..._

Molan waited for a few seconds to let that sink in before continuing. "Some of you may be wondering about what I said yesterday, about taking a group into Ice Spear Cave's M. P. and flushing out the rest of the Guild's resistance. The answer to that is easy. We're going to split all of you into two groups. Half of you are going to follow Commander Pete into Ice Spear Cave and take out the resistance. The rest of you will be accompanying Titus and I and going to the main land. Your respective groups will have all the details tomorrow. If any of you are worried about our forces not being strong enough to take the main land, don't. We've managed to send word to our forces across Ganderosa, signaling them which towns we'll be assaulting." _That's not good at all._

"When do you expect we'll take control of the shores?" Hazel asked. As much as she wanted to remain to sound curious rather than scared.

"The first attack will happen in five days," Molan announced. "We should take the shores at the end of the next two weeks." The pit grew larger. _Two weeks?_

"That's not possible!" Pete called out. "We don't have that much mon power!"

"Again," Molan said confidently. "We've sent word of our attack to pokemon around Ganderosa, pokemon that have seen the persecution of the Guild. We even have pokemon from the back-water town of Kadell who are coming to our aid."

"I guess we do." Pete said. Hazel took note of his crossed arms. She also noticed he was scowling in Molan's direction.

"You'll all be assigned teams in the after-noon," Molan continued. "Don't miss this meeting; it will be the most important one of your lives, for it will change the fate of Ganderosa for the better." Molan stuck his hand into the air and said, "For freedom!"

Everyone, including Hazel, put their hands into the air as well and shouted, "For freedom!" Everyone broke into their own personal groups and began talking among themselves.

 _That's not good at all._ The charmeleon shook that thought out of her head. _No. As bad as that is, it isn't why you're here. The Guild can handle that. I need to focus._

Hazel broke from the crowd and looked towards the back door where Pete had been standing. The charmeleon gave a groan. The plusle was nowhere to be seen. _Not again!_ She turned around and looked from left to right, trying to find Pete. She didn't see him. Hazel's eyes drifted towards the stage. She saw Molan talking down to someone at the bottom of the stage. _Alright. It's safe to assume Molan is talking to Pete, right?_ Hazel began making her way around the group of Armageddons. She was walking a little slower than normally because she was moving her eyes from where she was going: towards the stage and back to her front. She watched as Molan got down from the stage. Hazel picked up the pace for fear that she would lose him as well.

She whipped around the crowd and stopped at the stairs leading onto the stage. Molan was gone and so was Titus. Hazel turned around and found a door along the back wall. She recognized that door from last night. _That Team Armageddon member told me that door led into the Guildleader's room._ Hazel went up to the door. She was about to knock when she heard a crash from inside the room.

"Don't ever contradict me again!" Hazel heard Molan's voice shout from inside of the room.

"You're one to talk!" Pete argued. "What was it you told Ignitus the other day? Oh right! It was _my_ fault the resistance got away?"

"It was!" Hazel got closer to the door. She put her back against the wall next to the door in an attempt to look more natural, yet still be able to hear what was going on inside that room. "All you had to do was give the word!"

"Dang it, Molan! You know I didn't have a choice!"

"That's what you say, but it isn't true!"

"Pokemon would have died if I made that decision!" Pete argued. "You would have done the same!"

"I would have done what Team Armageddon needed me to!"

"Stop lying to everyone you meet, especially your own subordinates!"

"They don't need to know! It's the right decision, Pete!" Hazel closed her eyes to focus on the two voices coming from the room. "Them not knowing is necessary to take Ganderosa from the Guild!"

"Don't pretend like your motive is pure in all of this!" Pete snapped. "Don't pretend like you're trying to help Team Armageddon!"

"Dang it, Peterson!" There was another "Bang" that came from the room. It sounded like glass smashing into pieces.

"Don't talk down to me as if I'm wrong! The only thing you care about is money!"

To Hazel's surprise, there was silence. Molan didn't say anything to argue with what Pete said.

"You don't even deny it!" Pete said angrily, lowering his pitch. "You act as though you have a big heart, but the only thing you have is a big mouth! Your only contribution to Team Armageddon is the fact that you can talk like Giratina himself: convincing, yet every word is a lie! The only reason you're still with us is for the money!" There was some more silence before the plusle started again. "You go from town to town with the pokemon who want to free Ganderosa from oppression and rob the citizens blind! After that, you blame the guild!"

"There isn't a shortage on volunteers, is there?" Molan asked, his voice overflowing with anger.

"You're a coward;" Pete yelled. "You're a damn coward who thinks only about his own personal gain instead of the gain the country would get from his use! You're always thinking about yourself! I wouldn't be surprised if that was all you've done your entire life!"

"You don't know anything about me!" Molan shouted at the top of his lungs. His voice made the door feel like it was only there for prying eyes instead of ears. The volume made Hazel jump. She opened her eyes and looked at the door. "I'm not some common thief!"

"Prove me wrong!" Pete shouted.

"What's going on?" someone whispered. Hazel jumped again. She whipped around to her front and found a group of three pokemon huddled together in front of Hazel. They looked at her with knitted eyebrows. Hazel didn't answer. She just looked back at the door and continued to listen.

"Ever heard of Poltress Town?" Molan asked, still shouting.

Hazel felt a shiver run down her spine at the mere mention of that dreadful town. _That's the town back in Kerroshia with those ghosts who tried to sacrifice me._ Just thinking about it made her scales stand up ever so slightly.

"What about it?" Pete questioned.

"My son lost his legs at that town!" Molan shouted. Hazel felt her heart drop. The only thing she could hear was her own heartbeat, the chattering of groups, and the breaths of those listening in on Molan's conversation.

"H-He did?" Pete asked. He sounded stunned.

"Do you know how much money it costs to save someone after something that bad happens?" Molan asked angrily. "Millions of pokes! Tell me you think I have enough money for something like that!"

"Molan," Pete said sternly, yet surprisingly with no anger present in his voice. "I'm sorry for you, but that doesn't excuse what you're doing. It doesn't even begin to scratch what Ignitus wants us to do. We're talking about pokemon's lives here! They're not simple pawns we can just throw away!"

"Do you think I care?" Molan shouted. Gasps filled the listening group. Hazel looked at the listening pokemon again. There were now ten pokemon, including Hazel, hearing what Molan was saying.

"I'm sorry, Molan," Pete said. "I'm sorry for you and your son, but I won't participate in what Ignitus wants us to do."

"Ignitus knows," Molan said angrily. "That's why he's sending you to take care of the resistance in Ice Spear Cave. You'll be out of the way while I'll be leading the attack on the mainland!"

"What do all of you think you're doing?" a voice shouted from behind the group. Hazel focused in on the black charizard head poking above the group.

"Sir, Titus!" one pokemon blurted out nervously. "W-We were just-"

"Listening in on your commanders?" Titus interrupted, his eyes scowling at the group, threatening what Hazel could only assume was pain.

"It's not like that!" another pokemon said.

"I don't want to hear your excuses," Titus said sternly. "You should all be ashamed of yourselves. A conversation between _your_ commanders doesn't need _you_. Does it?" Every one stood up straight and saluted Titus. The charizard's gaze seemed to soften as they saluted, so Hazel followed everyone's lead. "Get going before Molan comes out and has you all demoted."

The groups began walking away, giving sighs of relief that they didn't get into too much trouble. Hazel was about to do the same when Titus walked up to her and grabbed her right arm violently. He moved his head close to the right side of Hazel's and whispered, "I thought I recognized you, guildmember." Upon hearing those words, Hazel was paralyzed. Her eyes widened and her heart sped up. "You're from Palando, right?"

"I-" Hazel stuttered. "I don't kn-know what you're-"

"Listen to me closely," Titus interrupted. His grip grew tighter on Hazel's arm as he shook it, yanking the scales that kept it attached to her body. She felt like she was beginning to lose circulation. "Leave the Alkan Islands. Take your friends with you. If you really want to see what Team Armageddon's commanders are going to do to the guild, stick around and I'll let Molan show you first-hand. Understand?"

Hazel nodded. Titus let go of Hazel's arm and looked her in the eyes, making Hazel feel as though he was about to tear into her with all his might. Then, he turned sharply and walked off. The charmeleon held her right arm where Titus had grabbed her. A bright red mark was showing through her crimson scales.

The pit in Hazel's chest didn't go away with Titus leaving. She was very frightened. Her heart began racing her unsteady breathing. She felt like panicking. _I blew it! We haven't even been in Team Armageddon for a day and I've already blown our cover! Titus is going to tell Molan for sure!_

Hazel heard the squeaking of an opening door coming from behind her. She turned around and was terrified to see Molan. He was standing straight with a confident look in his eyes. Surprisingly, he didn't look angry at all. He didn't seem to pay any attention to Hazel as he walked away towards the same exit Titus took.

She watched Molan walk away, remembering what she was suppose to do. The charmeleon looked back at the door. It was sitting wide open. She couldn't hear anything coming from inside. She wanted to take a step forward, yet she stopped herself. Hazel found herself petrified with fear. _I need to go inside that room, walk through that door, but do I have enough time? What if Titus comes back for me? What if he tells Molan about me? What then?_ She thought about it for a few seconds before thinking, _No!_ The charmeleon shook her head and pushed those thoughts out. _No! I'm not going to let Titus ruin everything! My duties are to King Judah the Third! He sent me and my team on this mission; he trusts us to complete it. That's exactly what I intend to do!_

Hazel's thoughts brought her courage. As terrified as she was, she wouldn't let it interfere with what she needed to do. Her muscles started to loosen as she took a step forwards. The charmeleon walked towards the door with a straightened back and a fake spark confidence in her eyes. She was still terrified, but she couldn't let it show. Hazel had to complete her mission. On top of her duties as a guildmember, she had left Dillan in Ryan's care for this. If she was to justify anything, she needed to get the information she needed from Peterson.

Hazel walked into the room and shut the door behind her.

* * *

The charmeleon found herself in a room with a big, hay-stuffed bed along the back wall accompanied by fluffy, red covers. There was a red-wood desk to the right of the bed with a wooden chair pushed into it. A stack of paper with a sharpened piece of charcoal was on the desk. Hazel took note of the blue and white pottery shards that littered the middle of the stone floor accompanied by a puddle of water. There were three daisies laying in the puddle. Another thing the charmeleon noticed was the undamaged stone wall. A lone window was present on the wall opposite her. She also saw a mangled and ripped painting of who she could only assume was their current ruler, Judah Arvaine. It was on the floor, leaning against the wall.

Hazel saw the plusle laying on the bed. He sat upright for a few seconds when he heard the charmeleon come in. Hazel took note of the concerned look in his eyes. Pete took one glance at the charmeleon before laying down again.

"What do you want, maggot?" the plusle asked. It was a little surprising to hear him sound as though he was depressed rather than angry. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Sir," Hazel started. "I was wondering if I could talk to you."

Pete motioned his paw to the chair. "Mind the glass."

Hazel walked towards the chair, avoiding the glass with each step, and sat down.

"I have a strange question," Hazel said as she placed her bag on her lap.

"Listen, maggot," he sighed. "I've heard a lot of strange things in my life involving a ton of strange pokemon I don't even know. Today adds up about two of those... oddities and I haven't even eaten breakfast. Whatever you say to me won't surprise me one bit, so lay it on me."

 _Just to be sure._ "What's your full name?" Hazel asked.

Pete was silent for a few seconds. He sat up and looked at Hazel. "What?" he asked.

"Your full name," Hazel said. "I wanted to know what it was."

"Why's that?"

As bad as Hazel was at making things up, she decided to take a chance. "I... have a cousin who thinks he knows you. He... looks up to you for reasons I can't explain." Peterson raised an eyebrow at the charmeleon as if he was questioning the validity of what Hazel had told paused, realizing what she had said was obviously a lie, before attempting to recover with, "What I mean is-"

"Whatever, maggot," Pete said as he set his head back on the bed. "It's Hank: Hank Peterson."

Hazel felt as though a massive bag of rocks had been lifted from her heart. She gave a sigh of relief. _That settles it. I'm convinced._ "Sir," she said. "I'm with the guild."

Peterson didn't say anything. He slowly rose from the bed and turned towards Hazel. He looked at her with a questioning scowl and said, "What did you say?"

"I'm with the guild, sir," Hazel said again, ignoring the scowl.

"Maggot," Pete said with a hint of annoyance. "If Molan put you up to this, I'm going to flip out."

"No, sir," Hazel said. "You don't understand. King Judah sent me and my friends here to find you."

Pete looked at Hazel curiously and said, "Go on."

Hazel began to feel something off about the conversation. Nevertheless, she continued.

"King Judah sent us on a mission to infiltrate Team Armageddon and stop it from spreading further into Ganderosa."

"And?" Pete asked.

The feeling in Hazel's gut increased. "Uh..." she said. Hazel observed Peterson's face, attempting to see his expression change from sternness and confusion to... well, anything else. "Judah wants us to capture Ignitus and..." Pete's expression remained the same. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Maggot," Pete said. "I've heard enough. If this is some kind of joke, I suggest you stop before you get yourself killed talking like that."

"But..." Hazel said. Her eyes drifted away from the plusle. _King Judah sent us here. We've been trying to talk with you for information... Is he confused?_ "Sir, King Judah sent us here. He told us you had information for us."

Hazel got what she wanted. Pete's expression changed. His eyes widened and his stern expression left him. "You're not joking," Pete said. "You're really with the Guild?"

The bag of rocks that had been removed before had slammed Hazel in the stomach. This conversation had seemed to add a hundred pounds. _Something's very wrong._

"I need to leave," Hazel said. "This was all a misunderstanding." She stood up quickly from her chair and made her way towards the door.

"Hold it, girl," Pete ordered. Hazel stopped in her tracks, glass around her feet. "Don't move another muscle or you'll be spitting blood." She forced her eyes shut. _This day just got worse!_ "Explain to me why you're here: slowly."

"Um..." Hazel said as she turned towards Peterson with a nervous smile. "You're right! Molan put me up to this and-"

"Oh, no," Pete interrupted. "No maggot in their right mind would come into here and keep spouting crap about the guild like you are. The way I see it, there's two answers. You're a bigger idiot of a maggot than I think you are, or you really _are_ with the guild. If you're a maggot, pray some miracle saves you. If not, tell me why you're here and I _might_ let you go."

Hazel's mind was off like a rocket. She had to decide what to do fast or her tail flame may be out in seconds. _Something's not right here, that's for sure. I don't know if he's working_ for _the guild or_ against _it! He might be keeping his cool in order to make sure I'm a guildmember and not some Armageddon trying to blow his cover; Then again, he might be an Armageddon trying to see if I'm with his group of against it._

 _The safest thing to do is to try and convince him that I'm with Team Armageddon: that is, if I could lie. If I lied and got caught..._ Hazel felt her heart sink even lower. _Lets say I do tell the truth..._ Her heart began gaining speed on its decent into the deepest parts of Hazel's fears. _Well, whatever I choose to do depends on Pete's allegiance; so the real question is who he serves._

 _On one hand, Pete's expressions show he has no idea what I'm talking about; he's obviously an Armageddon Commander, and he's mad at Molan for not helping Team Armageddon like he should. On the other hand, it might all be an act. He might be with the Guild, but is worried I might not be. He's also mad at Molan for some kind of decision Ignitus made that apparently risks lives. He said he wouldn't follow Ignitus' decision. On top of all that, Judah told me that Pete was our source... But can I trust Judah?_ Hazel thought about it for a minute before shaking that thought out of her head. _I took an oath to trust and follow the King of Ganderosa. I need to trust him, no matter what._

"Alright," Hazel said. _This is my last shot. Make it count._ "What do you want to know?"

"Who are you?" Pete asked with a suspicious eye. "Who do you work with?"

"My name is Sigourney Prince," Hazel said. "I'm a guildmember at the Palando Guild."

"So you're with the guild?" Pete asked. Hazel nodded her head. "Alright. Who sent you and why?"

"I was sent by King Judah Arvaine the third and I'm here-"

"Stop right there, maggot!" Pete interrupted with a raised eye brow. "You're telling me King Judah, _the_ King Judah Arvaine the Third, sent _you_ , a regular guildmember, here?"

"Yes..." Hazel said, not liking the tone of the plusle's voice. _Please only be acting until I prove it to you!_

The plusle sat there for a few seconds before he smiled at Hazel. "Huh," he said. He jumped off of the bed and walked towards the window. He pulled the drapes away letting a beam of light peer into the room. "So Judah sent someone after all."

A smile of relief spread over Hazel's face. She gave a sigh and said, "You had me going! For a moment, I thought I might _actually_ be talking to a Team Armageddon commander."

"You are, girl," Pete said.

Hazel froze. She thought about Pete's words, her smile fading from her face more and more the more she went over those words. She squinted as if confused and said, "What?"

"So Judah sent you to dismantle Team Armageddon from the inside," Pete gave a chuckle. "You've been duped, girl."

"What?" Hazel asked sharply. She was very confused and very worried.

"Did you do anything to upset King Judah?" Pete asked, turning towards the charmeleon. "Because this is obviously a suicide mission."

 _Does he know? Is he referring to what happened?_ Hazel thought back to when her father had come to Palando days ago. His words still rung in her head like gigantic bells that were only there to remind her of fear, anger, and pain. Her very soul seemed to shake from the memory. _Stop!_ she scolded internally. _You'll just break down again! Besides, there's no way he could know!_

"Uh..." Hazel said nervously, trying to keep her mind off of Kalen's words.

"I guess it doesn't matter, maggot," the plusle said. "Actually, it's pretty funny to think about."

"About what?" Hazel asked.

"You'd think the King would be scared of Team Armageddon," Pete said. He chuckled again. "I mean, we _did_ manage to take the Alkan Guild away from him. That fat delcatty."

"What did you mean?" Hazel asked. "Why did you say, 'you've been duped'?"

"You would think that Judah would send more than a little girl to dismantle an entire army like Team Armageddon," Pete said, "Yet he only sent you? It's impossible."

"You're assuming I'm alone."

"If you weren't, you wouldn't be the only one here. It isn't possible for _you_ to end this war on your own."

"But if Ignitus was captured," Hazel stated. "Team Armageddon would lose their morale."

Pete gave a hearty laugh. "That's not how this group works, maggot," he said. "Do you honestly think Ignitus is the voice of Team Armageddon?"

Hazel stopped and thought about that word. "The voice?" she asked.

"The voice," Pete said. "You know... The voice!" Hazel gave a quizzical look. He gave a sigh and said, " There are three parts to any group, alright? There's the mind, the muscle, and the voice. The mind, Ignitus, makes the plans for everyone to follow." Pete walked towards the center of the room. He watched Hazel as he stopped in the center. "The muscle is the part that makes those plans a reality. Armageddon's muscle is its followers. Then you have the voice. The voice of a team keeps everyone's morale up by giving speeches and reminding everyone what it is they're fighting for. See, the commanders of Team Armageddon are the voice; or that's how it's suppose to be. Now, the voice is Molan."

"The greninja?" Hazel asked, pointing towards the outside of the room.

Pete nodded. "You see, Molan use to rally pokemon in Palando. Based on what you've said, I'm sure you've seen him. Molan's evolved from being one voice of confidence in Team Armageddon to the voice of the army. Ignitus has started sending Molan to different parts of Team Armageddon's forces. He gets followers and rallies troops together; makes them stronger and more confident. Molan is the voice."

"I still don't understand."

"It's like this, girl. Even if Ignitus is taken down, Molan is still too respected in Team Armageddon. Sure, he messes up sometimes and makes a few pokemon hate him; everyone does that sometimes. But the general population of Team Armageddon loves the guy. He's their saint. If Ignitus is removed from power, Molan will be moved up to the top. He'll be the new leader. Like I said before, it isn't possible for Team Armageddon to crumble from a single pokemon. Taking Ignitus is only one step."

"But..." Hazel said quietly. She looked at the floor with saddened eyes and a slight frown. "What now?"

"Good question, sweetheart," Pete said. "I was thinking about turning you in." Hazel looked up quickly and stared at the plusle, a look of shock on her face.

"Wait a minute!" Hazel said. "If you're going to turn me in, why tell me about your group?"

"I had some things on my mind," Pete said. "Now that's over."

"No, that's not it!" Hazel said. "I've heard pokemon tell me things that were on their mind before and you're not doing it! You're telling me information; facts! Pokemon with something on their mind talk about what's bothering them!"

"That's not me," Pete said.

 _No! I know that's how pokemon work because Haily is the same way! Something's been weird about this whole situation from the start! What am I missing? Think Hazel!_

"Alright," Pete said. "Time to go." _Wait..._

"You're fight with Molan..." Hazel said to herself.

"You heard that?" Pete asked angrily; his paw rolling into a ball.

"You said you weren't happy with a decision Ignitus made," Hazel said to Pete. "You're also unhappy with Molan."

"That was a private conversation, maggot!" Pete shouted.

"Molan said you did something wrong and he reported you."

"Knock it off," Pete said.

"I get it, now," Hazel said with a confident sparkle in her eyes. "Something about Team Armageddon's bugging you. The only question is what."

"I'm loyal to Team Armageddon," Pete said.

"Stop lying," Hazel said. "If you were truly loyal, you would have turned me in before now."

"That isn't true," Pete said with a scowl, his volume lowering.

"Yes, it is," Hazel said. "Molan said you disobeyed an order from Ignitus." Pete turned away from Hazel. He went over towards the window. "He also said that you were going into Ice Spear Cave because you wouldn't follow through with something Ignitus wants you to do. Pete, what's Ignitus going to do?"

"You can't stop it!" Pete snapped. "Not you or your friends or King Judah or even the entire Guild! Just leave me in peace!"

"Pete," Hazel said. "Tell me."

"No!" Pete said sternly. "You can't do anything about it!"

"Let me decide that," Hazel insisted.

"You want to know, maggot?" Pete asked. "You want to know something bad is going to happen, yet there's nothing you can do to stop it? Fine! I'll tell you! I'm assuming you heard Molan tell the other maggots that we're going to attack the shores of Ganderosa?"

"Yeah," Hazel said. She started speculating what Pete was going to say next, but she drew a blank. "What about it?"

"Ignitus knows we don't have enough volunteers to take Ganderosa."

"But Molan said-"

"Molan's a lying snake in the grass!" Pete shouted. "We don't have any more followers! All of our forces came to take the Alkan Islands! We're all there is! Because of that, Ignitus wants to attack the ever-so populated Giesto Village. Know why?"

Hazel thought about that idea. _"Ever-so populated"? Why would he want to attack Gietso Village based on population?_

"Let me give you a hint," Pete said in response to Hazel's confused look. "He wants to kill the civilians there!"

"What?" Hazel asked. She leaned backwards instinctively. Her eyes widened upon hearing those words. "Why?"

"He wants Molan to blame the Guild for their deaths!" Pete said.

"Pokemon won't believe that!" Hazel said. "It's obviously a lie!"

"Pokemon will believe anything you tell them when it bashes the ones they hate. They won't do any digging into the matter. Ignitus knows that. For that very reason, Team Armageddon will be overflowing with volunteers who want to make a difference in Ganderosa, and all because Ignitus wanted to murder others for his cause!" Pete's cheeks began sparking.

"But no one would go with that, right? No one in Team Armageddon would murder others, right?"

"Molan's going to be doing all the killing from behind the scenes. None of our subordinates would know. Their shocking stories would be an even greater reaction to attract the masses towards Team Armageddon, the team that wants to stop the horrible murders of innocent lives!"

"We can stop this!" Hazel said.

"There's no way!" Pete said. "The attack happens in five days! Nothing can be stopped by then!"

"That's not true!" Hazel said. "There has to be a way!" The only noise Pete made was his heavy-breathing. Hazel thought for a few seconds. _There must be some way to stop this! Pete seems convinced there's no way, but I can't give up! That would be surrendering the pokemon's lives who are at risk from this attack!_ "You can't quit on all of those pokemon!"

"You can't stop it." Pete said.

"I'm going to try." Hazel said. "I'm going to fight Ignitus!"

"What will that achieve?" Pete asked forcefully. "All you'll do is end up killing yourself! Hasn't there been enough death in the world without your name adding to it?"

"Ignitus can call off the assault!" Hazel said. "We can make him do it!"

"He won't do it!" Pete shouted. "That infernape would rather drown than give the Guild power over him!"

"Maybe so," Hazel said as she stood up from the chair. "But I'm going to go anyways. If there's even a minor chance that we can stop what's going to happen, I'm going to take it without hesitation."

"Fine, maggot!" Pete yelled. "Then get out of my building!"

"Fine," Hazel said sternly. She turned away and walked towards the door, careful not to step on any of the glass. She stopped at the door, turned around and faced the plusle, and said, "Let me tell you one thing before I go. If you really care about those pokemon who are in danger, you'd try and do something instead of sit in this room like a coward." Hazel walked out of the room and slammed the door behind her.

The moment she exited Peterson's room, the charmeleon felt her face getting hotter. The confidence she had shown drained from her body as her lips trembled in fear. Everything that she had heard hit her in a flood of facts and emotions. She felt like breaking down.

 _Peterson's with Team Armageddon... Team Armageddon's going to kill innocents and blame the Guild... Taking down Ignitus isn't going to stop the onslaught that comes afterwards... It doesn't even stop Molan from taking control._

"Y-you're with the guild?" a voice asked, snapping Hazel out of her thoughts. She found herself face to face with six Armageddons.

Hazel panicked. She ran past the group of six and made her way for the exit of the guild.

* * *

The charmeleon ran out into the white, snowy town. Last night, the town had an inviting look to it. It was a place Hazel thought she would enjoy being in. Now, there was a snow-storm raging on around them. The wind was very strong, threatening to throw Hazel into the cold ground.

"Hazel!" a voice called out. Hazel squinted to see a white form running towards her. The blue markings on its body told the charmeleon who it was.

"Ryan!" Hazel called out.

Ryan ran up to Hazel. He looked worried. "I couldn't find Dillan." he said. "I'm not sure where he is."

Hazel felt like collapsing from all of the weight inside of her. Dillan being missing just added to that. "Where did he go?"

"Really?" Ryan shouted above the raging wind. "Do you think I would be here if I knew?"

"Alright!" Hazel shouted defensively. "Stupid question."

"How did the meeting go?" Ryan asked.

"Badly..." Hazel said. "But I'll tell you later. We need to find Dillan." She used that as an excuse, when in reality, she didn't want to tell Ryan about her mistake without the gabite there to keep him calm.

"Agreed." Ryan said. "He's probably still in the town. He wouldn't leave in this weather, right?"

"No," Hazel said. "He hates the cold too much for that."

"Alright." Ryan said. "Let's split up. Meet me at the eastern part of town in a few hours. Hopefully one of us will have found him by then."

Hazel nodded and the two parted ways.

The charmeleon had so much on her mind and in her heart. What Pete said was starting to get to her. _King_ _Judah sent us here to find Hank Peterson, an Armageddon commander. He told us that he would have information. He lied to us and I think I know why..._ She sped away to find Dillan with one final though. _Judah, you have some explaining to do._

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Shout-out to DovirStark, The Helix-Praising Riolu, and StormCloud6 for following the story! It's awesome to know Ganderosa is continuing to reach new people! :D

So just to let you guys know, I just started working on a new story. It's a "Romance/Humor" story called "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Another Lonely Day". I'm working on it for personal growth at the moment, so I don't expect to be any good at this genre. Just wanted to let you know about it is all.

I wanted to give a special shout-out to The Helix-Praising Riolu who is currently looking for a co-author for his story, "Explorers of Myth and Magic" (Just because he's starting out and I want to help new people like him the best that I can). From what I can tell, it's suppose to be a story about a riolu wizard. If you want to write a story, but don't have the time to do it alone, AND think that this idea is cool, send The Helix-Praising Riolu a shout! I'm sure he'd be willing to receive any help.

Thanks for reading this chapter! Hope you liked seeing Hazel's point of view. I told you things only get worse from here on out! Anyways, I'll see you in the next chapter!


	28. As Cold as Death

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 28

As Cold as Death

* * *

(Two weeks ago: Giratina's Isle, Neutral Territory)

Arlon lied flat on his back in his cell like he always did, feeling unnerved and intrigued at the same time while he thought about the only thing he ever had on his mind.

 _The naïve fool._ _I wonder how you feel right now? I_ did _kill your friend. Are you still angry about it?_ He sat upright in his cell and looked at his room.

There was the marks along the wall from an old prisoner who had edged the stone ever so slightly so he could count the days that went by. So far, Arlon had counted three-hundred of them before giving up. The entire room was made out of the strongest stone Ganderosa could provide. The only entrance and exit was the reinforced door that had a window of bars near the top. There weren't many prisoners here, so it was disturbingly quiet; though Arlon didn't mind. The quiet just meant he had a better atmosphere to think.

Arlon got off of the wooden slab his captors called a bed, hung to the wall by a chain leaving his plank suspended off the ground. He walked to the single window he had against the wall. Arlon looked out at the small island he was on. The only thing here was the prison, surrounded by water that went on for five miles before stopping at some land that was barely recognizable from here.

"Hey, freak." a pokemon called out. Arlon didn't look back. He didn't recognize the voice, but he had a pretty good guess that it was the idiot guard, trying to get a rise out of him for his burns. "Freak!" the guard called out again. He was more forceful this time. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

"I don't think I will," Arlon rebelled. The guard yanked on the shiftree's shackle that was attached to his left arm, forcing him to turn. "Right..." he sighed, looking at his captor. He was faced with a new guard he didn't recognize: a poliwrath. But it didn't matter to him; he was just another guard with the same brutal tendencies to _accidentally_ bruise their inmates.

The shiftree looked over his body once more to see the four shackles that were on his body: two for his arms and two for his feet. They were there to connect him to the cell, though the guards had the idea of stringing them through the door's window to turn any inmate to, as Arlon put it, dance like an over-sized puppet.

"Maybe..." Arlon began. "Maybe I'll give these shackles to you once I escape." _No, not even that works anymore. The joys of feeling has been deprived of me. Now, I can't even make myself smile from threats; not while I'm in this cage. Not while I know I won't be able to truly make Dillan suffer! Not even Logan can help me while I'm in here..._

"You have a guest." the prison guard said.

"A guest?" Arlon asked. He felt a little joy begin to come back to him. "How stupid do you think I look?" He dashed to the door and slammed his body into it, giving the guard the crazy-eye through the window. The guard recoiled and looked at Arlon as though he was insane. "When I get out of here, you will know what I will never feel!"

"Save your breath, Arlon," a proud voice commanded.

"Sir," the poliwrath said quickly. He turned left on his feet and saluted to a pokemon Arlon couldn't see.

"Leave us," the proud voice ordered.

"I can't do that, sir," the poliwrath said.

"You are disobeying a direct order," the voice said. "Leave us, _now_."

The poliwrath didn't argue again. The pokemon disappearing behind the metal door was the last thing Arlon saw before being slammed in the chest. Arlon doubled backwards from the force before looking at the door again. A small hole had opened up in the middle of the door where a stick had been shoved through, most likely for the very purpose it was just used for. The door gave a "clank" and opened revealing a massive, round figure standing before the shiftree with wings and a purple cape draped over his shoulders.

"You made a mistake sending that guard away, tubby." Arlon insulted with a grin.

"Save your breath," King Judah said with a slight scowl as he entered the room. The dragonite shut the door without taking an eye off of Arlon. "You will only talk when I tell you to; do you understand?"

"I don't take orders from you," Arlon said. "Pretty soon, you'll be begging me to let you live."

Judah grabbed Arlon's arm-chains and yanked him towards him. Judah then shoved Arlon into the wall and planted his leg in the shiftree's chest. Judah, with the force of the wall, made a very tight situation. Arlon exhaled sharply.

"If you think you cannot suffer," Judah said. "You are mistaken; I can and will get compliance from you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Forcing me... into..." Arlon said through short breaths. "A rock... and a fat place? Only one... pokemon... scares me... You're not it..."

The king scowled at the shiftree. "Allow me to change your perception."

Arlon began smiling. "Why are you here?" he asked, regaining his breath. "Are you trying to kill me with your weak threats?"

Judah scowled deeply at Arlon, their faces inches from each other. Arlon could feel Judah's breath on his nose.

"Cold. Hearted. Slacker." Judah said slowly, articulating each syllable.

The two pokemon stared at each other - Arlon was still grinning while Judah continued scowling - for nearly three minutes. Arlon thought about the phrase Judah had said. C _old hearted slacker._ It was very familiar to him. His smile began dissipating as he recalled why he knew those words. "Cold hearted slacker.." he thought out loud. His eyes tightened into an intense stare.

"Why are you surprised?" Judah asked, walking away from Arlon. "Did you seriously think I would walk into a cell with a convicted murderer, knowing nothing about his past?"

"No one knows that," Arlon said flatly, stunned by Judah's knowledge. "No one."

"I do," Judah said. "I know everything about you. For instance:

"You grew up in Kadence Forest with the Nuzleaf Tribe. I know that you hated your father. The reason for this is because your father would always tell you one thing: "Kieth, you cold hearted slacker". It did not matter what you did. It did not matter how many back-breaking hours you spent trying to gain your father's affections; somehow you would upset him, meaning he would call you the cold hearted slacker. You ended up hating anyone who did not have to work for what they loved because no matter how hard you tried, you could never get your father's approval." Arlon grimaced. "That is when you joined the nuzleaf on their mission. That is when you joined Reform."

Arlon looked at Judah with complete awe. "How do you know that name?!" He was in absolute shocked. _No one on the outside should know that name: especially not him!_

"Now that I have your compliance," Judah said, ignoring Arlon's comment and shocked expression, "Let me ask you something I have had on my mind."

Judah strode over towards the barred window. He stared out at the sunlight that peered into the cell before saying, "A few weeks ago, I received a letter alerting me that a group of nuzleaf came through the Alkan territory carrying a precious cargo. It has come to my attention that this cargo is not just any other trading resource, but my people."

"Fat fool," Arlon said quietly, still shocked by what Judah had said to him earlier. "You have no idea what you're getting involved in."

"I have a theory;" Judah told him, "Although, I do not have the whole picture. I have a canvas, but no paint. I want you to provide me with that paint."

"And why would I freely give it to you?" Arlon asked.

Judah smiled at the shiftree. "The guards tell me there is one thing you truly desire; something I can give you that, in your current position, you will never be able to posses."

"If you're talking about my sense of feeling-"

"No," Judah said, "I cannot deliver that, and you know it; no one is _that_ strong. Although, I know one other thing you truly desire: something I _can_ give to you."

Arlon smiled. "What exactly are you offering?"

Judah looked at Arlon with a glint of malice. "You know very well what I am referring to, no? All you need to do is agree to my terms."

Arlon's face grew into a malicious sneer. _Not a bad offer, fatty... Not bad at all..._

* * *

(Two weeks later: Alkan Islands, Alka)

"She's dead, Ryan," Dillan said, his eyes watering from the pit of despair growing in his chest. His lower jaw quivered merely from saying those words.

"What?" Ryan said, taken aback by what Dillan had said. His eyes focused on Dillan's face with an intense, questioning stare.

"Grace is dead," Dillan said again. His heart slammed against his chest harder from those words.

"Wasn't that fun?" a cheerful voice asked. Dillan looked over Ryan's shoulder and found Arlon leaning against the wall in the corner of the inn's room. He was behind Ryan's bed, a wide grin on his face as he stared at Dillan. "I never knew your mind could be so fun!"

"Dilla-" Ryan said with empathy in his voice.

"Shut up!" Dillan shouted at Arlon. He slapped his fins to the side of his head in an attempt at blocking Arlon's voice out of his head.

"That doesn't work, Dillan!" Arlon said gleefully. He fazed through Ryan's bed as if it was nothing, walking to the gabite. "Not while I'm still breathing! Your sister on the other hand..."

Dillan shot up from the bed and darted towards the door. He didn't care if he couldn't open it with his claws. He would bust it down if he had to if it meant getting away from Arlon. Lucky for him, the door gave a "click" and it opened. Hazel was at the door with wide eyes. Dillan didn't even realize what he was about to do. His emotions were like a fog, keeping his mind seconds behind the world around him. Dillan plowed past Hazel, shoving her out of his way .He then turned the corner quickly and made his way down the hall.

"Dillan!" Hazel called out.

"You can't run from yourself, Dillan!" Arlon shouted from the doorway. "Why run from me?"

"Leave me alone!" Dillan shouted as he reached the end of the hallway. He dashed down the stairs and tore his way out of the building.

Dillan was on auto-pilot. The moment he stepped outside, he felt the burst of cold air hit his scales. It didn't help that the sun wasn't up yet. Even with the chilly touch of the night on his scales, Dillan didn't care. He darted through the town, not thinking about where he was going. He didn't care. Not even the thought about leaving his friends in the inn bothered him. All he wanted to do was run - run from his pain - from that single, agonizing memory that bombarded his mind in waves of emotion. That single scene continued to play in his mind. Over and over again he had seen the doctor come so close to telling him what had happened to Grace. So many times he wished to know what was wrong. Now that he knew, Dillan wanted to forget all over again.

"No!" Dillan shouted, remembering the doctor's words.

 _"She has a tumor."_ the doctor's words echoed in Dillan's head.

"It's not true!" Dillan turned a street corner and dashed out of the town, out into the snowy plains. "It can't be true!"

 _"She has two weeks."_

"She's still alive; she has to be!"

Dillan ran for a few more minutes. The wind seemed to pick up around him. Snow flakes started falling from the sky, slowly drifting like icy tears towards the ground. The gabite began climbing a hill of snow, ignoring the numbing fire that seemed to attack his feet.

"Why didn't I try?" Dillan shouted. "I didn't even try to get back: not once!" The streaks of water that fell down Dillan's trembling cheeks began to cling like ice to his scales.

The gabite felt a dull pain in his toes. He began falling forwards, the snow coming closer to his face. It felt like white blanket collide with his body.. The gabite, laying face-first in the snow, didn't try to get up. He just started weeping into the ice.

"Dillan," a voice so horrible to Dillan, the only words that could come close to describing it was horrifyingly sickening beyond all reasoning, said from behind him, "You're the most pathetic looking lump I've ever seen. What your _friends_ in you, I can't seem to figure out. I mean, you've been trying to find out what happened to your sister for a while; now that you know, you would rather forget? You're the saddest creature I've ever had the displeasure of knowing!"

Dillan ignored the shiftree. He didn't care: not for him or anything. He felt so alone that he just wanted to lay there in the snow and die.

"You win," Dillan said through the sniffling. "I quit."

Dillan listened for a few seconds, waiting for Arlon's come back, his attempt to get a rise out of the gabite. The only thing he heard was the wind. He sat there for a few more seconds. _What's he doing? Why isn't he saying_ anything? A few more seconds passed. The silence began messing with his head. Dillan began pushing himself out of the snow. His muscles began to burn from moving them, but he didn't care; he wanted to get a good look at Arlon.

The shiftree was standing there. It was unnerving to see he didn't have a smile on his face. His eyebrows were knitted together. He had a small frown on his face as he stared at Dillan. The shiftree's mane didn't seem to flow in the wind which was beginning to pick up and threw more snow in the air.

"You quit?" Arlon asked as the left side of his lip curled into a snarl. "You just... quit?"

"I'm done," Dillan said flatly. "I'm done with this mission I'm on. I'm done with having to spend each day without knowing what other awful thing is going to happen to me. I'm done with all of the..." Dillan's voice trailed off. Tears began to make their way down Dillan's face again in another stream. "I'm done with all of the pain..."

The only noise present for the next few seconds was the wind. The horizon was undefinable due to all of the snow in the air. "You're done?" Arlon asked sternly. "You're... _done_?"

Dillan watched the shiftree's face. It began to slowly contort. Dillan felt his heart begin to slow. He had never seen such a horrific sight as the one he was witnessing. The burns on Arlon's face began stretching across his cheeks as his mouth grew wider and wider until it ended at a stretched and unnatural grimace of hate. His brow-line came to rest on top of his eyes, giving him a hate-filled scowl.

"No, Dillan," Arlon said menacingly. "You're not _done_. I haven't had my fill of your suffering yet."

"D-do whatever you want," Dillan stuttered, beginning to feel the fear in his chest rise. "I'm d-done."

Arlon's face went into a cold smile accompanied by a shrill laugh; his laughter echoed into the snow storm that raged on around them.

"Fine," Arlon said as he turned left, looking away from the gabite. His eye rotated and began staring at Dillan through the corner of his left eye. "You can say that all you like, but we know the truth; there is no running from pain. It always exists in some form. Even at your weakest moment when you realize there is nothing left for you in life, pain comes to take you. For example: I'm positive your sister screamed in agony before she died."

Dillan's chest felt as though a sword had been driven through it, removed, then stabbed again. He stared at the shiftree. His eyes sharpened on the pokemon. His mouth warped into a snarl.

"What did you say?" Dillan asked angrily, tears still steaming out of his eyes and down his face.

"I wonder if she called your name before she died, thinking about the possibilities on why you left her alone in her final hours. What do you think she said?"

Dillan felt every painful emotion come out in a single burst of raw energy. He shot up from the ground in a split second. Arlon didn't seem to pay any attention to the angry shouts of his opponent. The gabite tore through the snow, focusing on his fin as it began glowing and extending into a "dragon claw". He slashed at Arlon several times. His fin sliced through the shiftree, doing no visible damage; but Dillan didn't care. He was so angry and devastated that he wanted to take everything out on the one pokemon he knew he would never be able to forgive.

"Murderer!" Dillan blared in pure anger. "Coward! Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"You forgot executioner," Arlon said with a grin.

Dillan felt his arms seize up. He unintentionally stopped his slashes, but the energy of his movement sent him forwards into the snow. He began tumbling down the hill, feeling nothing whatsoever: not the continuous abuse from his fins being bent under his own weight, or the shock of the ground when he hit the bottom of the hill. The gabite felt the world around him spin without his body. His eye lids started to get heavy.

"Oh, no!" a voice gasped. Dillan couldn't tell if it was a stranger or someone he knew. The only thing he could do was close his eyes as the world got dark around him and he drifted away into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Hey," a voice called out. Dillan opened his eyes slowly, the pain in his body taking its toll on him. He couldn't see anything. The world around him seemed blurry. What he could make out was the white background and some source of light in the middle of the room. "You awake, yet?"

"What?" Dillan asked groggily. _Is this another dream?_ "Grace?" His vision began clearing the more he stared. The white background came into focus.

The gabite found himself sitting in a round room with icy walls. He noticed he felt warm. That's when he spotted the fire sitting in the middle of the room casting light on the walls.

"Buddy." a voice called out from Dillan's left. A tan paw moved in front of Dillan's vision. Its fingers moved together and made a "click" sound as they snapped together. "Over here."

Dillan looked to his left to find a mouse-like head staring at him. It had red eyes with white circles that looked like pupils. A pair of dark-grey circles sat above the pokemon's eyes and below its round ears. There was also a pair of tan, short, puffy whiskers stringing off of its cheeks. Its body was thin at the top and came down to a bulky pair of thighs. Brick-red arms came off the body with flabby skin that hung like massive, rounded sleeves. The pokemon's paws were tan and small in comparison to its arms. The creature's brick-red legs stretched off of its thighs and ended at little feet. Its tail came off of its body and ended at a brick-red part creating two separate ends.

"Right here," the mienfoo said. Dillan guessed it was a girl due to the higher voice. "You're not hurt or anything, right? Better not be hypothermia."

"You're not..." Dillan said as his voice drifted. He hung his head sadly. _Grace..._ He remembered what had happened to her. He remembered the dream and Arlon. He also remembered falling in the snow and blacking out.

"So..." the mienfoo asked as she cranked her head from left to right slowly as if waiting for a response. "You're good, right?"

"Where are we?" Dillan asked with a frown.

"In my cave," the mienfoo said as if proud of this little room. She put her paw on her chest confidently before saying, "Made it myself for some quick shelter. Hope you like it."

"Who are you?" Dillan asked out of curiosity, not courtesy.

"Well, I'm not _Grace_ or whatever you said before," She stood up and looked at Dillan with a raised eyebrow and a smile of confidence. She stuck out her chest and put her right paw over her heart. "My name is Valery G: at your service."

"G?" Dillan asked.

"Yep," Valery said. "The G. stands for..." she trailed off. Her eyes drifted around the room as she thought of an answer.

"Never mind," Dillan said as he shook his head sadly. "It doesn't matter."

"Well, sure it does!" the mienfoo announced with a scowl. "I mean, I _did_ save you and all; at the very least I owe you my name." She stared at the ceiling for a few seconds making Dillan feel uncomfortable with the situation. All he wanted to do was run away and keep on running.

"I'm sorry," Dillan said. "Thank you for the help, but I need to go."

The mienfoo snapped her fingers together. "The G. stands for gregarious." She stood proudly as if waiting for Dillan's approval.

"Gregarious?" Dillan asked.

"Yep," Valery stated.

 _It doesn't matter._ "Again, it was nice meeting you, but I'm going to leave now."

"What's the hurry?" Valery asked. "Got someplace you need to be?"

Dillan didn't answer. He just stood up and turned towards a hole in the wall he guessed was the exit. He walked towards it but was stopped by Valery who quickly jumped in his way.

"You can't go out there!" Valery shouted with wide eyes. She sounded almost scared.

"Why not?" Dillan asked.

"It isn't safe! We're in the middle of a White Hole!"

"I'm trying to be nice," Dillan said, "But you're making it very difficult. I've just been through a lot and I want to be alone right now."

"Fine!" Valery said with a nervous smile. "I'll make you a separate room. You can be alone there if you want, but you can't go out there right now!"

Dillan was tired of the whole situation. All of it felt like nonsense. "Why do you care so much?"

"What?" Valery asked. "Why do I..." She thought about the question for a few seconds. Her cheeks started to go red. "I... um... can't say..."

"Fine," Dillan said. "But I'm leaving whether you like it or not."

Valery put her head up proudly, her eyes shooting daggers at Dillan sternly. She stepped backwards, blocking the exit. "Well, I'm not moving!"

"Suit yourself," Dillan said. He threw himself head-first at the ground and began digging quickly. The moment he was in the ground, he felt something was missing. Dillan tried to sense what was around him, but he couldn't. _Where's my miracle sense?_ The only thing he could see was the room above him. Other than that, everything looked like static, as if something was bombarding the environment around him, preventing him from seeing anything outside the room.

Even with this being the case, Dillan didn't care; he only needed to get on the other side of Valery. He focused on the little passageway leading towards the outside. The gabite looked upwards and began shoveling a mixture of ice, dirt, and snow behind him. He came up in a second between Valery and the exit.

"Wait!" Valery shouted from behind Dillan. He didn't pay anymore attention to the mienfoo. All he wanted was to leave.

Dillan was about to exit the cave when he felt his feet being swept out from under him. The gabite tumbled to the side and fell onto the right side of the cave. He looked back at Valery who was scowling at him.

"I'm warning you right now," Dillan said sternly. "Let me leave, or this is going to get very ugly."

"Uglier than that?" Valery said as she pointed towards the exit. Dillan looked out of the cave.

His eyes widened in astonishment. He stared outside and wondered why he hadn't noticed it before. The raging winds whistled loudly as they tossed snow around through the air creating a white veil that Dillan couldn't see through.

"That's..." Dillan said with wonder, "A massive blizzard."

"A White Hole," Valery corrected. "In the Alkan Islands, there are small pockets of powerful wind that travel across the islands throwing snow in the air. That creates massive snow-storms... or at least, that's what I've heard. Most pokemon can't survive in that weather; let alone you, being a dragon and ground-type and all." Dillan stared out at the storm outside of his small cave. _As much as I don't want to be here... Could I risk going out in that weather?_ "What's got you so worked up anyways?" Dillan didn't answer. "Earlier, you thought I was someone you knew, right? You said the name, 'Grace'. Who-"

"That's not your business," Dillan snapped coldly.

Valery grinned. "Someone close to you, then. I get it; protecting the ones you love can be hard."

Dillan felt his heart sting at those words. He felt his eyes start to sting as he continued staring at the storm of white. _I can't stay here... I need to get away. What would Ryan do in this situation? He'd probably blast his way through the storm, that's what. And Hazel? Well, she'd stay here where it's safe... Or would she? I guess it depends on who this pokemon is._

The gabite blinked multiple times until he got his eyes under control before turning to Valery and asking, "So, who are you exactly?"

"Valery G." Valery said. "I already told you."

"But who do you work for?" Dillan asked.

"That depends on you," the mienfoo said with a raised eyebrow. "The last I heard, Dillan the gabite worked for the Guild and not Team Armageddon, so why wear their colors?"

Dillan stared at Valery in shock. "You know me?" he asked. "How?"

Valery's eyes widened. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but she didn't. That changed very quickly. Her face tightened into a grimace. Her legs collapsed from underneath her as she got onto her knees. The mienfoo slapped her right paw to her left arm as she gave a yelp of pain.

"No no no no!" Valery said to herself worriedly. Dillan watched as blood began to trickle down her right paw in droplets. "I'm sorry! Please don't do it again! I won't say anything else; just no more!"

"Are you alright?" Dillan said quickly as he took a quick step towards Valery. He knelt down. "What's wrong?"

"Stop, please!" Valery shouted. "Don't say anything else, Dillan!"

Dillan looked at Valery's left arm. He saw a slash that went up the flab of skin. From what Dillan could tell, it didn't seem deep; then again, he wasn't a doctor. It did, however, seem familiar to the gabite.

"Wait," Dillan said, realizing where he'd seen that kind of slash before. "That cut's just like-"

"Stop!" Valery shouted fearfully. "No more! Just shut up, or you'll get me in more trouble!"

"So you're not with the Guild or Team Armageddon," Dillan said. "That wound proves it. You're with Reya."

"I swear to Giratina himself I'll smack you if you say one more thing that relates to who I am!"

"Alright," Dillan agreed. _But that_ does _tell me who you are. If you're working with Reya, then I can trust you._

"If you say so," a familiarly cold voice said to Dillan's left. "Or should I say, 'if you _think_ so'?" He turned to see the shiftree leaning against the wall.

The gabite scowled at Arlon, but tried not to pay any attention to him. Instead, he looked at Valery and said, "You can use my bandanna as a bandage."

"It's alright," Valery said. "It isn't bleeding too much, so it isn't deep. I'll be fine without it."

"Or she'll die like your sister," Arlon told Dillan.

 _Stop toying with me._

"But you make it so easy! It's to die for; and I bet your sister experienced it first-hand."

 _I'll kill you, coward._

"Ha!" Arlon walked away from the wall and knelt down next to Valery. "You're forgetting that I'm in your head." He leaned next to Valery's ear and shouted as loud as he could. It was ear-splitting. Dillan slapped his fins on his ears to block out the shouts as fast as he could. Valery, however, didn't seem affected by the noise. She just stared with knitted eyebrows.

"What?" the mienfoo asked. "Is something wrong?"

Arlon stopped shouting and said, "See? In your head."

"I need to leave," Dillan said quickly. He turned towards the exit once more. To his amazement, the storm had gone down. The gabite moved from the cave and outside.

"I wouldn't do that," Arlon said. "You're just going to get hurt."

"Leave me alone!" Dillan shouted.

"Dillan, wait!" Valery called after him. He felt a paw grip his ankle.

Dillan didn't listen. Valery's grip wasn't very strong, so he just shook her off of him and continued. He stepped out of the hole and into the open air.

It felt very cold outside, though Dillan was getting use to it. He found that he was on a hill of snow, presumably the same hill he tumbled down earlier. The sky was clear and the sun seemed to be at its peak above him. Dillan found that at the bottom of the hill was the town he and his friends were in earlier. _What was it called? Frost Island Village? Wait a minute..._

"How long was I out?" Dillan asked himself.

"A few hours," Valery said as she came out of the hole, still cradling her left arm in her right.

"What about the storm?" Dillan asked as he turned to face Valery.

"Some pokemon told me that it's a natural phenomenon. The storm doesn't have a set starting or stopping point out here; it could last from five minutes to two days."

"Which means you could die from one spouting out." Arlon announced from behind Dillan. The gabite jumped and slashed his claw around. Arlon was hit, but didn't seem affected by the attack as it passed through him. Valery, however, jumped from the sudden – seemingly random – attack.

"What's gotten into you?" Valery shouted from shock.

"Yes, Dillan," Arlon said in a mockingly worried tone. "What _has_ gotten into you?"

"I'm leaving," Dillan said to Arlon. He began walking down the hill.

"Not until you explain what's going on." Valery stated.

"Tell her what's wrong, Dillan," Arlon said. "Say I'm in your head. See where it'll get you."

The gabite stopped in his tracks and turned towards Arlon. "Alright," he said. _Worst case scenario, she thinks I'm crazy in which case she'll probably be either too worried to leave my side, or too freaked out to stay near me. Nothing more than that._ Dillan turned towards Valery and said, "My biggest enemy is sanding right next to me, being a constant reminder of my sister."

"Dead sister," Arlon corrected. "You're welcome."

"You mean, Arlon?" Valery asked.

Dillan was taken aback. He stared at Valery with a slacken jaw.

"Ooh, she's good!" Arlon announced. "On second thought, just leave."

"How do you know that?" Dillan asked.

"I can't say," Valery told Dillan, bringing her left arm into view. "But, I think I know how to help you." She let go of her left arm and pressed her paws together. Valery's body became enveloped in a yellow light. Her eyes shut together forcefully as if she was concentrating.

"Cute," Arlon said. "The girl thinks she can attack me. Dillan, please tell her that she can't hurt me?"

"I see you, Logan," Valery said.

"Logan?" Dillan asked. "His name is Arlon."

"Uh-oh," Arlon said. Dillan looked at the shiftree. His brow line was scrunched as if he was worried, though he still wore a smile. "Time to leave."

"Not so fast!" Valery shouted. She turned around and began darting up the hill. She knelt down quickly and shouted, "Jump Kick!" She leaped from the ground and launched herself high into the air. Dillan watched as she flew towards a blue pokemon he hadn't seen before.

It was a small pokemon with blue skin. It had a round head with two pointed ears that seemed fused together on the top of its head. The pokemon had what appeared to be a hole in the middle of its head where its nose would be, leaving what looked like a heart-shaped hole. A mane of grey fur was present around the pokemon's neck. Its blue, round body came to little, black feet that hung from its front. A couple of tails wound together from the bottom of the pokemon until they parted for a few inches. The tails then came together at their tips making a heart. Its black bat-wings came off of the pokemon's body and flapped frantically as it tried to get away from the mienfoo.

"Hello, Logan!" Valery shouted gleefully as she planted her foot in the swoobat's face. The bat pokemon – presumably Logan – gave a cry of pain as he shot down towards the snow.

"Here's where I take my leave, Dillan," Arlon said. Dillan looked over at the shiftree. "but I promise to torture you some other time." Arlon gave a sneer as he seemed to vaporize into thin air. In seconds, the shiftree was gone. _What the-_

"No! stop!" a male voice shouted from Valery's direction.

"Stop whining," Valery said. Dillan looked towards the voice. Valery grabbed Logan by the tail and began dragging him towards Dillan.

"Who's that?" Dillan asked.

"Reya gave you a list, right?" Valery asked, swinging Logan around by the tail until he was facing Dillan. "She gave you a list of the Enemy's members?" A roar could be heard from the sky. Valery winced at it and put her head down fearfully. "I'm sorry! He already knows I'm with you, so I didn't think it mattered!"

"Who are you talking to?" Dillan asked. "And who's that?"

"She can't tell you," Logan said. "Isn't that right, 'protector'?"

"Th-this," Valery stuttered, still shaken up by the roar in the sky. "Is one of Arlon's l-little slaves. He's the reason Arlon's been in your h-head."

"What?" Dillan asked. "How?"

"I'm friggin' magical," Logan snapped.

"He's a psychic type," Valery said, starting to regain some of her courage. "Most of the time, not even psychic pokemon can get into your head, but this guy isn't like most cases."

"How so?" Dillan asked.

"I'm not sure," Valery said. She looked at Logan and asked, "Mind sharing that info with us?"

"Sure, sweetheart," Logan said. " I'll tell you over a nice cup of tea. And while I'm at it, why don't I tell you the big master plan, too?"

"Do you like the ability to fly?" Valery asked. "Or would you prefer to walk on your stumps you call feet?"

"You think I'm scared of you?" Logan laughed. "What are you, twelve? Thirteen?"

"You're psychic, right?" Valery said. "Can't you find out?"

"Sweet-cheeks, astral-projection and mind-reading are two entirely different things."

"So you've been the one in my head?" Dillan asked. "What about Arlon?"

"Are you mentally challenged or something?" Logan asked. "Arlon can't even fly without help, let alone put his own consciousness into another living being."

"So how do you do it?"

"Why don't you ask her?" Logan said as he bobbed his head, beckoning Dillan to look behind him. The gabite turned around expecting to see someone, though he didn't see anything.

"He's just messing with you," Valery told the gabite.

"Arlon was right!" Logan said with glee. "You're too easy to fool!"

"Shut it," Valery said as she planted her fist in the back of the swoobat's head.

"Hey!" Dillan scolded. "Don't hit it!"

Valery looked at Dillan dumbfounded by what he said. "What?" she asked.

"Don't hurt him!" Dillan said again.

"You know what really hurts?" Logan asked. "Being called _it_!"

"Why?" Valery asked slowly. "He's the bad guy."

"That doesn't give you the right to hurt him!" Dillan said.

"My job isn't to protect him," Valery said.

"You're suppose to protect me, then?" Dillan asked.

Valery sighed and looked at the sky. "It wasn't me!" she shouted. She then looked at Dillan and said, "Besides, this scum-sucker's been in your head for weeks."

 _Wait._ "You've been in my head for weeks..." Dillan said to himself.

"Man, you're slow," Logan said.

"Then all the times Arlon's been in my dreams..." Dillan said, realizing what that meant.

"Give the boy a prize!" Logan announced.

"You're the reason I saw..."

Logan looked at Dillan. As the seconds passed, Dillan's brow-line tightened into a flaring scowl. His lip bean twitching. Logan, however, started shaking. "W-wait a minute, buddy."

"You showed me her," Dillan said angrily.

"Let's talk about this!" Logan shouted fearfully.

"Showed you who?" Valery asked.

"I begged for Arlon to let me go!" Dillan shouted. "Reya told me not to see that memory, yet!"

Valery looked at Dillan with confusion for a few seconds before recognition dawned on her face. "Oh, no..." she said quietly.

"He made me do it!" Logan said. "He was going to kill me if I didn't!"

"Arlon's in jail, liar!" Dillan shouted.

"Then how was he in your mind?" Logan asked.

"Through you," Dillan said sternly. "Which means it's _your_ fault!"

Multiple emotions were running through the gabite's head. The pain from Grace's death was back. He wanted to shout at the sky. He wanted to shout at Valery. He wanted to shout at Arlon: no, that's not it. He wanted to do more to Arlon. Dillan wanted to attack Arlon; he wanted to make sure the shiftree couldn't hurt anyone ever again. He wanted to attack Logan. He wanted to attack Jake. He wanted to lash out at anyone he considered to be a threat. And at the same time, he didn't. Something inside of him told him not to.

"Dillan, wait!" Valery shouted.

"I'm done!" Dillan shouted. "I'm done with everything in this crappy world!"

Logan gave a sigh of relief. Valery reeled her fist back which made Logan cower. However, she didn't seem to care. The mienfoo whacked him in the side of the head. Logan's eyes rolled up into the back of his head as he passed out. Valery then ran over to Dillan.

"What did you see?" Valery asked. "What did Arlon show you?"

Dillan looked at Valery. His eyes started to water up. "He showed me my sister!" Dillan shouted. "He showed me her in a hospital bed, begging for me to stay with her! He showed me her fear, but that didn't affect me! I was too focused on what came next!"

"Which is?" Valery asked. She grabbed Dillan by the arm. "What did you see?"

"She's dead!" Dillan shouted. Valery looked at Dillan with knitted eyebrows, widened eyes, and a sympathetic frown. "A brain tumor killed her!"

"Dillan, that's not your fault," Valery said.

"You seem to know a lot about me," Dillan said sharply. "So, what happened to Grace? She's not dead, is she?."

"Why not?" Valery asked.

"Because she's my past!" Dillan shouted. "She's the only thing I can remember that actually _means_ something to me: the only tie to who I was!"

"So what?" Valery asked. Her tone started became a little harsh. "You're gonna give up all because some girl died?"

"No," Dillan said flatly. "I keep being _told_ she's dead, but there isn't anything that _truly_ proves it. I didn't _see_ it."

Valery looked at Dillan for a few seconds before a smile came to her face. "Really?" she asked. "I don't think you're going to let this go, right? You want proof?"

"She's not dead," Dillan said.

Valery sighed. She looked up at the sky for a few seconds. There was a low roar that echoed across the hill-side. "Are you-" Valery shouted. There was another roar tat cut her off. Valery sighed before saying, "Alright, then." She turned towards Dillan and said, "Get down on your left side."

Dillan got onto his left side without question and lied down in the snow. It felt colder than standing up, making his body shiver.

"Now what?" Dillan asked.

"You're going to hate this next part," Valery said. "Just touch your crystal."

Dillan moved his claw towards his crystal. He touched it lightly. Immediately, there was a green glow that shot out from the stone. Dillan felt pressure on his mind, as if something was being forced upon it. He gave a cry of pain.

"Give it a-" Valery said.

Dillan didn't hear the rest of that sentence. Almost immediately, he felt as though he was turned inside-out. His mind seemed to be shot out from the pressure on his own body and blown into a black void. As he moved through the void, a picture came to his mind.

The image was very clear to him, clearer than anything he had ever seen before. Dillan looked on at a scene with three tan creatures. They were dressed in different clothing that covered most of their bodies, though it didn't seem strange to Dillan. It seemed familiar.

The creatures were standing next to a bed. In the bed lied another creature dressed in a white and pink, polka dot gown, though it looked as though the creature had lost pigment in her skin. Dillan recognized her instantaneously through some sort of seventh-sense. Maybe it was the black, curly hair that parted at the bangs and drifted down to her shoulders. Maybe it was the scar on her cheek. Maybe it was the short nose she had. Whatever it was, Dillan recognized her as Grace.

There was a small creature over her, gripping her hand. He had short, black hair that was combed over to the side. He had blue eyes that were overflowing with tears. The creature had a nose like Grace's, short. The creature's teeth were uneven as if he needed braces badly. Dillan knew that was him.

"There." Valery said. Dillan looked to his left to see Valery was floating next to him, staring at Dillan's memory. "I'm really sorry, but Grace died in that hospital bed."

"But..." Dillan said.

"Hey." Valery said. She grabbed Dillan's arm. "Did you think you weren't there for her in her final hours?"

"You're in my head?" Dillan asked.

"Lucky guess," Valery told him with a light smile. "Anyways, look down there."

Dillan looked back at the scene. His human-side was still crying over Grace's lifeless body.

"What about it?" Dillan asked. His lip began to quiver.

"You were with her up until the end," Valery told Dillan softly.

Dillan felt everything beginning to shift. He felt himself start to turn inside-out again as he drifted back into reality.

* * *

The gabite opened his eyes and sat up quickly. He looked forwards to see Valery sitting on the ground. The one thing he saw missing was Logan.

"Where's-" Dillan tried to say.

"Not important right now," Valery told the gabite. "What you need to focus on is _you_."

"Meaning?" Dillan asked.

"You told me you have no connection to your past," Valery told the gabite. Dillan didn't answer. "You're probably feeling alone right now, right?" Dillan, again, didn't answer. "I'll take that as a 'yes'. I'm not suppose to tell you this, but you need to rely on your friends."

"You're not allowed to tell me _that_?" Dillan asked.

"Yeah," Valery said. "I'm not sure why, but whatever. You need to know that you're not alone. You've got friends, so use them."

"How does that help me deal with my past?" Dillan asked, tears coming to his eyes.

"You're not thinking about the bigger picture," Valery told him. "Why does the past matter?"

Dillan thought about the question. "Uh..." he said.

"That part's easy," Valery told him. "It's there to shape who you are, right?"

"I guess..." Dillan told her.

"Well, you're lucky on this part. Most people react to things _because_ of their past. It becomes a part of them. You, however, don't have that. That means your future isn't influenced by what happened before. As a result, you get to choose what happens next of your own accord. Even better, you have friends that will help you out, so you don't have to ever worry."

"But my past-"

"Your past _only_ exists to draw on." Valery said again. "You don't have to draw on that because you _have_ no past, so stop thinking about it. Rely on your friends."

Dillan thought about it. "But what about Grace?" he asked. "She still dies..."

"Tell me, Dillan," Valery said. "Do you think Grace would like you to dwell on everything? Do you think that she wants to hinder you because you remembered her?"

"No..."

"Exactly. She's gone and there's nothing you can do to stop it. So, stop remembering her as a sad part in your life. Remember her as a _good_ part. She was in your life to _help_ you, and I'm positive she did; don't let her hinder you, alright?"

Dillan thought about Valery's words. _She's right, I can't deny that. Remember Grace as a good part... but..._ "I can't remember anything about her..." Dillan said sadly as tears began streaming down his cheeks.

"Stop," Valery said empathetically. "You're still dwelling on the bad. You know she was your sister and you loved her. What's more than that? So you might not be able to remember the good memories. They only exist to help you remember the good feelings that came _with_ the person. If you can already remember the good feelings, then why have memories at all? As long as you loved her and vice versa, it doesn't matter if you remember _everything_ about her."

"But how do I forget the pain?" Dillan asked, voice beginning to quiver.

"The pain always exists:" Valery said. "Always. The only thing you can do is move on and focus on the good."

"Move on..." Dillan said. He took a deep breath. "Move on..."

"That's all anyone can do," Valery said again. "Sure there's going to be times where you'll remember her or when her memories catch you off guard. You'll be sad, and that isn't a bad thing; you just need to focus on the good that she brought to you, alright?"

"Alright," Dillan told the mienfoo. "I'll try." _As sad as I am that Grace is dead, Valery's right. I need to move on. I need to look towards the future._ Dillan whipped the tears off of his cheeks and gave a sincere smile to Valery. "Thank you."

Valery winked at Dillan. "No problem." There was a roar across the sky.

"You can't tell me what that is, right?"

She stood up. "Nope." she said with a wink at Dillan. "Anyways, I need to move on. Got stuff that I need to do. You should go back to your friends."

"Wait," Dillan said. "I have a question."

"What is it?" Valery asked.

"Why am I here in this world?"

She gave a light laugh. "You had to ask _that_ , didn't you?" Valery took a deep breath. "You remember the prophecy, right? Well, that's why. You're one of the pokemon in that prophecy. I'm not completely sure how the prophecy comes true, when it happens, or why, but it's going to come true whether we like it or not, and apparently all the signs point to it happening soon."

"Signs?"

"There are some... strange... nesses... that are happening. Dillan, you're here to make sure the prophecy comes true in the good-guys' favor rather than the Enemy's."

Valery gave a wave and ran towards the hole she had made in the side of the hill.

"Wait!" Dillan called out. "What if that 'Logan' guy shows up again?"

"You know what you're looking for," Valery shouted back. "You'll be fine." With that, she disappeared into the hole.

Dillan turned towards the foot of the mountain. He saw the town ahead. _That's where my friends are. If I need to start focusing on my friends, then that's where I need to be._

Dillan started walking towards the town below. He knew that the memory of Grace would never be a happy one. It would always hurt him to remember her, but Valery was right. He needed to focus on the good Grace brought instead of the bad. He needed to remember her for the joyful person she was to him instead of a knife in his heart that would always cut into his emotions. He needed to remember her as his sister that he loved. That's what Grace needed to be for him.

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Well, crap... I have been hard-pressed to release this chapter. It's been very hard revising this thing and what-not to make sure I'm not giving too much away about the plot and stuff before the reveal, so I've been rewriting and revising this chapter over and over again, which is why I didn't get it released on time (not to mention all the time I've been spending on my other story). I'm really sorry for the wait, but I'll make it up to you guys! I want to release another chapter this Friday and then one more the week after that to make up for the wait. Anyways, I'm very sorry for the wait!

Shout-out to "spray and be dead" and "superwolf12365" for following/favoriting the story! Thank you guys so much! It means a lot to me that you guys like the story enough to keep reading it!

That's all for this chapter! Thanks for reading! I'll see you guys Friday!


	29. A White Wasteland

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 29

A White Wasteland

* * *

Dillan walked into the snow-topped town. There were cheery pokemon on the street wearing smiles wherever Dillan seemed to walk. However, they eyed Dillan suspiciously whenever he passed them by, though they continued to smile through their suspicion. Dillan tried to be as friendly as possible, waving to anyone who gave him a wave, smile at anyone who smiled at him, that sort of stuff. However, he did have something on his mind.

 _Wonder where Hazel and Ryan are. We_ did _have to attend some kind of Team Armageddon meeting today, but that was this morning. I must have missed it. So, where would they be?_

"Hey, you!" a voice shouted to Dillan. The gabite turned around to find himself looking at a pokemon that was about as tall as he was; if not taller. Its entire body was covered in white fur. It had a small tail and smaller legs with a pair of grey talons for toes. It had long arms that came out to paws with red pads on them and another pair of long, grey talons. Its face was disturbing to say the least. It had big, round, bulging eyes with brown circles tracing them. A red tuft of hair stuck up on its forehead for reasons Dillan couldn't explain. Its brown lips were wide open with only a couple of teeth on the bottom and top gums. Dillan noticed the pokemon had a bandanna around his neck with an eroded "A" on it telling him that this pokemon was on Team Armageddon. _Well, he thinks I'm with him, too._

"Hello," Dillan said cheerfully.

"Why you smiling at me?" the vigoroth demanded with a snarl. Dillan felt his heart begin to beat against his chest. His smile faded into a nervous frown.

"Uh..." he said. "Why did you call to me?"

"You're suppose to be at the meeting!" the vigoroth shouted.

"M-Meeting?" Dillan stuttered. _I thought I missed that!_

"Duh!" the pokemon yelled as he advanced towards Dillan's face. The gabite felt the breath from the pokemon hit the tip of his muzzle.

"Hey, buddy!" a familiar voice called out. Dillan gave a sigh of relief when he saw Hazel walking towards Dillan from behind the vigoroth.

The vigoroth turned around and faced Hazel. "What's your beef, lady?" the pokemon asked sharply.

"There you are!" Hazel shouted as she shoved the vigoroth out of the way. To the gabite's horror, she grabbed him by the arm and shook him visibly. "I thought I told you not to be late!"

"H-Hazel?" Dillan asked.

"What's your problem?!" the vigoroth shouted as he walked up to Hazel.

Hazel winked at Dillan, making him feel very confused. _What's happening? Did I miss something?_ She turned to the vigoroth and glared at him. "Is there a problem, sir?" she asked sharply.

"Just who-" the vigoroth tried to continue. Hazel interrupted the pokemon as she advanced closely to him and glared at him straight in the eyes. The pokemon glared back, though Dillan thought he saw the vigoroth's lip twitching.

"Is." Hazel asked slowly. "There. A problem. Sir?"

The vigoroth looked at Hazel for a few seconds, not saying anything, before turning around. "No," he said flatly. The pokemon began walking off in the other direction.

Hazel turned to Dillan. She gave a concerned smile and hugged the gabite.

"H-hi?" Dillan stuttered, confused by what had just happened.

"Dillan," Hazel said. "I was so worried. Me and Ryan have been looking for hours. Where were you?"

"Uh..." Dillan said, thinking of what to say. "Well, I was just thinking outside of town."

"Ryan told me what you said," Hazel told the gabite. "I'm so sorry about Grace."

Dillan felt his heart sink at the mention of his sister's name. "It's..." he said slowly, trying to focus on the good feelings Grace brought. "I just don't want to talk about it, alright?"

"That's fine," Hazel said as she broke away from the hug.

"Where's Ryan?" the gabite asked, trying to sound cheerful.

"I was just going to meet him now when I saw you," Hazel told him. "This way." Hazel moved around Dillan and began leading him down the snowy path to the outskirts of town.

* * *

"Ryan!" Hazel called out as she and Dillan exited the town. She started waving her left arm in the air, causing her bag to swing back and forth. Ryan was standing in the middle of the road, shaking from the cold.

"Dillan!" Ryan called out. Dillan and Hazel stopped in front of the pachirisu. He walked up to Dillan and kicked him in the shin. Dillan might have grimaced under normal circumstances, but he found his legs were numb from the cold.

"What was that for?" Dillan asked.

"Running away," Ryan said flatly, not meeting Dillan's eyes. "And you were pretty cruel in the hotel."

"I'm sure he's sorry for worrying you," Hazel said with a smile.

"I wasn't..." Ryan said, trailing off at the last word.

"Ryan," Dillan said. "I'm sorry."

Ryan looked up at Dillan's eyes. He gave a sigh before saying, "Good." He looked at Hazel with a raised eyebrow. "Now, what did you want to tell us?"

"What?" Hazel asked. She looked up at the sky for a few seconds. "Right..." She took a deep breath and looked at her friends with a knitted brow-line. "We don't have much time left to finish our mission."

"What?" Ryan asked.

"Why?" Dillan asked Hazel.

"When I was at the Armageddon meeting this morning," Hazel began. "I found out that Team Armageddon is going to assault the main land in five days."

"That's not our issue," Ryan said. "It's the Guild's."

"It's not that simple," Hazel said as she looked at Ryan with a determined glare. "Team Armageddon's going to kill innocent pokemon while they're there; not just guildmembers, but civilians, too."

"What?" Dillan asked with a hanging jaw.

"T-That's absurd!" Ryan stuttered, looking wide-eyed at Hazel. "They wouldn't do that!"

"They will," Hazel said. "They're going to blame it on the Guild."

"How did you find that out?" Ryan asked.

"Hank Peterson told me."

"So he _was_ our inside man?"

Hazel didn't answer. She began looking up into the sky.

"Hazel?" Dillan asked. "What happened?"

"Hank Peterson..." Hazel said slowly, "Isn't with the Guild."

Dillan didn't respond. _But Judah told us he was on our side..._

Ryan's upper lip curled as he looked at Hazel with wide eyes before saying sharply, "What?"

"He's with Team Armageddon," Hazel said.

"And he told you about Team Armageddon's plan?" Ryan asked.

"Did you tell him you were with the Guild?" Dillan asked, hoping that they could still fool Team Armageddon.

"One thing led to another..." Hazel said.

"Meaning?" Ryan asked.

"Uh..." Hazel said nervously. "Well... Peterson knows as well as Titus; by default, Molan probably knows as well."

Ryan didn't say anything. His upper lip twitched as he fell backwards into a sitting position.

Dillan looked at his teammates. Hazel looked away from her team, presumably ashamed, while Ryan looked as though he was in shock and disbelief. _This is going horribly. We can't fight Team Armageddon like this; we'll be destroyed._

"We weren't trained for this," Ryan said flatly, staring at the snow. "We're going to get killed out here."

Hazel winced at what Ryan said. She turned away and looked downwards as well. Dillan looked at both his friend's expressions. They didn't seem willing to carry on like this.

 _At this rate, they'll just give up; I can't let that happen. There has to be a solution, but what? Maybe if we..._ "Guys," Dillan said. Ryan looked up at him while Hazel continued to downwards. "We're not going to die."

"How do you figure?" Ryan asked. "Our cover's blown. As soon as we get to the castle, we'll be killed on sight."

"Not necessarily," Dillan said. "I think if we move fast enough, we'll be in the clear."

"Why's that?" Ryan asked.

"If Team Armageddon found out this morning, at the least, they'll send a letter to Ignitus."

"How does moving quickly help us in any way?"

"If we move faster than that letter, Ignitus won't know we're not on his team. We'll still have our cover for the next few days no problem." Ryan put his paw to his chin as if he was thinking. "All we have to do is push on through."

"That might work..." Ryan said. "But we'd need to keep moving through the night, and I'm not sure if you can handle how cold it will be."

"I'll be alright," Dillan said. Hazel looked towards the gabite with shock. "I've handled a broken ankle and walked even further. It'll be fine."

"You sure?" Hazel asked.

"You didn't mess anything up," Dillan assured. "We'll be fine."

"Alright," Hazel nodded. She gave Dillan a warm smile. The gabite smiled back.

"Well," Ryan said as he stood up. "I don't like our odds, but you've convinced me." The pachirisu looked up, squinting at the sun. "If the sun's in the west..." he said pointing away from the town. "Then we need to go that way." Ryan looked over at the hills of snow ahead.

"Alright," Hazel said. "But first..." she put her bag on the ground and started digging through it. She pulled out two yellow berries and tossed one to Ryan. "For the road." Hazel held out the second one to Dillan who skewered it on his claw.

"Nice," Ryan said as he began munching on his berry. Hazel smiled as she pulled one more berry out and began munching.

"Let's eat and walk," Hazel said as she shouldered her bag. She began walking down the path towards the hills of snow in the distance. Dillan and Ryan followed, eating their berries. The path disappeared into the snow as the group continued walking.

* * *

Hours had went by. Team Rapture had been walking without rest to get to the border of their island with difficulty. The snow seemed very high, making it nearly impossible for Dillan and Hazel to get around. They ended up trudging through knee-high snow. It frightened Dillan that he couldn't feel anything in the lower-half of his body. _Is this how Arlon feels all over?_ Ryan, however, seemed perfectly fine. He wasn't heavy enough to sink into the snow. That allowed him to walk along the surface, only sinking up to his toes.

The group had spent the last couple of hours in idle chatter. Hazel told them about tons of things, like when she, Haily, and Dean went into a forest to get some berries for the local pharmacy.

"And we went home," Hazel finished.

"C-cool," Ryan said with a shiver.

"S-So how about you, Ryan?" Dillan asked slowly.

"Good idea," Hazel said cheerfully, seemingly unaffected by the cold air. "Any childhood stories?"

"No, thank you," Ryan said.

"Come on," Hazel insisted with a smile. "It'll be fun."

"Nope," Ryan said. "I'd rather not."

"W-why not?" Dillan asked.

"I'm not good with stories," Ryan said. "I wouldn't know where to start."

"From the beginning," Hazel said.

Ryan didn't answer. The group just kept walking. The sun was just about to go down behind the hill ahead, painting the sky in pinks and oranges.

Hazel smiled for a second before looking into the sky and said, "Guess it's too much to ask, huh Dillan?" Ryan ignored the comment. "I mean, gosh Ryan. Dillan told me the other day that you were ready to take on any challenge. Guess he was wrong."

"No he didn't," Ryan said defiantly.

"Sure he did," Hazel insisted. "Right, Dillan?"

"Uh..." Dillan said. _I don't remember saying that._ He caught an insistent glare from Hazel. It made Dillan's heart sink. _Is she mad at me?_

"Right. Dillan?" Hazel asked again, stressing each word.

"Oh," Dillan said, realizing what Hazel was implying. "Right."

"Yeah," Ryan said with a scowl in Dillan's direction. "Very convincing."

"Oh, come on!" Hazel complained. "You can tell us _one_ story, can't you? Just one?" Ryan didn't answer. "You have siblings. Tell us about them."

"They were jerks," Ryan said flatly. "Plain and simple. My older brother set the bar too high for my brother Luke, so he beat me up."

"You're telling me you didn't even have _one_ happy moment with your brothers?" Hazel asked.

Ryan didn't answer. The group walked in silence for a few seconds before Ryan looked up at the sky and smiled. "You'd just laugh."

"No, we wouldn't," Dillan assured.

" _You_ would," Ryan said with an accusing point at Hazel.

"When have I laughed at you?" Hazel asked.

"Back in Fericia Castle," Ryan told her. "You laughed when I couldn't knock on the door."

Hazel looked ahead and said. "Right..." She looked at Ryan and smiled. "But that was before I knew you. I wouldn't laugh at you _now_ , would I?"

Ryan gave a sigh and continued to stare at the sky. The sun had disappeared behind the hills of snow, casting a shadow over the group. "Alright," Ryan said. "I'll tell you, but you can't laugh."

"I promise," Hazel assured.

"Me, too," Dillan agreed.

Ryan didn't turn towards his team. He didn't seem to want to take his eyes off of the sky.

"My older brother – Isaiah – came home to visit our family once," the pachirisu began. "Me, my siblings, and my parents went outside to greet him. He was a successful doctor, so he always had some kind of gift to give us when we saw him. He was really more like a fun uncle than a brother. Anyways, he gave me my gift and messed up my hair like he always did. That's when I opened the box and found a poem. I thought it was the stupidest gift ever. I was so disappointed.

"Well, a few hours passed and I was pouting while I watched my brother Luke play with some toy he'd gotten. That's when Isaiah came over to me and asked what was wrong. I told him I didn't like the gift. I said it belonged in the mud. He laughed at that. That made me confused.

"'Why are you laughing?' I asked him.

"'You didn't read it, did you?' he asks me. I shake my head. He then takes the poem from my hands and reads it out loud. 'Northern Sky to Southern Seas. Eastern Sun to Western Breeze. No matter how strange your new lands may be, Look up at the sky, for under it lies me.' Pretty dumb poem. Written by one of his girlfriends in school.

"I asked him, 'What does that mean?'

"Isaiah smiles at me and says, 'It's suppose to mean that however different your surroundings may be, the sky is never different. If you ever get lonely, just look up and remember that..." Ryan's voice cracked. Dillan looked at Ryan. The pachirisu had a lone tear fall from his right cheek. _Ryan..._ "Remember that we're all under the same sky." Ryan stopped talking.

"Are you alright?" Hazel asked sympathetically.

Ryan didn't answer.

"Your brother seems nice," Dillan said, trying to cheer Ryan up.

"I..." Ryan said softly. He stopped walking. Dillan and Hazel stopped as well. Another tear fell from the white squirrel's cheek.

"It's fine, Ryan," Hazel said.

Ryan inhaled deeply. He put his paws up to his eyes and wiped his cheeks. "No, it isn't," the pachirisu said coldly. "My family isn't nice; none of them are. Not even Isaiah was cool for long. My family didn't want to deal with me anymore, so I left. You two know that."

Silence filled the air for minutes. Dillan and Hazel stood there, unsure of what to say. So, they waited for Ryan to say something, but he didn't. The sun light in the sky had faded. The moon was now on the horizon. Its light reflected off of the snow, lighting up the area ahead. The stars helped as well.

"How much longer do we have on this island?" Ryan asked.

"Ryan," Dillan said. Ryan looked at the gabite. "It doesn't matter if your family abandoned you. We're your family now, and that's that."

"He's right," Hazel said.

"Someone told me not to dwell on the bad in my life and look at the good."

Ryan looked at Dillan for a few seconds. He looked as though he wanted to say something. Instead, he turned away from Dillan and stared ahead. "Let's just keep moving," he said. The pachirisu started walking forwards. Dillan looked at Hazel who shrugged and followed the pachirisu. Dillan followed behind. _It'll get better, Ryan. Trust me._

* * *

Two hours went by since they last stopped. The moon was high in the sky, shinning its light onto Team Rapture. Dillan was so tired, he felt like falling onto his face and sleeping. Even so, he wanted to keep on walking. He felt like he needed to continue. He could see that his friends were also starting to slow down. Hazel and Ryan weren't walking as fast as they were earlier. They seemed to be droning on, only walking for the sake of walking.

"How much further?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know..." Hazel said quietly.

"Are we at least off of the island, yet?"

"I-" Dillan tried to say. He grimaced from the pain in his jaw. The cold was getting to his muscles. Just moving his jaw to say, "I" made it feel as though it was going to fall off into the cold, white wasteland that stretched before the team in a seemingly endless path of hills and plains.

"No," Hazel said drowsily. "We aren't. We haven't even crossed the bridge yet."

"Let's take a break," Ryan said. He gave a yawn. "We're probably close to the bridge by now, right?"

"We can't stop, now... Lives are at stake."

Dillan felt his leg seize up. It didn't move with the rest of his body, so he didn't have anything to catch him. The gabite fell forwards, face first. Ryan and Hazel didn't seem to notice the scrunching sound when he hit the snow. Dillan gave a muffled groan as a numbing burn shot up his leg and face.

"Dillan?" Hazel asked as she turned around to see her friend. She gasped when she saw he was in the snow.

"Hey!" Ryan called out when he saw the gabite. Dillan pushed his face out of the snow and took a shaky breath. "Are you alright?"

"W-We need to keep m-moving," Dillan said, tolerating the pain in his jaw as he stood up.

"You sure?" Hazel asked.

"No question," Dillan said. _I won't sit by and let more pokemon suffer because of me; I won't make the same mistake that I did with Arlon's captives._

"You need to rest," Ryan said. "We all do. This trek is taking it out of us."

"I'm n-not stopping," Dillan insisted.

"Alright," Hazel nodded. She got next to Dillan and set his arm over her neck to support him. "But you need help." Hazel picked Dillan up out of the snow.

"Thanks," Dillan said, putting some weight on his legs, but still keeping some on Hazel.

"How are you holding up, Ryan?" Hazel asked.

"Fine and dandy," Ryan said sarcastically. "Although, I am a bit hot. Do you have some ices for that?"

Hazel laughed a little.

Dillan smiled. He felt nice knowing his friends could joke around in a time like this; still, he was worried. He could hardly move. If something bad were to happen, he didn't want to be dead weight. _It'll be fine. You can still walk. You're fine._

Keeping that thought in mind, he continued walking with Hazel a few more feet before his leg seized up again. Once again, Dillan fell forwards, though this time, Hazel was there to help him. Dillan expected her to hold him up. He felt the charmeleon pull on him, but to his surprise, she went down with him.

The two pokemon fell into the snow. Hazel pushed herself up onto her knees and gave a yelp.

"M-man, that's c-c-cold!" she cried. She began shivering.

Dillan began pushing on the snow. His arms started shaking as he pushed himself up.

"Alright," Ryan said. "We're stopping here."

"We c-can't," Dillan said through a clattering jaw.

"You can't even walk," Ryan told him. "Besides, Hazel's too tired to help you and I can't, either for obvious reasons."

"B-but-"Dillan tried to protest.

"You can't save anyone tomorrow if you're too sick and tired from the cold to fight."

"Ryan-" Hazel tried to say.

"Be rational, Hazel!" Ryan shouted. "We're in the middle of a... 'winter wonderland' and Dillan can hardly stand! We haven't even reached the bridge to the main island, so we've got another four hours of walking in snow at the least – which mind you, keeps us from walking as fast as we could on _actual_ ground – before we get to the Alkan Castle! On top of that, I'm freezing my tail off and I'm also sopping wet from all of this snow!" Ryan started panting.

Dillan and Hazel looked at Ryan with wide eyes. Dillan in particular was speechless. He wanted to argue that he could go further, but everything Ryan said was true. He didn't know if he could _actually_ walk any more than he already had without some kind of extra help.

"U-um..." Hazel stuttered. "A-are you... alright?"

"Since you asked," Ryan said flatly. "No... No, I'm not." Ryan stood there for a few seconds before saying, "Just a short break... All I'm asking for is a few hours."

Hazel looked at Dillan for his answer. "Your call," she told him.

"A-alright," Dillan conceded, stuttering from a chilly breeze that seemed to sweep through the area. "B-but only for a f-few hours. Then, w-we leave."

"I'm fine with that," Hazel said.

"Alright," Ryan said.

The group sat there for a few minutes. Dillan waited for one of his teammates to do something, but they seemed to be waiting as well.

"Uh..." Dillan said. "A-are we waiting for s-something?"

Hazel smacked her free paw to her head and said, "Duh!" She took her bag off with one arm and tossed it to Ryan.

"What's this for?" Ryan asked.

"There's a tent in there," Hazel told the pachirisu. "We need to set it up."

"We have a tent?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah," Hazel said. "I picked one up in Palando after our first mission. We just hadn't used it because Dillan usually uses 'dig' to make a burrow for us, but he can't do that right now."

"Alright," Ryan said. He opened the bag and looked inside. He stared at the contents. After a few seconds he tilted his head as if trying to get a better angle.

Hazel gave a sigh. "Here," she said. The charmeleon walked over to Ryan and shooed him away. Ryan stepped to the side as Hazel took his place. She reached into the bag and grabbed at the inside. She pulled on the material and a new pouch emerged. Hazel reached into the new pouch and pulled out a roll of cloth accompanied by five, long, wooden sticks and some rope.

"Alright," Hazel said. She set the cloth at Ryan's feet. "You're going to help me set that up."

"Just tell me what to do," Ryan said.

"I can help," Dillan said.

"Again," Ryan said. "You can't stand alone." he smiled and said, "Just chill out."

"Really?" Hazel asked with a grin. "Ice puns? I expect that kind of thing from Bolt."

Ryan shrugged. "Whatever takes my mind off of the cold," he said.

As much as Dillan liked his teammates joking around, he hated feeling useless.

"He's right, though," Hazel said. "Just sit tight. We've got this."

"Alright..." Dillan said reluctantly.

Hazel began telling Ryan what to do with the materials she had taken from the bag. The two set up sticks, tied down rope, and put up the cloth. After about five minutes, plus about twenty or so spent trying to tell Ryan how to do certain tasks, both members messing their tasks up, and having to start completely from the beginning, the group had their own triangular tent supported by two sticks on either entrance tied to the snow by some rope. The tent was equipped with a blanketed inside so they didn't have to sleep on the snow.

"That's it?" Dillan asked.

"Until tomorrow..." Ryan said, sounding depressed. "Then, we take it all down..."

"It's better the second time around," Hazel told the pachirisu. "But enough about that. Let's just sleep."

"Sounds good to me," Ryan said.

Dillan didn't say anything. He was still bummed he couldn't be more of a help.

Dillan got into the tent first, followed by Ryan, then Hazel. _Wait..._

"Hazel," Dillan said.

"What is it?" Hazel asked as she shut the tarp at the front. The moonlight was blocked out, meaning the only source of light was Hazel's tail-flame.

"You're sleeping in here?" Dillan asked with a raised eyebrow. "With us?"

"Yeah," Hazel said.

"And you're comfortable with that?"

Hazel thought about how best to answer the question. "Well... No, not really. But this is a special circumstance. My flame's the only source of heat. You guys would freeze without it."

"Works for me," Ryan said, not seeming to care that a girl was going to sleep close to not just one, but two guys on a cold night. Dillan was – to say the least – uncomfortable. The pachirisu curled up, holding his tail close to his face like a child would do with a blanket, and said, "Good night."

"Hazel-" Dillan said.

"It's fine, Dillan," Hazel insisted with a smile. "Really." She stepped over Ryan's body and got close to Dillan. She sat down next to him and held her tail in front of her. She stared at the flame that seemingly danced on her tail's end. Dillan watched as it grew brighter. He felt as though it spread its warmth to the rest of the tent. "Just try and get some rest, alright?"

Dillan smiled at Hazel and said, "Thanks."

Hazel gave a cheery smile before dropping her tail and laying down on her side.

Despite the heat Hazel's tail was giving off, it didn't seem to ignite the blanket. Dillan, however, pushed that thought and his discomfort to the farthest reaches of his mind. He got down on the blanket. The moment he laid down, his eye-lids grew heavy and he closed them. Exhaustion took hold almost instantaneously, causing the world to disappear from Dillan as he fell asleep.

* * *

"Dillan!" a voice quietly demanded. The gabite felt himself rock back and forth. "Dillan, get up!"

"What?" Dillan asked groggily as he opened his eyes. He saw Hazel sitting next to him, shaking him in an attempt to get him up. She had knitted eye-brows as if she was worried. That made Dillan feel just as worried as her. "What's wrong?"

"There's someone outside the tent," Ryan told Dillan quietly. Dillan jumped upright to get a look at his friend. He needed to see Ryan's expression to confirm it, but he thought the pachirisu sounded scared. When he saw the tightened eyebrows above Ryan's wide-eyes, there was no mistaking it; whatever was outside, Ryan was frightened by it.

"What?" Dillan asked, more worry coming into his voice. "Who?"

"I don't know!" Hazel told Dillan.

Dillan listened for a noise from outside as he sat there. The wind blew by, whistling into the cracks of the tent. He sat there for a few more seconds hearing only his own heart pounding against his ribs. _What's out there?_ Is _something out there?_

"I d-" Dillan was saying before he was interrupted by the scrunching of what sounded like snow being compacted. The gabite stopped talking, his jaw locking. He could feel his mouth go dry, unsure of if it was the chilly air that caused it or the pit of fear he felt growing in his stomach. There was another "scrunch" sound that was louder than the first.

Dillan tried to hear another scrunch, but he was stopped by a squeak coming from Hazel. He looked at his friend's face. Her face was pale as she stared widely at the tent's side. Dillan followed her gaze and found a massive shadow on the side of the tent.

It looked like a round creature that was about five-feet tall, not including the extra height gained with the massive horns sticking out of its head accompanied by a lightning bolt coming out of the ear. It had two arms that seemed to contradict each other. One was fat and stubby while the other one was thin, but wavy.

It was enough to send Dillan running for the hills, and he would have. Then he remembered his friends. He couldn't leave them behind; not like he did back in Poltress Town.

The shadow warped as it moved towards the front entrance of the tent. Hazel put her paw to her chest as if to see if her heart was still going. Ryan looked at the entrance with his wide eyes. His cheeks began to send small, blue sparks out into the air. Dillan got ready to rush out the door at any moment: to attack if needed, but mostly to run away.

"Rawr!" a voice shouted out. Dillan felt his heart jump from the volume of the shout. Hazel and Ryan seemed to jump as well.

"W-wait," Ryan said cautiously. "Rawr?"

"Rawr!" the voice called out again. This time, Dillan wasn't frightened. Instead, he was very confused. _Come to think of it, it sounds somehow familiar._ "Rawr!"

"Are you just going to keep shouting that?" a new voice asked. It sounded elegant, feminine, and also familiar.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ryan shouted as he stepped towards the exit of the tent.

Ryan tore open the cloth merging the outside air with the inside. Hazel and Dillan looked out at two figures; one was on the other's shoulders. The one on top was small and yellow while the one at the bottom was round and pink.

"Dang it, Addi!" Ryan shouted, half annoyed and half overjoyed to see his friend. The pachirisu stepped out of the tent and gave Adelina a hug which she returned.

"Well, hi to you, too!" Bolt announced with a smile. He jumped off of Adelina and stood next to her.

"That was you?!" Hazel shouted. Dillan watched as her expression became one between complete shock and frustration.

"Hey, beautiful," Bolt said with a wink at Hazel.

"D-don't call me that!" Hazel stuttered as her cheeks went scarlet.

Dillan felt his heart leap from joy. He didn't care if the two had scared him earlier. He was happy to see the familiar faces. "Hey Bolt!" he greeted. "Hi Adelina!"

"Hey, Slash," Bolt said. "How goes the mission?"

Ryan broke from Adelina's hug before turning to Bolt and saying, "What the heck was that for?!"

"Chill out, Sparky!" Bolt said with a grin. "It was just some fun."

"We were sleeping!" Ryan shouted.

"That's what made it fun." Bolt shrugged.

Ryan was about to protest Bolt's actions when Hazel cut in with, "It doesn't matter." She relaxed her muscles as she sat down on the blanketed ground. "How did you find us?"

"Here's a better question," Ryan said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see you guys, but the Alkan Islands aren't in a very good position right now. Why are you guys here?"

"Garth sent us to help you three out," Adelina told the group. "I'm sorry for the scare. We really didn't mean to."

" _I_ did," Bolt added.

"Garth sent you guys?" Ryan asked.

"Is it really a shock?" Bolt asked Ryan. He put his right arm across his chest, revealing a buff Dillan had overlooked. It was black with an eroded "A" in the middle of a white circle. Dillan looked at Adelina who seemed to have a black cloth tied around her neck. The gabite couldn't see the symbol because of the lickitung's tongue hanging over the cloth, but he thought it was safe to assume that she was also wearing Team Armageddon's symbol.

The pachirisu's face grew into a smile. "I mean, Judah _did_ say he'd send you two to help, but... Wow. I didn't think he'd actually do it."

Adelina raised an eyebrow at Ryan. "Really?" she asked.

"Well..." Hazel began. "He _was_ kind of a jerk when we met him..." she trailed off at the last syllable.

Adelina chuckled lightly. "He may be a little rough," she began.

"That's putting it lightly," Ryan interrupted. "The fat, overgrown-"

"Alright," Adelina said. "Very rough – but he means well. I've found he's always trying to do what's best for the kingdom. Granted, sometimes it doesn't _feel_ like he cares. It might even feel like he's doing something wrong, but it's probably really hard to be a king. You need to remember that whatever Judah does, he does it in his own way to the best of his abilities." She let those words sink in. _Maybe she's right. I mean, Ryan said this all feels wrong, and I agree, but maybe that's because we don't understand Judah's whole plan._ "You don't agree?" Adelina asked, pointing her question with her eyes at Hazel.

Dillan looked towards his charmeleon friend. She seemed distraught. Her left paw was shaking next to her bag.

"Hazel?" Dillan asked. "Are you alright?"

Hazel took a deep breath and blinked her eyes twice before saying, "I'm fine." Her hand stopped shaking as she gave an assuring smile, though Dillan wasn't assured. _Are you hiding something?_

"I don't like Judah," Ryan said, oblivious to Hazel's behavior. "And you won't change my mind about him."

"Is that a challenge, Sparky?" Bolt asked playfully.

"No," Ryan said. "I just don't trust him."

"Well, you have to," Adelina said. "You took an oath to trust and obey the king."

"I know that," Ryan said. "It doesn't mean I have to like it."

"It really doesn't matter if Judah _is_ right or not," Hazel said. "The cost is too high to give up."

"Too high?" Bolt asked. "What do you mean?"

Hazel looked down at the ground, not meeting Bolt's gaze.

"Team Armageddon's going to attack the mainland and kill civilians," Dillan said with a knitted brow line.

"What?" Bolt asked with shock.

"That's not good..." Adelina said slowly.

"Which is why we need to get to the Alkan Castle as soon as possible," Dillan said.

"Hang on," Ryan said. He looked at Dillan and said, "Can you move, yet?"

"Maybe," Dillan said as he began standing up in the tent. He found he was shaky on his way up. Hazel jumped up next to him and began helping him with his balance, but Dillan held up his claw. "I'm fine." he assured.

"What's wrong?" Adelina asked.

"Well, that _would_ be a problem," Bolt said. "It's the cold, right? Is it getting to your body?"

"Yeah," Dillan sighed. "But I'm fine, now."

"Dillan..." Adelina said slowly.

"What is it?" Dillan asked. He looked at Adelina curiously. She was eyeing him with wonder and amazement. That started to worry him.

"Whoa," Bolt said with astonishment. "That's a neat trick."

"What?" Dillan repeated.

"Is your crystal suppose to do that?" Hazel asked with concern.

Dillan watched the pachirisu's face. It began turning a light tint of green. That's when Dillan realized everything was being bathed in a tint of green. He looked down at his crystal. It began shinning, casting a light that strained his eyes due to the sudden exposure to the green beams. He felt the crystal began to get heavier on his neck. It seemed to begin pulling him to the ground with a force that was barely noticeable.

"Uh..." Dillan stumbled.

"What is it with you and your crystals?" Ryan asked.

Dillan felt his crystal pull forwards. _Do you want me to follow you?_ The gabite took a step forwards. The pull lessened, seemingly praising the gabite for walking. Dillan took a few more steps forwards, making his way around Bolt, Ryan, an Adelina as he exited the tent.

The night sky was darker as if blocked by clouds that only allowed a sliver of moonlight onto the snowy ground. It wasn't very helpful considering the fact that it only allowed a few feet of visibility before the darkness consumed everything around them. The gabite felt a frigid breeze collide with his scales, but he was getting use to it. All he gave the cold was a small shiver before moving on.

He walked a few more feet away from the tent before his crystal started acting very strange. It grew brighter – casting a green hue into the surrounding area – and started pulling in what Dillan could only assume was every which way at once.

"What are you trying to tell me?" Dillan asked himself quietly.

"Where are you going?" Hazel asked as she and the rest of Dillan's friends walked out and away from the tent to meet the gabite.

"I don't know," Dillan said halfheartedly as he continued to wonder. _What is it you're trying to tell me?_

The group stood still for a few seconds as they waited for Dillan to do something. Bolt seemed confused, as did Adelina. Hazel seemed curious while Ryan had his ears perked up.

"Wha-" Bolt tried to say.

"Wait," Ryan interrupted. Bolt stopped talking and waited for Ryan to continue. "Do you hear that?"

Dillan's crystal started getting even brighter. It was as bright as a torch as it radiated green light on the group's faces.

"What is it?" Adelina asked worriedly.

"I hear it, too," Bolt said.

"Ryan," Hazel said. "What do you hear?"

"Who's there?" Ryan called out into the darkness. _What?_

"Ryan!" Hazel whispered forcefully in an attempt at getting him to tell her what was wrong.

Ryan didn't answer. He continued to look at the darkness. Dillan looked with worry as he saw Ryan's fist tighten into a ball as a look of anticipation flashed across his eyes. The pachirisu's cheeks sparked.

"Ready?" Ryan asked as his cheeks continued sending streaks of blue electricity into the air.

"On my mark," Bolt said, his face mirroring Ryan's while he sent his own yellow jolts of electricity into the air. They waited about three seconds before Bolt called out, "Now!"

The two pokemon shouted as blue and yellow electricity arced off of their bodies. It disappeared into the darkness, lighting up the surrounding area. Dillan looked on with an expression of fear as the electricity took on a shape in the darkness, creating an outline of a creature. He didn't get a very good look at it because of the electricity disappearing in a flash, but he did confirm one thing: something is out there in the darkness.

"What in Ganderosa was that?" Adelina asked with wide eyes.

"I applaud you," a confident, female voice called out from the darkness in front of the group. "Not many pokemon can hear me coming."

"We know where you are," Bolt shouted. "Come out and show yourself."

"I don't play my opponent's games," the voice stated.

"Opponent..?" Hazel said with a grimace.

"What are we facing?" Adelina whispered to Bolt.

"Can't tell," Bolt said. "There isn't enough light."

"Surrender now," the voice called out. "Or face the consequences."

"Lady," Bolt said, "Do you know who I am?"

"I just want the human," the voice said. Dillan felt his heart drop. _Human? She know I'm human?_

"The... what?" Bolt asked.

"Come now, Dillan," the voice said. "Don't make this difficult. Come with me and I'll spare your friends."

"You're after Dillan?" Hazel asked.

Dillan heard Ryan inhale through his teeth. "You won't get him!" the pachirisu shouted. Dillan looked at his friend. He was grimacing ever so slightly.

"Why should I trust you?" Dillan shouted into the darkness.

"You have no reason to believe me," the voice said. It sounded closer. Dillan heard the scrunching of the snow as if a heavy creature was walking towards them. The gabite watched as a figure emerged into the green light. Dillan felt like running as he stared at the creature standing before him.

It was a bipedal pokemon with a big body with tan markings on its chin, breast, and waist. The pokemon had a horn on its head and spikes jutting out of its spine as if they were small fins. The pokemon had small, pointed talons on its hands and feet. The pokemon also had a pair of big, mouse-like ears. Dillan recognized the pokemon. He had met her before.

"You were in Castellum Town," Dillan said as he tried to mask the fear present in his voice and face. "You're Thalia."

"You remember me," the nidoqueen said as she stared at Dillan with no emotion present in her face.

"She's the one who took Reya?" Hazel asked Dillan. "Does that mean she's with 'the Enemy'?"

"'The Enemy'?" Bolt asked.

Dillan remembered the nidoqueen carrying off his poisoned friend. He remembered Reya telling him to run. "Where is she?" he asked the nidoqueen.

"She isn't the issue any longer," Thalia said. "You are, human."

"Why do you keep saying that word?" Hazel questioned.

"Come with me now before I start killing your friends."

"Oh, yeah?" Bolt asked. "You want a fight, lady?"

"No," Thalia said.

Bolt looked like he was about to throw out some sort of witty counter to what Thalia said, but he just stood there with his mouth open for a few seconds before asking, "What?"

"I only fight when there is no other way."

"Really?" Ryan asked. "And why's that?"

"For honor," Thalia told Ryan flatly.

"Honor?" Ryan asked. His face went into a snarl.

"Where was the honor in taking Reya!" Dillan shouted.

"She left me no choice," Thalia said calmly. "Reya betrayed everything she stood for, and for what? So she could cure her guilty conscience?"

"Stood for?" Dillan asked. "Like morals?"

"That isn't important right now," Thalia stated. "All you need to know is that you're coming with me or your friends die where they stand."

"That simple?" Bolt asked with a smile. "Piece of cake."

"Bolt," Adelina warned, "Stop underestimating your opponents all the time."

Bolt shrugged. "Give me a reason to."

"Focus on the task," Hazel told the pikachu.

"Why?" Bolt asked. "She's only _one_ pokemon. I mean, how hard can this really be?"

"Knock it off!" Ryan snapped. "Stay focused, now!"

Dillan watched the nidoqueen with anticipation and worry. _What does she have planned? Why is she giving me a chance to give up? Why not just attack?_

"Well?" Thalia asked with a finality in her voice. "Do you surrender the human?"

"What are you even talking about?" Hazel asked. Dillan winced at his friend's question.

"It doesn't matter," Bolt stated with a grin. He laughed. "She obviously wants Dillan." He took a step closer to Thalia. "You think we'd willingly give up one of our own to you: a lady who randomly showed up out of nowhere and made demands of us?"

Thalia's brow-line tightened as she gave a sigh. "I wanted to make this easy on you all. I wanted to give you a chance. I didn't want to have to kill you. Now, you've stretched my honor to its limits." She clasped her claws and snapped them together, sending the sound into the veil of darkness that surrounded them. Almost immediately, the sound of multiple feet stamping in the snow came from around the group. The emerald light from Dillan's crystal grew even brighter, illuminating three figures who stood around them.

One of the figures had a massive, spherical head that looked like it was also used as the body. Its head-body came out to the backside where it ended with a bump. Its red fur contrasted the green, making him look brown. Massive arms stretched off of the creature and ended at its boulder-like fists that the creature seemed to lean on for support. Its hind legs were small in comparison to its behemoth arms, yet normal when seen with Dillan's. It had three stripes on its chest where its orange skin could be seen. The fur didn't stretch over the eyes, creating a look as though the pokemon was wearing a mask around its eyes and slits-for-nostrils. The pokemon's beady eyes stared at Dillan as cold and as malicious as Arlon. Its massive, toothy grin complemented the shiftree as well, but on this creature, it looked natural. The one thing that stood out to Dillan was the fiery eye-brows that arched off of the pokemon's head, creating a low-light in the dark. The pokemon sneered at Dillan, though the gabite wondered if it was the only thing the darmanitan could do.

The second pokemon greatly disturbed Dillan. It had a spherical head that almost looked purple. It had small, white eyes that were only interrupted by the even-smaller pupils. The pokemon's massive, pink lips puckered as the creature stared at Dillan. Its bleached-blonde hair parted at its face and stretched down towards the middle where it touched the pokemon's silky, red dress that trailed behind. It had white arms coming off of it that ended at its purple hands. The creature winked at Dillan as if trying to seduce him. The gabite shuddered at the jynx.

The third pokemon slithered through the air and onto the ground like a flying snake. Its navy-blue, serpentine body gracefully slid into a standing position where it rested on two small, fin-like feet. Its underbelly was the color of a vanilla cream. It had a yellow spot around its eyes with two coming off of its head. If Dillan thought that jynx's lips were massive, he changed his mind. This creature had lips that were as big as its head, making its body like a hollowed cylinder with a tail. The lips had four razor-sharp teeth lining the outside of its lips. It had a fin coming off of its head like a fish. Another fin trailed the end of its back and ended at the tail. The creature's red eyes stared at Dillan without mercy. Its arms came off of its body and grew at its rounded hands. It had three claws coming off of the hands. They had a big, yellow spot on the back and palm. It also had a lightning-bolt pattern shooting from another circle on its arms. That made Dillan wonder if the eelektross before him was an electric type.

The three creatures created a ring around the team.

"Is that all?" Bolt scoffed. "An eel, a monkey, and a... whatever you are..?" The jynx scowled at Bolt for his comment. The pikachu didn't seem to care. "No problem!"

"Bolt!" Adelina warned. "Stop taking this lightly!"

Bolt laughed. "This'll be easy, C. A."

"Bolt!" Ryan snapped. "Stop it!"

Bolt looked at Ryan with confusion. "What?"

"Stop acting like this is going to be the easiest battle you've ever fought! Pokemon die that way! Focus on the task at hand right now, or I'll kick your sorry tail into shape for you!"

"Uh..." Adelina said. "Ryan? Are you alright?"

"Is this really the time?" Hazel asked.

"Y-you're right," Adelina said as she put her focus back into the fight. "I'm sorry."

"You think this is going to be hard?" Bolt sneered. He got down on all fours as if ready to dart.

Hazel looked at the pikachu with confusion before realizing what he was going to do. Dillan grimaced. "Bolt-" he began.

The pikachu darted off towards the darmanitan, a trail of white light tracing wherever he stepped. The darmanitan raised his fist as if he was going to smash Bolt before he got too close. The darmanitan slammed its fist into the snow where Bolt would have been, but the pikachu rolled to the side; he started running circles around the pokemon.

"I've got this guy!" Bolt shouted gleefully. The darmanitan swatted at Bolt. The pikachu leapt over the attack before continuing to run circles.

"Dillan, look out!" Hazel shouted. Dillan felt his heart sink. He looked around quickly and realized he was the only one left standing in the use-to-be circle-of-friends. Everyone else had run off, and for good reason. A blast of white particles was racing towards him. Dillan looked at the attack with horror and instinctually lunged at the ground. He quickly began shoveling snow as he descended. After about three feet of digging, he looked up. The blast flew past his hole, but a cold breeze followed the gabite making him shiver.

Once the attack stopped. Dillan risked a peek. He slowly ascended the hole and looked out into the world. He saw Bolt was still fighting with the darmanitan, though it looked as though he was screwing with the big ape more than fighting. He let the darmanitan attack several times, but it seemed as though the ape was too big for his own good.

Dillan looked around again. He saw Ryan and Thalia confronting one another. They seemed to be arguing while attacking each other, which confused Dillan. _She's still trying to reason with us?_ It disturbed him to think about how much the nidoqueen wanted him.

Adelina was with Hazel confronting the jynx. That left him and... _Oh, no._

"All alone," the eelektross said from behind Dillan. The gabite looked around quickly to see his opponent staring at him. "No one to help you."

Dillan dove downwards and quickly plowed through the snow until he hit the dirt, which he began digging through as well. He realized his miracle sense let him see everything going on above him. _Duh! Why did I forget that?_ That's when he sensed something; a blast of some sorts was rubbing against the walls behind the gabite as it made its way towards him at a greater speed than he could dig. Dillan looked back without stopping. He saw a glowing, white blast making its way towards him. It seemed to use the hole as a path that led straight to the gabite. He had mere seconds before the blast hit him. Dillan began digging upwards as fast as he could.

The gabite breached the snow and dove to the side. The "hyper beam" that once raged behind him shot out like a geyser of snow and pure energy that illuminated the surrounding area. The gabite stood up quickly. He was feet from his opponent. The eelektross looked at him with a scowling gaze. Dillan was shocked to see the creature's claws began glowing blue and extended. The pokemon looked at the gabite with confidence. It jumped into the air and began slithering above the ground. Dillan looked at the creature with fear.

Something inside told Dillan what was about to happen was not good. The eelektross lunged through the air to strike the gabite. He swiped his paw, leaving a trail of blue light in the air as he attacked. Dillan jumped to the left out of the pokemon's way. The attack missed as the creature drifted through the air past its target. Dillan took shallow breaths as he felt the ice and snow start to take hold. He began thinking about the situation. _That's a dragon claw attack..._ He took a gulp. Something inside of him told him that that attack was something he absolutely did _not_ want to get hit by. _I need to think fast! What would Ryan do?_

The eelektross didn't give Dillan any time to think. He rushed back at Dillan. The pokemon gave a battle-cry before slashing once more at the gabite. Dillan tried to dodge left, but he felt his leg start to seize up, crippling his ability to move. Dillan's dodge was ruined. He had no time to do anything. He could only watch as his opponent's claws dug deep into his scales. He felt the claws drag through him and come out. Dillan gave a cry of pain as he fell backwards onto his back. His back-fin didn't help with the impact as it folded underneath his weight.

"Dillan!" Hazel called out, taking her mind off of her fight. She didn't notice the attack coming towards her. The jynx fired a massive beam of white energy towards Hazel. Adelina saw what was about to happen. She jumped in the way and pulled two of her orange swords out of thin air. She set them into the ground, sending snow into the air, and a clear wall appeared in front of the two pokemon. The blast impacted the shield and exploded. Snow went flying in different directions, pelting the pokemon in its vicinity. Adelina's shield, however, stayed intact. She turned to Hazel, dividing her focus between the charmeleon and the wall, and said, "Stay focused on your surroundings! You can't help Dillan if you're dead!"

"I'm going to help him!" Hazel shouted as she ran around the "protect". Almost immediately, a new beam of white light smashed into the ground in front of Hazel. It sent her flying backwards and into Adelina. Hazel's force pushed Adelina into the snow and the two struggled to their feet: Hazel because of the pain she endured from that attack and Adelina because she had to split her focus between getting up, Hazel, and her "protect" attack.

Hazel was about to run again towards Dillan when Adelina grabbed her by the arm. "We're pinned!" she shouted, obviously strained by trying to hold her protect in place. "You can't help him right now!"

"But-" Hazel tried to argue.

"Focus on this, first!" Adelina shouted, frustrated by Hazel. "Don't make Dillan deal with two opponents at the same time!"

Hazel wanted to protest. She wanted to help Dillan. From the look of things, he needed it.

"Hazel!" Adelina shouted. One final blast shook the force-field. The barrier collapsed, leaving Adelina exhausted.

"Alright!" Hazel said. She would have to help Dillan later. She used her worry and fear to fuel a massive burst of fire that arched forth and blasted towards the jynx.

* * *

Dillan, after getting slammed with the eelektross' attack, looked at his chest. Blood was seeping out of three marks across his chest, leaving a trail down into the cold didn't help with the burning sensation, but he couldn't focus on that right now. The gabite began standing up. He looked towards the eelektross as it slithered towards him.

"Raymond!" Thalia shouted as she dodged one of Ryan's bites. "We need him alive!"

"I know!" the eelektross shouted back. It still had its claws extended.

Dillan stood up as fast as he could, but he felt as though he was going to fall over at any second. _Alright: focus. There's no point in moving; I'd be in the snow again, leaving me vulnerable. That leaves one option..._ The gabite took a hard gulp. A drop of sweat fell from his forehead. He didn't trust himself whatsoever to make it out of this. He felt very nervous. But, regardless of all of the emotions of doubt and fear he had swelling up inside of him, he needed to try. His fins began glowing blue. They extended as they always did into a dragon claw attack. _My only option... to fight where I stand._

Feeling the pressure, Dillan watched the eelektross' movements carefully. The eelektross slashed its right hand at the gabite. Dillan raised his left arm and blocked the slash with the blunt side of his fin. Dillan watched as the eelekrtross' left arm jabbed at his chest. The gabite intercepted the attack with his right fin and once more blocked the eelektross' attack. Dillan then slashed with his left fin. The eelektross had barely enough time to react. It bent its back backwards creating a sizeable gap between Dillan's slash and its body.

The yellow spots on the eelektross began glowing. Its claws retracted back to normal as it snaked its way through the air towards Dillan. Dillan slashed again, but the eelektross dove underneath his strike. It then wrapped itself around Dillan's body in a second. Fear took hold of Dillan. He could feel his opponent's scales rub against his own in a very uncomfortable fashion. The eelektross restrained Dillan with its own body. It stared the gabite in the eyes. Dillan could smell the horrid stench of its breath hitting his face. He looked into the abyss present in the pokemon's mouth. He watched as a beam of purple light began to grow bright from inside of the eelektross. It grew in brightness until Dillan could see the source. A giant ball of purple energy was growing from inside of the pokemon's throat.

 _Do something fast!_ Dillan shouted at himself internally. He felt as though his heart had left the rest of his body to die. If he didn't think of something fast, that purple loogie would mean the end of him.

Then, he felt something deep inside of him, though it didn't feel like something bad. It was hard to describe. It was like some primal instinct was guiding him to what to do. It wasn't like the crystal. That seemed to be less specific and led him subtly. This seemed to urge his very movements.

Dillan seemed to feel what he needed to do. He lifted his foot and stamped it into the ground. Immediately, a boulder broke from the ground and shot up inches from where Dillan stood. The eelektross wasn't so lucky. The rock came up from below the elektross' body and slammed into it with great speed and force, ripping the creature from Dillan and sending the gabite onto his fin once more. Dillan gave a grimace of pain as he got off of his fin and stood up. The eelektross flew through the sky and landed in the snow. Flakes shot up from the impact. The pokemon stood up quickly and stared at Dillan with annoyance.

"Now you're ticking me off!" the pokemon snarled.

Dillan felt that instinct inside of him again. It made him look back to where the boulder had been. To his surprise, it was floating in thin air. Dillan felt the need to do something with it. He felt the urge to run up to it, so he did. Dillan leapt at the boulder and back-handed it with his arm-fin. The rock flew towards his opponent. The eelektross snaked its way around the rock and began slithering towards Dillan. The gabite slammed his foot into the ground again, a new boulder breaking from the earth and coming in front of him. Dillan whacked the new boulder, sending it flying towards his enemy. The eelektross dodged the attack once again. _That gives me an idea._

Dillan thumped his foot against the ground two times. This time, two stones floated in the air. He grinned. The gabite smashed the two stones and they raced through the air towards their target. The pokemon snaked its way between the stones.

"You think that's going to-" the eelektross was cut off when he realized his mistake. Dillan had sent two stones towards the eelektross not to hit the pokemon, but to force it into a position that the gabite wanted.

Dillan lunged forwards towards the eelektross. He focused on his fins. They extended into blue, glowing blades. He slashed at the eelektross who was on a collision course with his fins. The pokemon tried to evade, but its earlier dodge made this one impossible due to its forward motion. Dillan's fins sunk into his opponent's scales, slashing its body. The eelektross gave a cry of pain before falling to the ground. Dillan looked at the opponent with a nervous scowl, hoping it wouldn't get up. The eelektross didn't move. It just lied there in the snow, breathing harshly. Dillan decided it couldn't do any more harm. He turned towards the rest of the battle.

By the look of things, Bolt had stopped toying with his opponent a while ago. Now, he was fighting the darmanitan head-on. The two seemed to be going at it. Bolt hit his opponent with different attacks, yet it didn't seem to truly affect the battle. It seemed like he was more annoying the beast than anything.

Dillan found Hazel and Adelina were seeming to be handling themselves just fine. They looked roughed up by their fight, but they seemed to be on the offensive now. They were attacking the jynx from two different angles, keeping their opponent on its toes.

Ryan and Thalia just stopped attacking. They looked as though they had gotten a few hits in on one another. Dillan, ignoring the stretching pain of his bloody scales, ran up to the panting Ryan.

"Stop playing games," Thalia said. "Stop toying with your opponents."

"Ryan!" Dilan shouted as he came up to his friend's side.

Ryan looked at Dillan for a second before turning his gaze back to Thalia. "I'm not toying with anyone!" he shouted.

Thalia stood there for a few seconds. She looked at the battlefield with a scowl. "Do you believe you are the one in the prophecy?"

"Prophecy?" Dillan asked.

"You were in Castellum Town," Thalia stated. "Surely Reya told you the prophecy." Dillan remembered it, now. Reya told him right before Arlon had come in and attacked them. "Everyone in my organization knows it by heart." She turned to face the group of two. "Do you believe it?"

Dillan didn't answer. He had no intention to. _She has to be asking for some reason I can't see. I'm not playing her game._

Ryan grimaced at Thalia. "Fight me or shut it!" Ryan shouted.

Thalia closed her eyes and sighed. "I guess it doesn't matter whether you believe it or not." She opened her eyes and glared at them. "Because if you don't make sure _your_ job is finished, human, I _will_ complete mine." Thalia continued to look at them while she called, "Blake! Celia!"

Dillan was confused by those names. Suddenly, he saw the darmanitan and jynx running from both sides to meet with Thalia. They got infront of her and bowed.

"Yes, mistress," they said in unison.

"Get Raymond. We're leaving."

"Leaving?" Dillan asked with wide eyes.

"What do you mean, 'leaving'?" Bolt asked. Dillan looked to his left and watched the pikachu come up beside him. Adelina and Hazel walked up as well. "Do you mean, 'we'll meet again' leaving, or do you mean, 'they're too strong for us' leaving?"

"This fight is a waste of energy," Thalia said. "You've already defeated one of my soldiers. You will just help each other until I am forced to take all of you alone. There is no reason to continue."

"So, you're retreating?" Hazel asked.

Thalia snapped her claws together. The darmanitan broke from the group and went for the eelektross. "Yes," the nidoqueen said.

"What makes you think we'll just let you go?" Bolt asked.

"You already have an injured party member," she gestured to Dillan and his bloody chest. "Would you like to jeopardize his safety for a fight? Would you like to see how much worse you'll all be just to capture me?"

Bolt didn't say anything. He just stood up straight and crossed his arms. The darmanitan walked to Thalia with the fainted eelektross slung over his shoulder.

"The next we meet," Thalia began again, "You will not have the chance to surrender." The nidoqueen turned away from the group and walked off into the darkness followed by the darmanitan and jynx.

"Surrender?" Bolt asked. He turned to Adelina and smiled. "I don't think so."

"And why's that?" Hazel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It was so easy I toyed with my opponent."

"Whoopdy-freaking-do for you!" Adelina shouted. Dillan looked at the lickitung. She looked as though she was about to burst a vein.

Bolt looked at Adelina with shock. "C. A?" he asked nervously.

"Me and Hazel were off fighting for our lives!" Adelina shouted. "You could have at _least_ beaten your guy and helped us!"

"H-hey!" Bolt pleaded. "I thought you guys had it taken care of!"

"Fine!" Adelina said. "But the next time you think I have it covered, remember that I cook your food!"

Bolt looked at Adelina worriedly. "I'm sorry," he said honestly. "I thought you guys had it covered."

Adelina crossed her arms for a few seconds while looking at Bolt. She stared at him for a few seconds before sighing and dropping her scowl. "Alright," she said. "It's fine. I guess we got out alright, anyways."

"Dillan!" Hazel gasped. Dillan looked at Hazel with confusion. Hazel responded to that look with, "Your chest is bleeding!"

"Oh," Dillan said. He looked down at his blood-soaked chest. As the adrenaline left his body, it started hurting a little more.

"Here." Hazel set her bag on the floor and pulled out some white bandages and sitrus berries. She squeezed the berries in one of the bandages, soaking it with the juices. She put the bandage to Dillan's chest. The gabite grimaced from the stinging pain of the berries. Hazel took the rest of the bandages and wrapped them around Dillan's body, covering up the wound.

"Thanks," Dillan said.

"It should be fine for now," Hazel told the gabite. "But I'm not sure how much longer it will stay that way."

Dillan didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean?" he asked nervously.

"It's just that we're going to be moving around a lot," Hazel said. "You're suppose to be resting when you get a cut like this so you don't stretch out the wound. Since we need to get to the Alkan Guild in a few hours, that's not possible."

"So I'll be careful," Dillan compromised.

Hazel looked at him with concern. She sighed and said, "I guess there's nothing more we can do except hope the berries do their magic."

"Ryan?" Adelina asked. Dillan looked over at his friend. He was scowling at the darkness where Thalia had disappeared. "Are you alright?"

Ryan didn't answer. He just kept staring. Adelina walked up to the pachirisu and sat down next to him so they would be closer to eye-level.

"He's probably shaken up from fighting," Hazel said.

"That's one explanation," Bolt said, "But I don't think that's it." Dillan and Hazel looked at Bolt. "Ryan's too tough to be shaken up that easily. The only way that could happen is if that nidoqueen got into his head by saying something."

Hazel hummed to herself as if contemplating. She looked a Dillan who stared back. Seconds went by. Dillan was starting to feel uncomfortable with the situation.

"What?" Dillan asked.

"Thalia called you something, right?" Hazel asked.

Dillan felt his neck beginning to get hot. "W-what?" he stuttered.

"She said 'give me the human or die'," Bolt said in a mocking tone. "Well, more or less."

"Human!" Hazel said as she snapped her claws. "That's what she said!" She pointed at Dillan. "She called you 'human'!"

"Sh-she did?" Dillan asked with a nervous smile. _Stop digging! Please stop digging!_

"Why did she call you that?"

"I-I don't know," Dillan said with a shrug.

Hazel scowled at him. "Dillan," she said.

"W-what?"

"You know what she meant, don't you?"

Dillan didn't answer. _This is getting worse by the minute._

"Aren't you guys suppose to trust each other?" Bolt asked.

Hazel froze. Dillan watched as her scales in her cheeks went crimson. _She's embarrassed?_

"Yeah..." Hazel said, though she sounded as if she was worried.

"Wait a minute," Bolt said, dropping his joyful attitude. He sounded confused. "You guys are hiding things from each other?" Neither Dillan or Hazel answered. Bolt's eyes grew wider. "You are?!"

"What?" Hazel asked.

"You guys are a team and you're keeping secrets from each other? I thought you guys were close!"

"We are!" Hazel said.

"No, you aren't," Bolt said, shaking his head. "Koa and I shared everything with each other. That's what made us such great friends. We trusted each other on such a level that it didn't matter what happened. We knew we wouldn't judge each other."

"Your point is?"

"Keeping secrets creates animosity towards each other because it makes you afraid of what the other pokemon might think of you if they were to find out. Keeping secrets doesn't work on a team because a team needs to trust each other no matter what."

"I do trust my team no matter what," Dillan said.

"And you keep secrets?" Bolt asked.

Dillan thought about how best to answer it. "It's..."

"Complicated?"

"Difficult," Dillan finished. "If I tell you, someone gets hurt, and I can't do that to her." Saying those words left a bad taste in his mouth. _It's the truth!_ That made the taste even worse. _I can't tell Hazel! Reya might get hurt as a result!_

Hazel and Bolt looked at Dillan with confusion. "Her?" Bolt asked. "You have a girlfriend?"

"What?!" Dillan asked, taken aback by the question. "No!" he said sternly. "It's not like that! I just can't say or someone gets hurt! There isn't anything I can do about it, alright?" Dillan looked at Hazel. "If I could tell you, I would; but I can't." Dillan felt a pit grow in his stomach. _I can't!_ He pleaded internally.

Hazel looked at Dillan with confusion. "So, you can't tell me because if you do, someone gets hurt?" she asked.

"Basically," Dillan acknowledged.

"A-alright," Hazel said. She still looked confused. That made Dillan feel even worse than before. _I_ can't _tell her!_

"So, what about you?" Bolt asked Hazel. Hazel's face turned even redder than it was before. "What's your secret?"

"Bolt, leave them alone," Adelina sighed. "If Hazel doesn't feel comfortable sharing her secrets right now, then let her do it on her own time."

Bolt looked at Adelina with a raised eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes, really," Adelina insisted. "Besides, we're moving out."

"Is Ryan alright?" Dillan asked, trying to take his mind off of the feeling of, what he could only be described as, guilt lingering in his chest. He looked at the pachirisu who was still looking out at the darkness.

"Yeah," Adelina said. "He'll be fine."

"What was wrong?" Hazel asked quickly as if trying to push the conversation off of her, even though it had already drifted to Ryan.

"He's just shaken up from that nidoqueen," Adelina said. She turned and looked at Ryan. "Something she said is really getting to him."

"Let's go," Ryan said calmly, not meeting his team's eyes. Dillan thought he sounded a little sad. The pachirisu turned towards the group and walked between them. He then started leading the way.

"Okay..." Hazel said slowly, worry present in her voice.

"Give him a few hours," Adelina told the charmeleon. "He'll be alright by then."

"Alright..." Dillan said halfheartedly. He was starting worry about his friend. The pachirisu was normally very outgoing. Now, he seemed depressed and secluded. Dillan wanted to do something to help, but he didn't know what. _I wonder if Ryan has something he's been wanting to do... something fun. Maybe that would cheer him up._

As Dillan thought of some way to cheer up his friend, the group began moving. They had no idea what was to come; whether it was going to spring into existence before them or linger in the shadows while it waited for a time to strike. Dillan didn't care. All he wanted to do now was cheer up his friend.

* * *

(Author's Notes)

So... I mentioned the prophecy in Chapter 28, and from the two reviews I got from some of you guys, it seems like I haven't mentioned it in too long. Well, I just wanted to let you know that it _has_ been revealed... shown... whatever the word is. Anyways, Reya explains it, and I quote,

"A great shadow will come and engulph the world. It will consume everything and replace it with hate and death. The world will be on the verge of collapsing. One pokemon will be the decider of the fate of everything. It will decide whether the world lives or falls. That single pokemon will form a team of four: The one who will see the future, the leader of an army, the deciever, and the one who will bring an end to everything that exists." (Check for yourself! (Chapter 17! (Yeah... 12 Chapters ago (has it really been that long?)))) So, yeah! There _is_ a prophecy and it has been mentioned! Now, I admit that it isn't as memorable as I should have made it, seeing as Arlon comes out of nowhere right after Reya tells Dillan the prophecy, so that's my bad. But, here it is! Remember it (or don't. It's your mind, after all)

There are no new followers, so I would _actually_ like to give a shout-out to the guest (not sure if you called yourself this or what, but here goes), "GeniericGuest83" for the review he/she gave to the story! I loved the review and it was hard to make the decision, but you posted the review to Chapter 1 about stuff from Chapter 28 so (and I'm really sorry!) I had to deny the review. Anyways, I loved the review, so I thought I'd post it here for people to read. "GeniericGuest83" writes,

"Welp, the kings a backstabber it seems. It seems like Dylan will have a better performance next chapter as well. I don't remember this prophecy being mentioned very much, but most prophecies in stories end up being fake. I'm going to assume this one isn't. And remember when Jake showed Valery to Dillan all those chapters back? I have a feeling that all of these come together signify one thing: S***'s happening in the next few chapters."

Thanks again for the review! If you want to repost the review to chapter 28, I would LOVE that!

Anyways, thanks to everyone who's still reading the story! I went back to a previous chapter (Chapter 17) and am appalled by the lack of description (Yeah... I'll try to work on it...), but it's cool to see that you guys still stuck around, anyways! So, thanks to everyone! I'll see you all next week!


	30. The Chaos Theory: Part I

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 30

The Chaos Theory: Part I

* * *

Several hours had gone by since their encounter with Thalia. The guildmembers had been trudging through foot-deep snow as they ascended and descended multiple hills covered in what Dillan now referred to as, "the white-stuff from hell". The stuff completely numbed his feet up to his knees, and the frigid air didn't help; the rising-sun did, however, warm his body ever-so-slightly. Even so, the warm touch of the light wasn't enough to help the wound on his chest. It had gotten a little better since the fight, but it still stung when the gabite pushed himself.

Bolt had been talking to Hazel about different events and funny mishaps that had happened in his life. The pikachu's stories seemed to lighten the mood significantly, creating an uplifting atmosphere. That very atmosphere seemed to be drifting right over Ryan's head. Adelina had tried on several occasions to help the brooding pokemon, but she seemed to only be capable of so much. Ryan's focus seemed devoted to his thoughts and the road ahead, not paying any attention to anything else around him. His attitude had Dillan worried.

The gabite stared at Ryan's knitted eyebrows as he walked by Dillan's side, not seeming to notice or care about the concerned frown Dillan was wearing. Dillan watched Ryan's intense stare that was fixed on the white horizon.

 _It isn't like Thalia is the reason for how Ryan's acting; she's just the latest contributor. He's been... off since we left Palando, but now it's even worse. I thought he would get better as time went on, but he still seems angry with something. I wish I could understand what's been bugging him. I wish he would just tell me._

Bolt's words echoed in Dillan's head. _"_ _Keeping secrets creates animosity towards each other because it makes you afraid of what the other pokemon might think of you if they were to find out."_ He felt a pit grow in his stomach as if his conscience was urging him to do something. Dillan thought about his own secret: the secret he kept about being human. _What do I have to feel bad about? I'm not keeping secrets because I'm afraid of what my team is going to think of me; I'm doing it for Reya!_ As Dillan told himself this, he felt the pit grow. _Stop it._ he scolded internally. _You're not scared of what your friends will think of you. So, you're from another world. It doesn't sound_ that _weird, right? They wouldn't judge me. They wouldn't think I'm crazy..._ That thought clung to his mind like a virus. He told himself that his friends wouldn't judge, but it felt false. _Would they? They_ did _think Arlon was only in my head back in Palando, even when I said he was real... Would they trust me? Would they think that... it's all in my head?_ Dillan felt his chest start to tighten; not only from the chilly breeze that brushed against his bandaged wound, but from his thoughts. Bolt's words once again echoed in Dillan's mind. _"Keeping secrets doesn't work on a team because a team needs to trust each other no matter what." If that's true, would they believe me? I mean, they have secrets of their own... Would that hinder us from being a trusting team? Would that keep them from trusting me?_

"Finally!" Hazel sighed aloud, snapping Dillan from his thoughts. Relief spread across her eyes accompanied by a bright smile. "That's the town!"

Dillan put his fears on the back-burner of his mind as he stared out at the horizon. He was surprised to find the sight was somehow comforting.

"It looks so pretty!" Adelina exclaimed with wide-eyed amazement.

A massive, stone wall with giant turrets lining the top could be seen in the distance. It was covered with white snow that blanketed the top. There were multiple spires that could be seen on the inside of the walls as well, including a tall, black-striped one. The whole castle was surrounded by a canyon that ended a few feet downwards at some blue water which formed a moat. There were big, metal poles that stuck out of the icy base the castle. The poles stretched across the moat and into the surrounding ice, holding the castle in place on its own floating island of ice. Other than the poles of metal, a stone bridge was connecting the castle to the icy plains, only being separated by a twenty-foot, wooden door imbedded in the castle.

"It's beautiful, alright," Bolt said. "It's saying, 'Hey guys, glad you could come! Just be careful; the Armageddon's would be happy to skin you alive!'"

"Wow," Hazel said sarcastically in response to Bolt's statement.

"Seriously, though," Ryan stated, "We still have our mission."

"Right," Dillan agreed.

"Is it fine that I don't like this mission?" Bolt asked.

"Why wouldn't you like it?" Adelina asked. "We're saving pokemon from dying; not to mention helping _the_ King of Ganderosa."

"The whole _murder_ part has me on edge," Bolt admitted nonchalantly.

 _Murder part?_ Dillan recalled Judah's words in Palando. _Right... Judah doesn't just want us to grab Ignitus; he also wants us to kill the Guildmaster..._

"Is there a way to avoid it?" the gabite hopefully asked.

"No," Ryan said flatly with a scowl at the Alkan Castle. "If we let Zinclyde live, Judah will execute her later; then we'd be removed from the Guild for disobeying Judah's direct orders _at the absolute least_."

"Is that why you're feeling down?" Hazel asked empathetically.

Ryan's expression didn't change. "Let's just go," the pachirisu said coldly, ignoring Hazel's question. He began walking ahead.

Hazel began staring at the ground as if she was hurt. "That was rude..." she said quietly to herself. _Hazel..._ Dillan walked up to the charmeleon. She didn't meet his eyes. Dillan wanted to cheer her up: let her know that things would be alright.

Adelina shifted her weight as if uncomfortable. "We're... going to go with Ryan," she said nervously.

"W-what?" Bolt stuttered at the lickitung. He sounded as though he'd been shocked out of his thoughts. Adelina grabbed the pikachu by the right ear and began pulling him towards the Alkan Castle. "Ow! Not the ear, C. A! Not the ear!"

Dillan didn't pay the two pokemon any attention, forcing himself to look at Hazel. He felt like taking his eyes off of his friend would have seemed like what he was about to say wasn't sincere. "I don't think he meant to be rude," the gabite said.

"I know," Hazel told Dillan. "I'm just worried abut him is all. On top of that, I don't want to have to kill Guildmaster Zinclyde, either: or anyone at all... It feels like we're... like we're... like we're all stuck..."

Dillan put his claw on Hazel's shoulder in a friendly gesture. "It's going to be alright," he assured. "I don't want to kill the Guildmaster, either. It might look like there's no way out, but we'll find a way to get through all of this: trust me." Those last words stuck to his mouth. _Trust me..._ he repeated in his head. He'd said it to and heard it from his friends so many times before, but now the words felt wrong; they felt fake.

"You're right..." Hazel said softly as she smiled at Dillan. She didn't seem to think he was being insincere at all, but that didn't stop the pit in Dillan's stomach. "We'll get through this."

Dillan nodded, trying to ignore his feeling of guilt for Hazel's sake. He motioned his head for Hazel to follow. She smiled a him sweetly, and the two began descending the hill towards the castle in the distance.

* * *

The group was a few yards from the gigantic, wooden gate that kept the harsh world out of its protected interior. There were two pokemon standing on the stone bridge; both pokemon were pacing from one side of the gate to the other.

The first pokemon Dillan observed was a blue, bipedal pokemon. It had what looked like tufts of navy-blue fur coming off of its waist like some sort of short, fluffy skirt. For reasons Dillan couldn't explain, there were two yellow shells hanging on the tufts. The pokemon had a round head with a short muzzle and a pair of white whiskers on either side of its face. It had a pair of black eyes and a pink nose. Its big, triangular ears stuck upwards noticeably. It had a bandanna with the Team Armageddon symbol on it. The pokemon was holding what looked like a spear with a triangular head that was roughly edged like jagged teeth used for ripping apart skin. Dillan looked at the weapon with worry in his eyes. He took a hard gulp as he imagined the spear being dragged against his scales.

The second pokemon looked like a bipedal dinosaur with a lizard-like-literal skull for a head. The eye-holes showed the orange irises and black pupils. Its white underbelly contrasted its charcoal skin. In one hand it held a bone with fire on either end. In the other hand, the marowak gripped the same kind of spear that its dewott compatriot held.

"This would be a bad place to blow our cover," Adelina said, "So let me handle this."

"That's assuming we still have it," Ryan said.

"We do," Dillan said, trying to sound confident for Hazel, though that wasn't at all how he felt. _I hope we do..._

"Here's an idea," Bolt spoke up." Why don't we dig our way under the castle and avoid the guards all together?"

"That won't work," Hazel stated. "The castle isn't attached to the ice."

Dillan felt a chill run down his spine. "It isn't?" he asked.

"No," Hazel said. "The castle is floating on a glacier. That glacier isn't connected to the land on this side by ice or snow; it's connected by those metal poles. Those are there as anchors to make sure the castle doesn't shift, but it's still floating in that moat."

"So it isn't connected to the ground we're on?" Bolt asked. "Why?"

"To keep pokemon like _us_ out," Adelina stated. "It acts as an extra wall to keep trespassers from digging under. Try it, and you'll be swimming in that moat."

"We don't have any time for lessons on architecture," Ryan stated. "We need to get this done."

"Alright, snippy," Bolt said with an annoyed tone. Ryan didn't respond to the comment. He just continued forwards towards the guild's entrance, followed by the rest of the guildmembers.

* * *

They stopped at the wooden gate. The two guard pokemon stopped their pacing and looked at the group. They went over them with their eyes before lowering their spears at Dillan and his friends.

"Who are you guys?" the dewott commanded with a raised eyebrow.

"Why are you five here?" the marowak asked, sounding frustrated for reasons beyond Dillan's understanding.

"The commander sent us," Adelina lied.

"Which one?" the marowak questioned.

"C-commander Peters-son," Hazel stuttered.

Dillan looed over at the charmeleon. Her hands were shaking and her eyes were narrowed on the marowak. Her lip was also twitching visibly. _What is she scared of?_ He turned towards the marowak. _That pokemon isn't a ghost-type, right?_

"Why did your commander send you?" the marowak asked, eyeing Hazel suspiciously.

Hazel didn't answer. She looked just about ready to scream in terror.

"Hazel," Adelina whispered, "Are you alright?" The charmeleon didn't answer.

"For crying out loud!" Ryan shouted at Hazel. "Don't tell me you've forgotten already."

Hazel looked shocked at Ryan's outburst. "Wh-what?" she stuttered at the pachirisu.

Ryan took a step closer to the guards. The dewott stamped his spear as a warning. Ryan stopped immediately, stating, "Sorry for my friend. She's a very forgetful pokemon."

The dewott looked even more confused than before. "You forgot?" he asked the pachirisu.

"No," Ryan said, " _We_ didn't forget." He pointed at Hazel. " _She_ forgot."

"Nonsense," the marowak cut in with a shout. Hazel jumped and squinted her eyes as if she was expecting some sort of attack. It started spinning its bone in one hand. The flames grew and began twirling with the bone's ends creating a circle of fire. Hazel took a few steps back. "Get out of here before I kill you five myself."

 _This is getting out of hand._ Dillan looked over at Hazel. Drops of sweat were present on the charmeleon's forehead. She was grimacing at the marowak. _Hazel usually gets us out of these kinds of situations, but I don't think she's going to be of any help..._

"We can't do that," Ryan said insistently. "Peterson sent us here to warn you guys."

"Warn us?" the dewott asked.

"I don't care if he sent you here to kill King Judah himself!" the marowak shouted. "Get off of my bridge!"

"Wait a minute," the dewott said to the marowak. "Let's hear them out." The dewott turned to the guildmembers – wearing a concerned frown – asking, "What are you warning us about?"

"We can't say," Bolt said. "Confidential information for Ignitus' ears only."

"Like hell it is!" the marowak shouted. "Now, get off of my bridge!"

"You got a bone to pick with us?" Bolt asked the marowak.

Adelina gave a sigh. "Really?"

"Look, buddy," Ryan snapped. He walked right up to the marowak and looked him in the eyes. "Get out of the way or else."

The marowak shoved the middle of his bone into Ryan's chest. He flew backwards from the impact and landed in the snow in front of his team.

"Hey!" Adelina shouted with a snarl.

"Mitch," the dewott said, concern tainting his voice, "Knock it off."

The marowak turned towards his partner with a scowl.

"Alright," Ryan said as he stood up. His face was tightened in anger. "That was a mistake."

Ryan lunged at the marowak, catching him off guard. With blinding speed, the little squirrel rubbed his cheeks against the pokemon's chest, sending sparks down his opponents body. The marowak grabbed Ryan's tail and removed him from his "nuzzle" attack. Even with Ryan disconnected, sparks continued to fly off of the marowak's body.

"Damn..." the marowak stated weakly. Its grip around the pachirisu loosened. In a split second, Ryan slapped his opponent's fist and fell to the ground. He immediately stood up and tackled the marowak. The pachirisu landed on his feet, which was more than he could say for the marowak who slammed into the ground on his back.

"W-What did you do?!" the dewott shouted, just realizing the situation.

The remaining guard jabbed his spear at Ryan who side-stepped the attack and grabbed the spear's shaft. _This is starting to look rough._ Dillan took a step forwards to help, but he felt Adelina's paw grip his shoulder, keeping him stationary. Dillan looked back to protest, but Adelina looked him in the eyes with a stern stare and said, "Watch." Dillan turned away from the lickitung and viewed the scene in front of him with anticipation.

"Buddy," Ryan warned the dewott, still grabbing the spear, "I'm not in the mood for this crap. Drop the spear and let us in before I kick your tail and let myself in to tell Ignitus that his two guards up-front are _so_ incompetent that-"

"Alright, man!" the dewott agreed nervously. He dropped his grip on the spear. Ryan's eyes widened upon the sudden weight of the entire spear. It fell to the ground, pulling him with it. Adelina stiffled a laugh, something he thought Hazel would have done as well. Instead, she was still staring at the sparking, immobile guard.

Ryan let go of the spear and looked at Adelina. "Yeah, yeah," he said.

The dewott walked over towards the gate and began knocking in some sort of a pattern Dillan couldn't understand. He would knock in quick succession or pause between knocks. The pokemon did this in a very short strand.

After a second or so of waiting, there was a "click" at the massive gates accompanied by the sound of grinding metal as they crept open revealing the town interrior. All five guildmembers gasped at what they saw next.

The inside of the Alkan Castle looked like a war zone. No one was on the streets whatsoever: and for good reason. Rubble from different buildings littered the snow-covered, cobblestone path. There were dips in the ground as if holes had been blasted into the floor from an attack.

"It isn't this bad further into town," the dewott said in response to the blank stares. "Well, other than closer to the Guild building."

"Why's th-that?" Hazel asked.

The dewott looked at Hazel with a raised eyebrow. "Lady, are you ok?"

"I-I'm fine," Hazel stated. "Just h-hate ghost-types."

The dewott shrugged off her response. "We keep on getting riots around here. Apparently, _some_ pokemon prefer to be prisoners of the Guild.

"But just so you know, take this path until you hit the collapsed house; take the left path and follow it. You'll reach the Guild in no time."

"Thanks," Bolt said with a nod. He walked passed the marowak and into the Alkan Castle. Adelina moved around Dillan and followed Bolt. Ryan looked towards Dillan and Hazel. He smirked briefly and continued. That, in turn, made Dillan smile. He was happy to see his friend lighten up a little, even if it took beating a pokemon to do so.

"Let's move on," Hazel told the gabite, grabbing him by the arm. She began pulling him, taking Dillan into the castle walls.

* * *

The more they walked through the ruined city, the more the mood shifted; it was awful. The further they got, the more a pit grew in Dillan's stomach. It was as if he was walking into the den of the beast who was destined to end his very life. _Dramatic, granted, but still..._ The sense of dread insisted upon taking his joy and replacing it with a dominating fear. Usually, he could conquer his fears by thinking about his friends being there for him, but every time he tried to erase the horrid emotions surging through him, he thought about what Bolt had said to him concerning trust. That thought stopped all hope of regaining his confidence; even so, he continued forwards. If – somehow – running was an option, where would he go? There was a vast expanse of snow keeping him from going anywhere but forwards. To leave his friends in this climate would be suicide.

"Hey," Ryan said, snapping Dillan out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?" the gabite asked, trying to keep his fear in check.

"Don't worry about all of this," _About what?_ Ryan sighed. "I haven't been the most supporting friend on this mission... Actually, I haven't been a very good friend at all..." _Wait, what?_ Dillan felt confused. _Where did this come from?_ The pachirisu looked forwards into the snow with a sort of sadness and longing in his eyes. "I just wanted to let you know that even if this is a suicide mission," He looked at Dillan. "I'll be there to help you; all you need to do is ask."

The gabite felt comforted by those words. He smiled at Ryan. "Ryan," he said. "Thank you."

Ryan gave a meaningful smiled at Dillan.

"Sorry to interrupt," Bolt cut in, "But we're here."

Dillan and Ryan looked ahead at what appeared to be a massive crowd about four blocks down. Their shouts were barely audible, but they shook fists and signs above their heads.

"Riots?" Dillan asked.

"It looks that way," Adelina stated.

"Well, it isn't the World Peace convention," Ryan added.

"Be careful," Hazel stated. "These pokemon are probably mad at Team Armageddon members, and we're wearing their colors."

"Should we take them off?" Dillan suggested.

"No," Hazel stated. "We need them to get into the Guild. All I'm saying is that you need to be careful about your Armageddon gear."

"Well then," Bolt stated, "I guess we better liberate the city."

"Alright," Dillan said, trying to sound confident for himself more than his friends, "Let's finish this."

The party of five walked together towards the crowd. The rioter's shouts got even louder the closer they were. Dillan expected the volume to stop ascending when it was as loud as a crowd clapping in sync: loud, but not too loud. The only problem was that it didn't stop there. It continued to grow in volume until Dillan felt like slapping his fins to his head to block the shouting from hitting his eardrums.

The group walked through the crowd in a single-file line – Ryan in front followed by Bolt, Hazel, Dillan, and Adelina in the rear. They continued walking, stopping for nothing. Ryan, Hazel, and Bolt were pushing their way through the crowd while Dillan and Adelina were making sure that the rioters didn't try and step in between them, cutting each other off.

Other than the pushing, no one seemed to care about them or even take note of their wears. They seemed intent on shouting profanities towards the building that the guildmembers were going to. The worst they gave Dillan and his friends was a dirty look when they pushed by.

Team Rapture and B. A. K. finally came up to the gate. Ryan was already talking to what looked like a metal bird with blades for wings. It had a medallion hanging from a metal chain. The medal was of the Armageddon symbol. The skarmory looked at them curiously, almost as if asking, "What are these yahoos doing outside of the gate".

"So, you're with us?" the skarmory asked, not even waiting or the guildmembers to introduce themselves.

"Yes," Ryan said. "Look, we need to see Ignitus right now. Something happened in Frost Island Village that he needs to know about as soon as possible."

The skarmory looked behind Ryan saying, "There are four of you?"

"Five," Bolt said from Ryan's left. The skarmory looked back down, only now noticing Bolt.

"Alright," the skarmory said. "But hurry up; I'm taking care of something and I don't need you five interrupting."

"Thank you," Adelina said.

The skarmory lifted a latch on the gate and opened it inwards. Team Rapture and Team B. A. K. entered the Guild's walls quickly. Dillan looked around and saw no rioter – regardless of an open gate – making any advances on the Guild. It was shocking. _They aren't even trying to get in? What are they doing out there? Why aren't they advancing? Come to think of it, I didn't see one object flying towards the Guild..._

"These pokemon aren't rioting," Dillan said to the skarmory.

"What?" the pokemon asked while it shut and locked the gate.

"It looks more like they're protesting," Dillan stated.

"They _are_ protesting. It's the only thing they can do." The skarmory shook the gate, making sure it was locked. It then turned towards Dillan. "Some of the rioters jumped the gate weeks ago and tried to attack her." It pointed upwards towards the side of the building.

Dillan followed the skarmory's pointing wing. It was the first time he had gotten a good look at the Alkan Guild Building. It was massive, as if it was its own castle. The building was about the width of two blocks. The whole thing was made of stone with a tower jutting upwards in the back. It was nearly three stories on its own, meaning the tower accompanied with the actual building resulted in the building being about seven stories. There was a wide balcony on the third story where the skarmory was pointing. There, a pokemon sat who looked on into the crowd. Dillan didn't recognized it.

The pokemon's body was very smooth. It looked like a massive snake with cream-colored skin. It had a rounded head with a spike jutting out smoothly from its crown. What looked like antenna came off from the pokemon right above the eyes as if they were eyebrows, but that couldn't be seeing as above the antenna were long, red bushels of silky hair that came down the sides of the pokemon's head and down under the balcony's edge. Peeking up slightly from the balcony was a blue and black pattern on a tail that ended with what looked like a fan of four, blue feathers with red ovals in the middle of each.

"As you can imagine," the skarmory continued, "It didn't go so well. The rioters are held in the lower levels of the Guild, now. No one outside of Team Armageddon knows what happens to the rioters after that, so no one else is going to riot for fear of joining their friends. That's why they're protesting."

"Who's that?" Dillan asked, his eyes still set on the pokemon who sat on the balcony.

"You don't know?" the skarmory asked. He sounded confused, as if everyone should know this pokemon.

"Good," Bolt said quietly. "Glad to know what level she's on." Dillan continued to watch the pokemon as it slithered away from the balcony and into the building.

"More or less..." Ryan stated.

"That's Iris Zinclyde," the skarmory said. "She was the Guildmaster of the Alkan Territory."

Dillan felt his heart starting to beat against his ribs. _So she's the one who Judah wants us to kill..._ Anxiety's roots spread inside of his heart.

"Where's Ignitus?" Ryan asked.

The skarmory shrugged. "How am I suppose to know? I'm just guarding the gate."

"Well, thanks for your help," Adelina said with an elegant bow, her tongue drooping into the snow.

The skarmory raised an eyebrow. "You don't need to act so... formal."

Adelina didn't seem to take note of the bird's comment. She motioned her head for her group to follow her towards the castle. They all obliged.

The Guild's courtyard was magnificent. Dillan was surprised at the lack of damage it had sustained compared to the rest of the Alkan Castle. There were three divots scattered in the ground that surrounded the pathway leading towards the Alkan Guild. The group walked down a snowless, cobblestone path edged by pink-flowered bushes topped in snow. Everything else was flat with a white-covered surface. There were two fountains present on either side of the path. One had been obliterated, leaving only a pedestal; the other was of a massive pokemon Dillan didn't recognize.

It was a bipedal pokemon with a long neck that came out to what looked like some sort of knight's helmet. It had massive feet with smooth nails. Its arms were like plates of armor with talons for fingers. The two most defining features of the pokemon were the paper-like wings that jutted out from the top of its back and the shoulders that looked like armor. The pads had orange jewels set in them, which was the only source of color on the stone statue. The pokemon's left arm was stretched outwards towards the pathway as if it was reaching for something.

"That's Palkia," Hazel said in response to Dillan's blank stare at the fountain.

The gabite looked at Hazel. "The same Palkia from the story?" he asked. "The one who..." Dillan paused, trying to think of what Hazel had told him about the pokemon.

"The one who created space in our world," Hazel finished for the gabite. "That's him... or her... The book never specifies."

"Legendary pokemon don't have genders," Ryan said. "They just _are_." The group came to a stop at the front of the Guild. Ryan shook his head before saying, "But that's not important right now. We should have brought this up earlier, but we need to decide what we're doing first."

"What do you mean by that?" Adelina asked.

"Are we going to _meet_ Guildmaster Zinclyde first or Ignitus."

"That's not much of a question," Bolt stated.

"I agree," Dillan said. "If we go after Ignitus first, we'd have to bring him to fight Zinclyde, and that's not a good idea."

"Yeah," Hazel said, "But our cover would be blown the moment we confront one or the other. The problem with attacking the Guildmaster first is that Ignitus is probably better guarded. If we go to Zinclyde, we would have to fight not only Ignitus, but his guards as well."

"True," Bolt said with a smirk, " But we can handle ourselves in a fight. There shouldn't be anything to worry about, right? I mean, they're only Armageddons."

"Wrong," Adelina said, scowling at the pikachu. "You're underestimating them. That's how this entire revolution was allowed to happen in the first place, remember?"

"What do you think, Ryan?" Dillan asked.

"Me?" Ryan questioned. Dillan nodded. "Well..." the pachirisu set his paw under his chin. "It depends on which road is going to be harder..."

"Personally," Bolt cut in, "I think that going to Zinclyde first would be the best choice."

"Bolt..." Adelina complained.

"Hear me out," Bolt urged, a stern look on his face. "Getting the drop on Zinclyde is best because of her skill level. Think of it this way: she's a Guildmaster. There's a reason there's the word 'Master' in the name. She's one of the most skilled battlers in Ganderosa. We don't want to waste any opportunity against her."

"Good point..." Hazel said, frowning. "But what about the whole, 'Execution' part?"

"There isn't anything to think about."

"Bolt-" Hazel said sharply.

"No," Ryan interrupted. "I agree with Bolt. There _isn't_ any discussion." _Wait._ Dillan looked at Ryan. The pachirisu was scowling again, but this time, it was at the Guild.

"How can you two be alright with killing someone?" Dillan asked.

"Who said anything about killing?" Bolt questioned.

"Judah," Adelina cut in.

"Then it's on his conscience," Bolt said with a smirk. "I won't be held responsible for someone's death."

"Then I will," Ryan stated. The whole group looked at the pachirisu with looks between shock and awe. Ryan looked like he was about to hit something.

"Ryan," Hazel said with a tightened brow line, "I'm all for fighting for Ganderosa, but killing is stepping over a line."

"And normally, I would agree with you," Ryan said, "As much as I hate to admit it, this isn't an avoidable case. Trying to keep Zinclyde alive puts us at risk because we'd either have to drag her out of the Guild _with_ Ignitus – both who will be kicking – or we'd have to bring her with us when we fight Ignitus; not to mention the fact that all of this is already suicide as it is without putting everyone in more danger to keep our morals. Keeping Zinclyde alive isn't safe or reasonable."

There was silence in the group. No one spoke up It was as if no one could argue with the points Ryan presented. The silence made it even worse, giving Ryan's words even more time to set in, and giving Dillan more time to think.

 _He's right... I hate to admit it, but he's right. Putting everyone at more risk is wrong, but..._ Dillan felt his heart – no, his soul – scream out, telling him that agreeing to it would be wrong. Yet what choice was there? It seemed like every other option put them at a greater risk. _But still... How can we accept killing someone as an option?_

"No," Dillan said flatly. "There has to be a better way of doing this."

"Dillan-" Ryan started.

"Ryan," Bolt said, "Dillan's right. We can't just choose who lives or dies; it shouldn't be up to us."

"You're not listening-" Ryan tried to protest.

"Wait a minute," Adelina intervened. She had a smile on her face. "I have an idea that should solve all of occur problems."

"Shoot," Bolt said quickly and forcefully as if the debate was starting to get to him.

"Why don't we split up?" Adelina suggested.

Everyone other than Dillan looked at Adelina with questioning looks, which made the gabite feel as though he was out of the loop. "Am I missing something?" he asked.

"No," Ryan told Adelina flatly.

"Why not?" Adelina asked. "If we split up, we would be able to get to both the Guildmaster and Ignitus without losing the element of surprise."

"But at best we'd be at half-strength," Ryan said.

"I agree with C. A," Bolt said with a nod.

"Me, too," Hazel told the group. "So, we'd be at half-strength, but it would let us fight both pokemon without giving ourselves away. Having the element of surprise is the only thing we have right now."

Ryan looked at Dillan, waiting for his answer. The gabite nodded his head. "I'm with Adelina, too," he said. "We have a better chance like this."

Ryan sighed. "Guess I don't have much of a say in this..."

"Nope," Bolt said with a playful jab at Ryan's arm.

"Then that leaves us with the decision of teams," Hazel said.

"I don't understand how this helps with deciding whether or not we're killing Zinclyde..." Ryan stated.

"That part's easy," Adelina said, ignoring Ryan's comment. "Ryan is with Dillan to fight Ignitus, and we'll go take down Guildmaster Zinclyde."

"Let me guess," Ryan said. "Dillan goes to Ignitus because of his type, and I'm with him because I think killing Zinclyde is the best option."

"Ry," Adelina said with eyes of empathy accompanied by a sassy smile, "You know me too well."

"Were you always sarcastic?" Ryan asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile. Dillan couldn't tell if it was Adelina's attitude that seemed to lighten Ryan's mood or if it was the fact that he was forced onto a team where he didn't have the choice to kill anyone.

"Something I picked up from you," the lickitung said.

"Alright, then," Ryan said. "Is it settled?"

"I'm fine with that," Hazel said with a nod.

"We're in agreement," Bolt acknowledged for the whole team.

"Alright," Ryan said. "We'll meet back here when our respective teams are done with our part of the mission."

"Agreed," Hazel said.

"Then let's get right to it," Bolt said.

The group faced the guild's doors and stepped inside.

* * *

Dillan was in shock at how the main rooms of the Ferrician and Kerroshian Guild's paled in comparison to the Alkan. The main room was massive. It had pillars shooting upwards with ice sticking to its surface, creating the illusion that the pillars were _made_ of ice; though the gabite could see the blue, marble pillars on the other side of the sheets of frozen water. The floor was see through, like it was also made of ice or blue glass, though it was only as cold as a rock floor. Dillan looked underneath his feet at what looked like rushing water beneath the see-through floor. When he looked upwards, he saw the ceiling was two floors above him with stalactites of ice hanging down as if the whole room was a cave of frozen water. The walls were made of a white rock (quartz, Dillan thought) that were carved into blocks and laid out as if it was a brick wall. The entire room was lit up by what looked like a massive, blue crystal hanging from the ceiling that shone throughout the room. There was a staircase along the back wall that led upwards to the upper levels. There were two desks to the left of the pokemon. They were both unoccupied. Random pieces of paper were scattered along the top of the desks and the floor.

"That's strange..." Bolt said slowly. "Isn't there suppose to be a receptionist or something?"

"I wouldn't think so," Hazel said. "He or she is usually the Guildmaster's assistant. Since the Guild is with-"

"Dillan," Ryan said to the gabite. Dillan looked downwards at his friend who was already walking down the hall of ice towards the back wall. The gabite ran from Hazel's group to meet Ryan.

"Any idea where Ignitus is going to be?" the gabite asked as he began walking next to the pachirisu.

"Nope," Ryan said. "I figure we should just wander around until we find him or a group of guards or something."

"Alright," Dillan said.

The two found a doorway along the back wall to the right of the stairs. They entered it and found themselves in a small, one-story hallway that led onwards. The two began walking down the hall.

"Then again, I would assume he'd be in the 'Boss Room' or something."

"Boss Room?" Dillan asked.

"Yeah," Ryan said. "You know, the furthest room in a dungeon or something like that, either at the top of the building or at the bottom-..." he stopped himself. Ryan shook his head before saying, "Never mind. Let's just keep going."

The two continued to walk, stopping at every doorway and looking inside. They found different rooms: a cafeteria, an exercise room, even rooms Dillan didn't quite understand such as the room with a pool in it when they were in an arctic castle that was as cold as the outside. That one confused him the most. Even so, they continued looking in silence. However, Dillan had something on his mind. Something was off about the castle. He couldn't place a claw on what was wrong, but he knew something was.

"Something isn't right," the gabite said.

"Why do you say that?" Ryan asked, closing the door to a room with a massive amount of smoke.

"I don't know..." Dillan tried to think of what was bothering him.

"Let's just keep going," Ryan said. "I'm sure you'll think of what's bothering you in a minute."

 _Ryan's probably right... I'll think of what's wrong, soon._ Dillan walked up to a door and set his claw on the handle. He began opening the door when it began creaking. It disturbed the silence that filled the chilly air. _Wait..._

"It's too quiet..." Dillan said.

"Cliché, much?" Ryan asked with a smirk as he opened up another door.

Then it hit Dillan. He realized what was bugging him. "Why haven't we ran into anyone?"

Ryan stopped what he was doing and faced the gabite. He thought about the question for a few seconds. "I don't know," Ryan said. "Come to think of it, we should have run into someone by now. I mean, it is the Alkan Guild. Team Armageddon should be swarming this place."

"It's just a little weird..."

"What's so weird about it?" a voice asked. Dillan felt like running in terror at the mere sound of that pokemon's smooth voice. His face tensed as he looked back down the way they had come at the pokemon. "Hello again, guildmember." Molan was crossing his arms, a look of confidence in his eyes.

"What in Ganderosa?!" Ryan shouted in disbelief.

"You don't belong here," Molan stated. He clapped his hands together.

Out of nowhere, Dillan felt two hands wrap themselves under the gabite's arms and behind his head, creating a hold. The gabite tried to struggle out of the hold, but he found himself incapable of fighting his restrainer.

"Ah!" Ryan shouted. Dillan looked to the side to see the pachirisu was being held by two pokemon he recognized. They were the same kind as the ones him and his friends had fought back in the Thesix Mountain pass: sandslash. The pachirisu sent jolts into the sandslash's bodies, though they didn't seem fazed. He tried swishing his tail behind him, but there wasn't enough room to do that, either. It just slammed into the bodies of the sandslash.

"Don't try to struggle," Molan said with a scowl. "It only makes it much harder on me and yourself." He pointed towards Dillan. "Bring him."

Dillan looked downwards. The floor here wasn't like the one in the hall. Here, it was just white stone like the wall. _Alright, Dillan. Focus. How do you get out of this?_

"Look at me, Dillan," Molan ordered. The gabite was right up to the greninja. Dillan grimaced at Molan's tongue as it unwrapped itself from his neck and came right up to the gabite. It sat there, shining in the torchlight. It made its way downwards, stopping at the gabite's chest. It slithered towards Dillan's green crystal.

"Stop!" Dillan yelled, fear tainting his voice.

"I can't believe I didn't recognize you from before," Molan said, "Your crystal is magnificent. You were at Frost Island yesterday, right? I know your charmeleon friend was there. Titus recognized her."

"How did you get here so fast?" Dillan asked.

Molan stared at the gabite. "A normal charizard can fly here in under five hours," he stated, "Though my second in command isn't like regular charizard. He's faster than them: stronger than them."

"What do you want?" Ryan asked.

"What makes _you_ think I want anything?" Molan asked sternly.

"You haven't killed us yet," Ryan said.

Molan looked back at Dillan. "I have to admit," he said as his tongue started tapping at Dillan's green crystal, "I would love to kill you both."

"You want me, right?" Dillan asked.

"No," Molan said. "I don't want you. That would contradict my promise that I made."

Dillan paused before asking slowly, "Your promise?"

"Let me jog your memory," Molan said. His tongue retracted and wrapped itself around his neck, flinging slime at Dillan's face. He flinched as it smacked him and splattered the walls with specks of mucus.

Molan took three step backwards down the hall and said, "A gabite is a worthy opponent, but an even better ally. Join our team. I promise to make it worth your while."

Those words seemed familiar to Dillan, as if he had heard them before. "You want to recruit me?" he asked.

"No," Molan said. A sneer formed across his face. "Don't you remember what you said to me the day I met you?"

Dillan remembered why he recognized what Molan said. It was the same thing he told him when they met. "I said 'no'." the gabite told his foe.

Molan shook his head. "No, you didn't. You said, and I quote, 'I don't have any interest in dealing with a thief, let alone a group who makes the Guild look like a bad thing'." His eyes were lowered right at Dillan's chest. "Remember our conversation now? Let me remind you what I said next." Molan's arm went behind him as if reaching for some invisible object.

Dillan watched, his heart beginning to beat harder in his body, as what looked like water appeared out of thin air and spiraled around Molan's hand and formed a four-pronged star. More water came towards the star, making it grow even more with each passing second.

His memory kicked in. At that moment, Dillan remembered the greninja's words as clear as day. Recognition took over.

"Do you remember now?" Molan asked.

"Stop!" Ryan shouted, struggling even more vigorously.

 _Yeah, I remember..._ Dillan's mind went back to his first encounter with the greninja. He remembered being in the Palando Guild, staring down Molan with a scowl. He remembered the greninja's cold words as they echoed, " The next time we meet, it will be as enemies. What I'm trying to say is that you won't survive our next encounter". _I need to move, now!_

Dillan focused on his fins. They grew quickly and dug into whoever was restraining him. The gabite heard a yelp of pain as the grip on his body loosened. Dillan whipped around and was face to face with a monferno. It doubled backwards as its arms bled from the cuts Dillan had given it. He slammed his foot into the ground. A chunk of the white stone came up into the air. The gabite slashed at it, sending it flying towards the monferno. The stone hit his target, throwing the monferno onto the ground. It was out cold.

A stabbing sensation clung at Dillan's back. It felt as though a sword had pierced his scales. He felt drops of blood trickle from the wound down his back and onto his bandages he still wore. Dillan turned around quickly to see Molan rushing him. He looked to his right. The wall was very close: too close. _No where to dodge..._ Dillan looked ahead. Molan's fist was leveled with the gabite's heart. Water formed around it in seconds and froze over even faster. Almost instantaneously, Molan's fist was encased in a ball of ice and a trail of snow was flowing from behind it. Dillan felt his fear take hold. His breathing stopped as he raised his glowing fins in defense against the strike. Molan's fist collided with Dillan's fins. The ice shattered from Molan's fist and flung specks of icy shards at Dillan's body. The gabite felt a burning freeze start to etch up his fins. He gave a cry of pain and doubled back from the attack.

"Do you like that?" Molan asked as he crouched. "It's called _Ice Punch_."

Dillan looked at his fins. He yelled as he realized they were covered in ice all the way up to his arms. He couldn't feel them.

"What did you do?!" Dillan shouted worriedly.

"That can happen," Molan stated. "Good luck getting that ice off without shattering your arms." Molan's fist was, once again, encased in ice.

"Dillan, look out!" Ryan shouted.

Dillan watched the greninja. _I need to do something fast, or I'm done for!_ His eyes darted around frantically for some source of help. He couldn't see anything other than the doors. _Maybe one of the rooms can help._

"Don't look away from me!" Molan shouted.

Dillan looked forwards to see the greninja lunge at him once again. The gabite turned away and ran down the hall, Molan hot on his heels. Dillan lunged left at a door, and it flung open. He found himself in a massive room with a bunch of beds lining the walls. The rest of the room was circular with ash along the floor as if something had been burned. It was big enough for him to evade the greninja's attacks. Dillan's fins retracted, shattering the ice from the sheer pressure caused by the nothingness created by the lack of fins. Thankfully, the ice was the only thing that shattered. On the other hand, Dillan felt his fins once again. The gabite gave a groan from the burning chill present in his fins.

"Die!" Molan called out. Dillan didn't have to look back. He already knew the greninja was once again lunging at him. He jumped to the left and avoided Molan's attack. He turned quickly on his heels and stared at his opponent with fear in his eyes. The turn made the wound on his chest start to ache.

"Why are you doing this?" Dillan asked through the pain.

"That's not what you should be asking!" Molan shouted. The greninja stuck both of his hands out into the air at his sides. Two water shuriken formed in the palms of his hands. "The question you should be asking is why are you insistent on believing the Guild is good?"

"The Guild hasn't murdered anyone!" Dillan shouted.

"Hasn't it?" Molan asked. He threw the shuriken at Dillan. The gabite rolled to the side and avoided the attack. "Look at it's history! King Hans Armadine ruined the lives of so may pokemon! To top it all off, when the people tried to overthrow the Armadine line, they started a civil war which resulted in the deaths of even more pokemon just so they could stay in power! And don't even get me started on our most recent kings! They won't do anything about the _real_ problems of Ganderosa! They just let pokemon die so they can achieve their own selfish goals!"

"If that was true," Dillan said, gaining some courage. "Then why have a Guild at all?"

"I don't know," Molan stated. "Why don't you ask our current King?"

He threw more shuriken at Dillan. The gabite's fins extended and he slashed the water, blocking them all. Even so, each block made his fins feel like they were about to break in half. The wound he had sustained from Thalia's thug was hurting him again, only it was even worse than before. He felt his stomach was damp. He didn't need to put his claw on the bandage to tell he was bleeding from the wound. On top of that, he felt the cold was starting to take its toll on his body. He couldn't fight for much longer or he would be on the floor. _I've got to end this fast!_

"What happened to you?" Dillan asked through pants.

"That isn't any of y-" Molan shouted.

Dillan decided that this was the only time he would have to make his move – while Molan was distracted with talking. The gabite stomped his foot into the ground. A boulder broke from the floor and rose into the air. Dillan immediately slammed his fin into the rock. It flew towards the greninja. Water spun around Molan's fist and froze over. He then forced an attack into the stone and shattered it into little pebbles. Dillan then planted his feet and sent forth a stream of fire. Molan didn't even make an attempt at dodging the attack. He just stood there and took the blast head-on. Dillan stopped the stream and once again stamped his foot and sent a boulder at Molan who was still inside of the stream of fire. The greninja only had a second to react to the stone: a second he wasted standing there. The stone collided with the greninja and broke into different pieces, sending dust into the air.

A few seconds went by. Dillan stood there, panting due to the pain in his gouged chest, sliced back, bruised body, and aching muscles. He waited for a movement from the cloud of dust, but nothing happened. Dillan grimaced when he saw the standing greninja who only scowled at his opponent.

"That was a pathetic 'Rock Tomb'," Molan stated.

The greninja immediately rushed in on Dillan. In a split second, he was on top of the gabite. Dillan only had time to block, but not even that was enough. Molan jabbed his icy fist at Dillan's arm. He felt the burning freeze run up his fins. Then, he fell backwards onto his tail from the force of the punch. When he looked up, the greninja was gone. Out of nowhere, he felt his head being slammed downwards into the cold floor. His back bent from the impact. He felt like screaming from the pressure tht was exerted on his spine. He felt himself being pushed further down as Molan launched himself from the gabite. Dillan slowly looked up, feeling his entire body cry out in pain. Molan stood in front of him. The greninja set his hands in front of him and spun them in a circle. A trail of light swept through the air from Molan's hands creating a ring of light. Out of nowhere, the right closed in on itself and widened again, revealing a big, blue circle that looked like some sort of portal. Dillan's heart stopped when what looked like a massive jet of water came out of the portal and darted towards the gabite. Dillan tried to dodge, but his muscles cramped from the frigid air and the pain in his body. The cramp kept him stationary, waiting for the water to collide with his face. It blasted Dillan, picking him up off of the ground, and throwing him in its grasp. He spun through the water as it spun him around and slammed itself and him into the back wall. It pressed Dillan there for a few seconds, putting a massive strain on his body. Then, it stopped. Dillan fell onto his stomach, hitting the white ground without catching himself.

The gabite panted as he struggled slowly and shakily to his knees. The pain was getting to him. Molan walked up to the gabite. He set his hand on Dillan's chin and brought his face up to meet him.

"Pathetic," Molan stated with a scowl. "You make a terrible gabite. Honestly, I was hoping you'd put up more of a fight than this." He let go of Dillan's chin and grabbed onto his crystal.

"S-stop..." Dillan said feebly.

Molan didn't listen. He ripped the crystal from Dillan's neck and grasped it in his hand. "Make me," the greninja stated coldly.

Dillan fell onto his chest, his eyes starting to get heavier. The pain in his back and neck started subsiding, though that was probably a bad thing. His breathing got heavier as he struggled to take his next breath.

"You know," Molan started as he turned the crystal in his fingers, "I would kill you where you stand, but for some reason, Ignitus wants you alive." He grabbed Dillan by the neck and picked him up as if he weighed nothing at all. Dillan struggled to put his claws on the greninja's arms, let alone remove them from his body so he could breath. "Maybe he sees something in you that I once did; though he'll see you've become nothing just like I've seen." He held Dillan in one hand, letting the other come back and slam into Dillan's head. With that, Dillan blacked out. "Too easy."

Molan shouldered Dillan's unconscious body and walked out of the room. He looked down the hallway at the two sandslash's backs. They were still holding Ryan hostage.

"Molan!" Ryan shouted.

"Relax," Molan stated. He walked around the sandslash and looked at Ryan. The pachirisu's eyes looked up at his friend.

"Dillan?!" Ryan shouted with worry. He looked Molan in the eyes. "I'm going to kill you, I swear!"

"He's just unconscious," Molan assured. He scowled at the sandslash, their claws were stained with Ryan's blood. He must have cut himself while he struggled. "Throw him in the dungeon. You can kill him if he becomes too much of a problem, but not until then."

The sandslash nodded to Molan. Then, there was a smashing sound from behind him, as if a wall had been kicked down. It made Molan wince. He knew that wasn't one of his men, so...

"You," Molan pointed to one of the sandslash. "Get moving. I don't want any of the guildmembers coming down here and finding us: not yet."

They began dragging Ryan down the hall. He struggled to get out of their grip, but he couldn't do anything. Molan watched as the sandslash turned a corner through a doorway and disappeared. The greninja turned towards the end of the hallway and walked off.

* * *

(Author's notes)

Hey guys! MasterKnight2142 here!

Ah! I'm late again! I really hate being late, but I was out of town for family matters and I didn't have any access to the internet (Finally got it to connect to the hotel after the 50th or so try)... But I want to let you all know that now we're going to be back on schedule. No early chapters, no late chapters! NONE! (At least, not until I screw up again... :P) The next chapter will go out TOMORROW! 29th of June! No sooner, no later! Promise. Anyways, I'm moving on!

Now, some of you may be thinking, "Why didn't Ryan use anything! He could have taken on those sandslash!" Well, no he couldn't. For "Quick Attack", he needs to be on the ground, which he wasn't. "Super Fang" requires him to bite his target, but he couldn't do that since his targets were behind him. "Nuzzle" or discharging electricity (which I will allow for Ryan due to the fact that he's an electric-type pokemon) doesn't work due to the fact that his opponents were ground-types. Finally, "Swift" requires a full swing of his tail, which he didn't have due to his opponents restraining him from behind. He was completely restrained and couldn't do anything. Sucks, doesn't it?

Shout-Out to "Puro the Dark Latex", "Krock253", "normalman6", "0RandomGuy0", "7a7b", and "Delta Kyrin" for following/favoriting the story! Thank you two so much for the follows/favorites! Also, thanks to the guests who also view the story! It still means a lot to me that you guys are still reading!

A message to those who saw I had posted a new chapter yesterday. I managed to spend an hour or so texting on my stupid phone a new chapter-like explanation as a loophole for the "No Author's Notes Chapters" rule on FanFiction. I did it so I wouldn't get reported, but so I could tell all the guests. Well, stupid FanFiction, for whatever whacky reason, decided to put in the ACTUAL CODE FOR THE "ENTER" KEY IN WITH THE WRITTING (Very frustrated with the whole situation...)! So, props to anyone who took the time to decipher that stupid chapter... To those who didn't, don't worry. It was only to tell you why I hadn't posted and that I didn't know when I'd be able to.

That's all for now! Thanks to everyone for reading! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!


	31. The Chaos Theory: Part II

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 31

The Chaos Theory: Part II

* * *

(Alkan Guild, Main Hall)

The charmeleon walked into the Alkan Castle accompanied by her friends. The main hall was spectacular. She stared at all of the architecture with amazement.

"That's strange..." Bolt said slowly. He walked over to one of the two empty desks to the left of the door. "Isn't there suppose to be a receptionist here or something?"

"I wouldn't think so," Hazel said, looking at the empty desk.

"He or she is usually the Guildmaster's assistant," Adelina said. "Since the Guild was taken by Team Armageddon now, I wouldn't be surprised if the receptionist isn't working here any longer."

"Still..." Bolt said. "You'd think _someone_ would be here at the front."

"Maybe Ignitus had most of the Armageddons move to Frost Island to prepare for the attack?"

Hazel looked over towards the end of the hallway. Ryan and Dillan were already off to do their job. She stared longingly at her friends. _I wish I could go with them, but I guess that isn't possible... Just be alright, guys..._

"Hazel," Adelina said. Hazel turned towards her. The lickitung had a small smile of empathy. "They'll be alright."

"I know," Hazel said. She looked back down the path to see Dillan and Ryan were gone.

"Where to?" Bolt asked.

"The stairs," Adelina said. "The Guildmaster was on the balcony, so she'll be up above us."

Hazel nodded, and the group of three began walking towards the stairs at the back of the room. Then, they ascended upwards.

"So what's the plan?" Hazel asked as she climbed the stairs.

"Plan?" Bolt asked.

"Yeah," Hazel said. "The plan to keep Guildmaster Zinclyde alive."

"There isn't one," Bolt said with a wink at Hazel. She was taken aback.

"The only plan is not to kill the Guildmaster," Adelina stated.

"So... we're winging it?" Hazel asked slowly.

"Pretty much," Bolt shrugged. "It's what me and Koa-..." Bolt stopped talking. Hazel looked at the pikachu. He wore a small smile, though his eyes were lowered sadly. "It's what me and Koa use to do..."

"Bolt," Hazel said sympathetically.

"It's fine," Bolt assured, fixing his face into an embarrassed grin. "All I'm saying is that we on Team B. A. K. usually wing it, so we'll be fine." Hazel put her paw on the pikachu's shoulder in a friendly, comforting gesture. Bolt's eyes looked at Hazel with surprise and his cheeks grew an even deeper shade of red. The pikachu began grinning again when he said, "If I didn't know any better-"

"Don't make it weird," Hazel interrupted.

Bolt laughed. "Whatever."

Hazel removed her paw and looked around. They were on the third floor now: a pretty big room with what looked like a stadium. There were white markings along the blue floor that made a box in the center of the room which covered a little more than half of the floor. Torches lined the walls casting an orange light along their respective, white-stone surfaces. The most interesting part was there wasn't a roof in sight; it was like an opened skylight. There were different, blue doors lining the walls leading into either hallways or other rooms. At the side of the room opposite of Hazel sat an opening in the wall that led to an empty balcony overlooking the courtyard below.

"Well, crap," Bolt stated as he crossed his arms. "Who wants to bet _that's_ where Ms. Zinclyde was hanging out earlier?"

"So, you're here for the Guildmaster, after all?" a voice asked from above; it sounded gruff and commanding. Hazel's muscles tensed as she saw the black dragon fall down from the open ceiling and into the middle of the room. He landed on the floor and stood up proudly as he glared at the guildmembers.

"And you are?" Bolt asked.

"Titus," the charizard stated flatly. The eroded "A" strapped across his chest glistened in the light of the sun.

"Titus," Bolt stated. Hazel saw a look of anticipation overtake Bolt's face. He lowered his head slightly, grinning at the charizard. "Care to tell us where Guildmaster Zinclyde is? We're big fans."

"What's your name, Phimpledink?" Titus addressed Hazel.

"Ph-Phimpledink?" Bolt snickered.

Adelina sighed. "Bolt..."

Hazel remained silent. She didn't know how Bolt could laugh at a time like this. Was he just that confident, or that arrogant? _Whatever the reason, this isn't any laughing matter._ Hazel didn't know how, but something seemed off about this encounter. She looked over the charizard. He stood tall and proud, portraying confidence as if he was a royal guard. His eyes stared right past Bolt and Adelina and focused in on Hazel; it was unsettling. The worst part was his tail-flame. A charizard's tail-flame, like her own, was a representation of its host's energy and emotions. When a charizard is angry and a surge of adrenaline flows through it, the flame gets brighter. The thing about Titus that unnerved Hazel the most was the fact that Titus' flame was all over the place. It sent miniature flames in random directions as it roared wildly at the edge of Titus' tail, though the charizard himself portrayed complete calm with every bit of his posture and facial expression. Hazel, as a charmeleon, understood just how much raw power was shown in that flame. It just proved to her – someone who had never seen Titus fight – how strong he really was.

"So, are you just going to stand there or..?" Bolt asked.

Titus' gaze shifted towards Bolt. "I know you, pikachu," he stated. "You're the Electric Blur, right?"

Bolt nodded. "You're a fan, then?" he said with a smile.

"If you're truly as powerful as pokemon are led to believe, then you should know not to laugh at your opponents."

Bolt got on all fours. "You want to fight?" he asked with a grin. His cheeks began sending small jolts of electricity into the air.

Titus stared at Hazel. "No," he stated flatly.

Bolt's cheeks stopped sparking as he looked at Titus with a raised eyebrow. "No?"

Adelina watched Titus with caution, and so did Hazel. She was ready for the pokemon to strike randomly at any moment in time, and she was determined to be ready for it.

"It would be a waste," Titus stated.

Bolt wore a dumb-founded expression. "A... A waste?" he asked slowly. "You think I... would be a waste of time and energy?"

"No," Titus said. "Not energy; just a waste of time." He raised a claw at Hazel. "Her on the other hand would be a fight."

"Alright," Bolt said, cranking his neck back and forth. "Now you've hurt my pride."

"Bolt-" Adelina started.

"I know, C. A," Bolt said. "Don't underestimate him."

Adelina grimaced. "Am I that predictable?" she asked herself.

"This should only take a second," Bolt was off in a flash of yellow. He ran right up to the charizard, though Titus didn't take his eyes off of Hazel. Bolt went in with head lowered as if for a tackle, but moved left at the last second in a fake-out. The problem was that Titus didn't seem to take note of Bolt's very existence. He didn't make one attempt at blocking the pikachu as if he saw the fake-out coming. Bolt began running circles around his opponent.

"What is he doing?" Hazel asked Adelina.

"Bolt's messing around," Adelina sighed. "That charizard... I'm not sure."

"We should help," Hazel stated. She took a step forwards, but Adelina grabbed her by the arm.

"Wait," Adelina said. "I want to see how this is going to play out."

"You're kidding..." Hazel asked in shock.

"Hardly," Adelina stated calmly. "Bolt can win this alone, no doubt. Even if he can't, I want to see how this charizard acts before we jump in blindly. Bolt can hold his own long enough for us to get a read on the charizard's abilities."

Hazel looked at the fight with worry. "Alright," she said. "But I don't think its going to play out how you think..."

Titus took a step forwards towards Hazel, forcing Bolt to adjust his circle of yellow sparks.

"Hey, fatso!" Bolt called out. "What did the bench maker say to his customer?"

"Move," Titus stated flatly.

"He said, 'Have a seat'." Bolt broke from his circle on Titus' left and lunged at him in a "Volt-Tackle" attack. He moved so fast, it was hard for Hazel to keep track. He went straight for his opponent's body. Then, Titus' wings flapped in one solid motion, sending a massive air current towards Hazel and Adelina. It made Hazel's scarf flap in the wind. She put up her arms instinctively to shield her eyes. Bolt's body caught the air current sending him off course and in front of Titus. The pikachu sped passed his target by mere inches. Hazel and Adelina gasped. _What?_

"Bolt just..." Adelina said, the words leaving her mouth.

"What?" Bolt said in shock as he landed feet from Titus. He came out of the blur and looked back at the charizard. Bolt grimaced as he broke into another sprint of electricity and dove for Titus' head. Titus' head moved backwards from the neck, narrowly missing Bolt's attack. The charizard's claws leapt from the side of his body and grabbed Bolt's tail with such a speed, Hazel had no time to process what was happening – or going to happen. The pikachu yelped in pain as Titus' talons dug into his tail. The charizard swung Bolt by the tail and slammed him into the ground, all the while not taking a single eye off of Hazel. Bolt's body cracked the floor. When Hazel's mind registered what had happened, she gasped in disbelief.

"Bolt!" Adelina shouted.

Titus' eyes drifted from the charmeleon and landed on Bolt. "Give up," he ordered.

Bolt was panting sharply, obviously hurting from the pain. "What... just happened?" he asked dizzily.

"Last warning before I snap you in two," Titus stated.

"Yeah," Bolt said. His cheeks sparked. "No." The pikachu's body lit up in a bath of electricity that flowed through his tail, connecting him to Titus. The charizard grimaced as he was jolted. Still being attacked, Titus looked at Bolt with a snarl. He lifted his foot in the air and threw it down towards Bolt's body.

"Stop!" Adelina shouted. Her tongue flew from her mouth and wrapped itself around Titus' foot, preventing it from lowering on Bolt. The lickitung gave a shriek as her tongue connected her to the electrified charizard, sending the same energy Bolt was giving Titus into her own body. Bolt looked at Adelina and stopped his attack. Titus then lifted Bolt by the tail and swung him through the air as if he was a miniature mace. He threw Bolt at Adelina, but Hazel reacted in a second. She jumped into the air and caught Bolt with her chest. She fell onto her side with the pikachu in her arms. Adelina's tongue let go of Titus, and she fell onto her stomach.

Titus shook his head as if he was getting rid of some minor annoyance. His eyes then, once again, locked on Hazel.

The charmeleon got up, Bolt still in her arms. "Are you alright?" she asked Bolt frantically.

Bolt looked worried. "Put me down," he said quickly. Hazel set him on his feet and he immediately ran towards Adelina. "C. A.-"

"I'm fine..." Adelina said, struggling to her feet, though she sounded weary. "Focus on Titus..."

"Alright," Bolt said. He looked towards the charizard.

Hazel grimaced at Titus. _In less than a minute, he's managed to hurt Adelina and Bolt... This is getting out of hand. We can't spent too much energy fighting this pokemon, or we won't have enough energy to fight Guildmaster Zinclyde._

"Phimpledink," Titus said, pointing once again at Hazel. "What is your name?"

"Does it matter?" Hazel asked sharply. _Why is he so interested in me?_

"It may," the charizard stated, "Or it may not." _Actually, that gives me an idea._

"So, you only want to fight me?" Hazel shouted.

"Just you," Titus stated.

"Will you leave my friends alone if I say yes?"

"Hazel," Bolt said, "That isn't an option."

Hazel didn't respond to Bolt. She just focused on Titus who continued to stare at her without saying a word. This continued for a few more seconds before Titus nodded.

"Hazel-" Bolt tried to argue.

"Titus isn't the mission," Hazel said, not taking her eyes off of Titus. "Take Adelina out of here and find the Guildmaster."

"But-"

"I can keep him busy, but you _need_ to find Zinclyde," she said sternly. "Don't argue with me. Just leave before he changes his mind."

Bolt stared at Hazel in disbelief. "You'll die if I leave you."

"We'll all die if you don't!" Hazel shouted. "Stop making this harder, and just leave!"

Bolt looked at Hazel for a few seconds before cursing under his breath. He turned towards Adelina.

"She's right," Adelina said wearily

Bolt looked at Hazel. "Don't die," he stated.

"Bolt," Hazel said with a small smile. "You're underestimating _me_ , now."

Bolt shook his head as he turned away from the fight. Adelina got to her feet and the two ran as fast as they could through a doorway on the left room and out of sight.

"So, you'll fight?" Titus asked.

"Do I have a choice?" Hazel questioned. In actuality, that question was directed towards herself more than Titus.

Titus smiled lightly. That almost pushed the charmeleon over the edge. She felt like running just because of that one expression. _Why is he smiling?_ The charizard curled the back of his upper lips slowly, bearing his sharp teeth before saying, "Show me your inner strength."

* * *

(Alkan Guild, Basement Staircase)

"Let me go!" Ryan shouted, struggling even more as the two sandslash dragged him down a flight of spiral stairs. Each and every one of his wild movements made the claws of the sandslash dig deeper into his fur and skin. Pain and blood came from the pachirisu's body, but he didn't care; all he wanted to do was punch Molan's face in for what he did to Dillan. He was so worried about the big chicken. He had always had someone to lean on when things got rough. When he didn't, the gabite panicked. On top of that, there was the condition Dillan was in. Even before they had gotten to the castle, he was in bad shape. Now, he was unconscious, bruised, and drenched. He needed to get away from these sandslash before Dillan got himself hurt.

The two sandslash had gone down what Ryan thought had been three floors below the ground level before they reached what appeared to be the bottom floor. They were faced with a wooden door that had a barred window. The sandslash looked at the door for a few seconds as if waiting for the other to open it.

"You'll have to decide sometime today," the pachirisu stated sharply.

"Are you opening it or am I?" the left one asked the right.

The right sandslash rolled its eyes and took one claw off of Ryan. It then moved around the pachirisu and rotated the knob. _Big mistake!_ With the sandslash in front of the pachirisu, his arm was now in range of Ryan's teeth. He bit down on his opponent's arm. The sandslash yipped and completely let Ryan go. The pachirisu swung around and bit down on the left sandslash. It yelled and recoiled in pain, also letting Ryan go. Ryan whipped around and darted as fast as he could back up the stairs. He heard cussing and stamping feet coming up the stairs to meet him. Knowing that he would waste too much energy running away from the sandslash, Ryan sopped on the stairs and got down as far as he could, attempting to blend in with the white steps. The two sandslash, one after the other, came up. Ryan waited for a few seconds before they were almost on top of him before he jumped at the first sandslash's chest and leapt off of it. The sandslash fell backwards into his companion, and the two tumbled down the stairs together, hitting each and every step on the way down until the thudding stopped.

"See ya later, palls," Ryan said, turning upwards and continuing to ascend the stairs. He ran up a few floors before coming upon a door that led back into the hallway Dillan and Molan were in. He busted through the door and looked around the corner.

"No!" Ryan exclaimed.

The two pokemon were no longer there, and he didn't know where they had gone. He could guess, but there were so many doorways down the hall that he had no idea which one they took, let alone if they went to the end of the hall, ascended a staircase, or even descended. Ryan cursed under his breath. _Dillan... Where did you go?_ Ryan bolted towards the first doorway. That's when he felt his feet come out from underneath him. He landed flat on his back, exhaling all of his oxygen. Ryan started seeing doubles. The pachirisu shook his head violently to regain his vision. He sat upright and felt the back of his head for blood. _It's wet..._ Ryan moved his paw in front of his eyes. To his surprise, it wasn't stained, just damp. _Water?_ He stood up and found he was sitting in a small puddle of water. _So there's water in a castle surrounded by ice... Shouldn't it be more... ice?_ That's when Ryan remembered the state Dillan was in. The gabite was drenched from head-to-toe. _Dillan must have been dripping._ Ryan looked downwards finding himself in the middle of a wet trail that led down the hallway. _Bingo._

Ryan jumped to his feet – careful to avoid the water – and ran down the hall. He followed the water until it went under a doorway. The pachirisu opened the door which revealed a new set of spiral stairs. Ryan immediately ascended the stairs, following the water. He stopped two floors up. _No..._ He stared at the remaining water droplets that ended at the top of this flight. There was another flight of stairs leading higher and a wooden door to Ryan's right. _They could have gone upwards or through there._ He made a split-second decision and plowed through the door. Ryan found himself in a new hallway with new doors.

"Really?" Ryan asked no one in particular. "How many rooms does one guild need?"

"What in Ganderosa were we thinking?" Bolt asked. "How could we just leave her like that-"

Ryan looked down the hallway to his left, seeing Bolt and Adelina in the distance.

"Guys!" Ryan called out, running to meet Bolt and Adelina. He stopped mid-way when he saw Bolt was feebly holding onto a stumbling Adelina's leg as support. "What happened to you guys?" Ryan then realized someone was missing. "Where's Hazel?"

"Ry," Adelina said. She sounded strained.

"They know we're here," Bolt said. "Team Armageddon knows we're with the Guild."

Ryan looked at Bolt with an intense stare. "Bolt," he said, "Where's Hazel?"

Bolt hung his head. "She told us to leave her with that black charizard."

 _Black charizard..._ Ryan immediately recalled seeing a black charizard with Molan back at Frost Island. Ryan reared on Bolt shouting, "And you did?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Ry," Adelina said. She stood up straight and gently pushed Bolt off of her leg. "She's distracting the charizard so we can get to Guildmaster Zinclyde."

"You can't just leave her to deal with someone who's fully evolved!" Ryan shouted. He began walking around Adelina. He felt a massive paw grip his arm. He looked up at Adelina and scowled deeply at the lickitung. "Let me go, now," he ordered.

"No, Ryan," Adelina said. "Hazel can take care of herself."

Ryan shook his arm from Adelina's grip. He gave one final glare before running down the hallway.

"Ryan!" Bolt called out from behind the pachirisu.

"Why doesn't anyone take me seriously?" Adelina asked herself. The two pokemon began walking as fast as they could towards Ryan.

The pachirisu had been running down the hallway for a little bit before he came up to a door. Ryan pushed it open and looked inside the room. It was as if he walked onto a battlefield.

There was a crater in the middle of what looked like a stadium. Ryan looked up at the walls of the room, seeing what looked like black, smoking scorch-marks that went all the way up to the ceiling. He looked all over the room, but Hazel and Titus were nowhere to be seen.

"Ryan-" Adelina said, catching up with the pachirisu.

"Where's Hazel?" Ryan asked Adelina.

"What?" Bolt asked as he entered the room. His face dropped when he saw the damage that remained.

"You guys are hopeless," Ryan said as he walked through the doorway and into the battlefield.

"Ryan!" Adelina snapped. "Stop for one second and listen to me!"

"What is it, Addi?" Ryan asked. He turned around and looked at Adelina, wearing a look of utter disbelief and frustration.

"That charizard was destroying us!" the lickitung shouted. "Bolt couldn't do anything at all!"

"So abandoned your friend?!" Ryan snapped.

"She's not here," Bolt noted, "So she has to be running from the guy and leading him away from us."

"Which means we need to use the time Hazel's giving us," Adelina stated. Ryan turned away from the lickitung.

"Ryan," Bolt said. He placed his paw on Ryan's shoulder in a friendly gesture. "Hazel's a really strong fighter. She'll be able to take care of herself."

"You need to calm down and think about this," Adelina said. "Hazel can take care of herself, and we need to trust her to. Going after her now defeats the whole purpose of leaving her in the first place."

Ryan grimaced. _I hate to admit it, but they're right..._ "Fine," Ryan said. He pulled his arm out of Bolt's grasp. "But we need to go after Dillan."

"Where is he?" Adelina asked calmly.

"Molan took him," Ryan explained, "And I'm not sure where."

"He took Dillan?" Bolt asked. "As in 'captured' and not 'killed'?"

"What kind of question is that?" Ryan snapped.

"Alright," Adelina stepped in. "Don't get snippy."

"I wasn't..." Ryan tried to argue, but he knew he was. _Fine..._

"Well, then he's probably in some dungeon," Bolt said.

"No, he isn't," Ryan said. "That's where I was being taken when they caught me. Molan took Dillan in a different direction."

"Then he's with either the Guildmaster or Ignitus," Adelina said. "They'll probably be interrogating him to find out more about why we're here."

"Well, we need to find Zinclyde even faster than before," Bolt said. "Since Team Armageddon knows we're here, odds are she'll have more guards in the next thirty minutes."

"What about Dillan?" Ryan insisted. "We can't leave him!"

"We're not, Ry," Adelina stated. "If Dillan's with the Guildmaster, then we'll save him. If he's with Ignitus, then we'll find him after Zinclyde."

"That is, if we find Zinclyde first," Bolt added. "If not, we'll take down Ignitus. If Dillan's not with him-"

"We're wasting time standing around talking," Ryan interrupted. "Dillan's in trouble; we just need to find him."

"Oh," Bolt said with a nervous smile. "Right."

Bolt quickly turned on his heels and walked towards the exit behind him. Ryan was about to follow when Adelina grabbed him by the arm.

Ryan whipped around to face the lickitung. "What's the deal?" Ryan asked sharply.

"Ry," Adelina began. "You need to stop this nonsense right now, alright?"

"Ad-"

"No," Adelina interrupted sharply. "You need to knock it off. I don't know how or why that nidoqueen got in your head, but we both know there's no way her words got to you. There's no way she intimidated you with her power, either. You know her." Ryan – still scowling – turned away from Adelina. Adelina smiled coldly and shook her head. "Did you meet her when you left me last year?" Ryan didn't answer. "Did you fight her?" sill no answer. "What did she do to you, Ry?"

"It isn't important, Addi," Ryan said. ""What's important right now is saving Dillan."

"Fine," Adelina said sternly. "But if you think I'm going to let you be rude to Bolt, you're mistaken. Be nice with us, or be a jerk without us: your choice." Adelina let go of Ryan and walked through the door to meet with Bolt. "And we're not killing Zinclyde!"

Ryan gave a sigh. _Fine... I'll play-nice. But I wish I could help you understand what's happening to me..._

* * *

(Unknown)

Dillan opened his eyes slowly, feeling the cuts in his chest burn even more than before him and his friends arrived in this Guild. He looked up at a ceiling that was flat and blue.

"Why won't you just listen to me and kill him now?" Dillan recalled the supreme butt kicking he had endured before he passed out. He jumped up into a sitting position as quickly as possible to get a view of his surroundings.

"Calm yourself," a deep, male voice stated. Dillan whipped around quickly, getting a glimpse of his surroundings.

He was on a massive bed made of cloth and stuffed with a material Dillan couldn't identify. He found himself in a big room with no windows and only one exit. One of the white, brick-like walls had a scorch mark with ashes sitting in a pile beneath it. All of the other walls were spotless. In one corner sat a desk with paper, a bottle of ink, and a quill. In another corner rested a stool next to a yellow harp: one of the massive ones that stood on the white floor. The floor was layered with carpet and spotted with black ash. Standing next to a table next to the bed was the greninja, Molan. He was looking at Dillan with an intense scowl. Sitting at one of the ends of the table was an infernape. _Ignitus..._ Dillan took note of the fact that, even though each member had some sort of identifying wears that tied them to Team Armageddon, Ignitus had nothing that practically shouted, "I'm on Team Armageddon": let alone, "I'm the leader".

Dillan jumped from the bed and landed on his feet. He leaned forwards a little due to the pain in his chest, but he was still standing.

"Ignitus," Molan stated, "You know I respect you,"

"I do," Ignitus said, setting his elbows on the table while he laced his fingers together as if thinking.

"But this is a horrible decision."

"You've voiced your opinion, Molan," Ignitus said, "And I have heard it... several, several times. Now, why don't you take care of the other guildmembers?"

"I-If you hurt m-my friends," Dillan warned, sounding about ready to collapse out of fear. Even though he didn't feel as though he was in the position to be making demands, he felt as though that needed to be said. Molan bowed to Ignitus and exited the room.

"I have no intention of hurting you," Ignitus stated. "You are, after all, only a child who is caught up in a fight that does not involve you." He motioned to the other seat on the opposite side of the table. "Please, take a seat."

Dillan eyed Ignitus cautiously, having no intention of moving. "You're I-Ignitus?" he questioned.

"I am," the infernape stated. "I'm assuming he sent you to stop me." Ignitus laughed quietly to himself. "I guess it was only a matter of time before I paid for my sins against him and his _plan_. Although, I assumed he would send more than you. I guess beggars can't be choosers."

"Are you talking about Judah?" Dillan asked, letting his curiosity take flight, though not above his caution. "What plan?"

Ignitus sighed. "In the end, I guess I'll be made to look like the villain of the story." The infernape's eyes set on Dillan. "And I assume you'll be the hero."

"I don't understand..." Dillan said cautiously.

"Of course you don't," Ignitus said, standing from the table. He slowly walked over towards the desk in the corner of the room and stopped. "He wouldn't want you to: not yet, anyway. No... he'll just lead you on until you give him what he seeks. Maybe he'll be pushed by someone or something to reveal everything, but most certainly not me."

Dillan was very confused. _What the heck is he talking about?_

Ignitus chuckled lightly. "Molan gave this to me." Out of nowhere, Ignitus stuck out his closed fist. He was holding a small string with a green crystal resting on the end. Dillan panicked. His eyes darted down at his chest. His "Armageddon" bandanna had a hole torn through the middle of it, and his crystal was gone. "Do you know what this is?"

"It's mine," Dillan said, panic rising in his chest.

"Oh, I know that much; but do you know _what_ it is?" Dillan eyed the infernape. "No? Well, allow me to enlighten you. This is a crystal with extraordinary powers. As my old master would put it, in the correct hands, a crystal like this could decide the entire fate of the world."

"Master?" Dillan asked. Then, he remembered the Armageddon tree. "Does that mean you work for the enemy?"

"I did," Ignitus said, facing Dillan, "Actually, we preferred to call ourselves "Team Rebirth" more than the enemy. A really bad name, I know. One of my friends came up with _that_ idea before she left our group."

"Reya?"

Ignitus looked at Dillan with surprise. "You know her?"

"Yeah," Dillan said with a scowl at Ignitus. "She use to help me before your group took her."

"My group?" Ignitus asked. He stood there in silence and confusion for a few seconds before smiling. "Oh, no. You aren't listening to me. I _did_ work with the enemy. I _did_ , but not anymore."

"You left them?" Dillan asked.

"Enough about me. We'll have plenty of time to talk about that." Dillan felt a little more nervous with that sentence. _Plenty of time?_ "For now, I want to talk about you, Dillan."

Dillan felt even more on-edge than before. "How do you know my name?!"

"Molan told me," Ignitus said. "But again, that isn't important." Ignitus walked back towards the table and sat down. He motioned once more for Dillan to sit down. The gabite had no intention of moving. "Suit yourself.

"Anyways, I want to understand what it is you know about yourself. So, to start, why don't you tell me your name?"

"You already know," Dillan said, not willing to participate in Ignitus' game.

"Yes, but I want to make this personal." Ignitus held out his empty hand. "My name is Ignitus." Ignitus motioned his head towards his own hand, waiting for Dillan to shake, but he didn't want anything to do with the infernape right now. He _did_ have to admit he was curious about what it was Ignitus knew about Reya and the Enemy. This could be his chance.

Dillan sighed and set his claw in Ignitus' hand. "I'm Dillan," he said reluctantly. The two shook before Ignitus let go of Dillan's claw.

"Excellent," the infernape stated. "We're making progress. Now then, why don't you take a seat?"

Dillan eyed the chair for a few seconds before walking over to it; he then sat down.

"So..." Dillan said slowly, "What did you want to ask me?"

"First off," Ignitus said. "I need to know what _you_ know about why you're here."

"Here?" Dillan asked. _He doesn't mean "here in Ganderosa", right?_

"Here in Ganderosa," Ignitus said. Dillan felt like shrinking in his seat. "Oh, yes. I know you're not _really_ a gabite; you're human."

"How did you know?!" Dillan asked, sounding utterly panicked.

"I didn't," Ignitus said. "It was a hunch, but you _did_ prove me correct." Dillan felt the back of his neck getting hotter. _I... I did?_ "Don't worry about it," Ignitus stated. "That makes it all so much easier to help you."

"H-help me?" Dillan asked, still flustered by the sudden turn of events.

"Why, yes: help you. You see, we're moving towards the same goal. We both want the Enemy to fall."

"I thought... you wanted to free..." Dillan tried to say. He tried taking deep breaths to get control of his emotions. _I need to calm down..._

"No," Ignitus said. "That's all a face to get other pokemon to join: powerful pokemon such as Titus."

"The charizard?" Dillan asked.

"Yes," Ignitus said. "One of the strongest pokemon I've ever met. He's normally against violence, but chooses it when he feels he needs to. I would feel very afraid for the pokemon who he chooses to fight next." Ignitus shook his head. "But that's off topic.

"What I'm trying to say is that Team Armageddon exists for one reason: to keep the world spinning."

"Sorry?" Dillan asked with confusion.

"Have you ever wondered why we call ourselves 'Armageddon'?" Ignitus asked. "It's because I've seen what will bring about the end of the world, or judgement day. I know what is going to bring about armageddon, and it's coming soon."

"You're saying you know what's going to end the world?" It felt very unbelievable. What would be strong enough to end everything?

"Yes, I do," Ignitus said, "And so do you. It's the Enemy's goal. They want to end everything in existence."

Dillan was shocked. _To end everything?_

"Yes," Ignitus said in response to Dillan's face, "But I know how to stop it."

"R-really?" Dillan asked.

"You're a very special human, Dillan. You've been chosen; your crystal proves it. I'm not sure why you specifically were chosen, but you were. Even so, I don't think you can complete your mission on the path that you're currently on."

"What do you mean?" Dillan asked.

"If Reya came to you, then you're probably working for the side she picked - a side that has no name or records to go with their existence. That side is _not_ the good side."

There was a pause for a few seconds before Dillan asked, "And who is?"

Ignitus chuckled. "No one." Dillan was taken aback by the answer. _What?_ "There are no sides; only choices. Think about it: have you ever seen a group that does the right thing all of the time?"

Dillan thought about that question. The Guild's done some bad things; letting pokemon suffer in the "Red Strip" in Palando is proof of that. The Enemy has also done some horrible things. _Is he right?_

"So," Ignitus asked, "Can you think of one instance in which your, 'good guys' were bad?" _Sure I do... Reya's got the scars to prove it..._ "I'm assuming by your expression that the instance you're thinking of is a very bad instance." Dillan looked away from Ignitus. "There are no good guys or bad guys: only motives and choices. Right now, the Enemy has both their motives and choices messed up, so I guess that makes them the bad guys. Well, my group is about stopping the Enemy. We're trying to make the right choice here, and our motive is correct." There was a pause before Ignitus sighed. "Dillan, join Team Armageddon," he asked with a soft and compelling voice. The gabite looked at Ignitus. The infernape had knitted eyebrows and intense eyes as if concerned.

 _Join Team Armageddon?_ Dillan thought about all Ignitus had said. _Maybe he's right. Maybe there are no good guys or bad guys... If I had to choose based on choices and motives... can I trust Reya? She use to work for the Enemy... Can I trust whoever is leading me now? I don't know anything about them other than what Reya's told me... If Ignitus-..._ Dillan stopped himself. It dawned on him what he needed to do in order to decide. He met the infernape's gaze.

"Call it off," Dillan said.

Ignitus looked at Dillan for a few seconds before tilting his head. "I'm sorry?"

"Call of the attack on the mainland," Dillan elaborated.

Ignitus smiled lightly and shook his head. "Dillan-"

"No," Dillan interrupted, scowling at the infernape. "You're telling me that your motive is to take down the Enemy and that you're choices are correct, yet you're attacking innocent pokemon. Tell me how that's moral?"

"Dillan," Ignitus said, losing a hint of his calm nature. "You don't understand-"

"Call off the attack," Dillan repeated.

"I can't do that," Ignitus said sternly. "I'm trying to-

"No, you don't need to say anything else." Dillan stood up from the table. "If you're alright with killing innocent pokemon, then I don't want to have anything to do with you guys."

Ignitus looked at Dillan with a scowl. He sighed before standing up himself. "You have so much potential, but you waste it all by going with your moral code. You won't accomplish anything with your current attitude."

"Ignitus," Dillan started. He felt like taking a hard gulp at what he was going to do next, but it was the only option he could see. "King Judah A-Arvaine has sent me and m-my friends here to arrest you. There's n-nowhere to run... C-call off the attack and surr..." Dillan stopped talking.

Ignitus had started to smile at Dillan. The gabite felt more fear in that single moment than he had ever felt. Dillan, a gabite who had a hard time standing without feeling the pain in his chest, just told Ignitus, the leader of Team Armageddon, an organization that _still_ controls the very building he's in, that he's under arrest. If he was ever in any more danger than he was in now, he'd die from pure shock. His heart continued to beat quickly in his chest.

"You want to arrest me?" Ignitus asked. He sounded happy. Dillan took a step back from the infernape. "That's very funny coming from someone who was unconscious in a bed a minute ago." Ignitus held out his arms towards Dillan. "By all means, Dillan," The infernape's smile grew into a wicked grin that overflowed with malicious intent that made Dillan want to squeak. "Just try and arrest me."

* * *

(Alkan Guild, Arena Room)

Hazel was having second-thoughts about telling her teammates to leave her behind. Titus opened his wings behind him, the red in his wings being enhanced by the light shining through the opened ceiling. His right paw was leveled at Hazel's chest. Some sort of shadow appeared on the tips of the charizard's talons and enveloped his entire paw in what looked like a black hand with massive claws. Hazel's scales stood on end from that attack. She knew everything about that move. _Shadow Claw!_

Hazel felt a sort of presence in the arena-like room, as she always did when something ghost-related was near her. This time, it was the attack. True, it wasn't an actual ghost pokemon, but the feeling it brought still threatened to bring up the horrid images of her past.

Hazel's muscles tensed as Titus lunged at her. She had to force herself to remain focused on the fight. The charmeleon side-stepped left, barely avoiding Titus' attack. As soon as he missed, Titus' wings flapped in front of him, creating a barrier of wind that seemed to act as a brake for his momentum. He stopped abruptly in front of Hazel who grimaced at the charizard's speed. Titus swung his claws again, forcing Hazel to duck under the slash. Titus' leg came up and slammed into Hazel's jaw, forcing her upwards. Her feet left the ground for a second before Titus grabbed her tail and threw her back down at his feet. She slammed into the ground, forcing the air from her body. She heard a "pop" in her right shoulder which made all of the pain feel like a regular scrape.

Titus let go of the charmeleon's tail. He stood there above her, eyeing his opponent. Hazel sat up quickly; the pain in her right shoulder intensified. She gave a wail as she looked down at the damage. Her scales were slightly stretched, and her shoulder was a few inches below where it should be, telling Hazel it was dislocated. _I need to move before-_

Titus' paws came down on the charmeleon's arm and neck. "Hold still," he told Hazel, not giving her any time to register what he was doing.

Titus immediately shoved Hazel's arm upwards. She heard a new "pop" and she shrieked. It felt like fire, which was saying something considering she was normally immune to fire. Hazel quickly slashed at Titus' arms. He moved away from Hazel and she landed on her back. She pushed herself backwards in an attempt at getting away. Titus just looked at her with what she could only assume was anticipation. Hazel looked back down at her arm, the pain beginning to dim, if only a little. Surprisingly, her shoulder was back in place. _Titus... set my arm?!_

"You know," Titus stated. "When I last saw you, I told you that you needed to leave the Alkan Islands. If I'm being honest, I was hoping you would come here to the Alkan Guild."

Hazel eyed Titus as she stood slowly, feeling the pain in her arm go down into an aching sensation. "And why's that?" she asked slowly, not having any intention of letting her guard down.

"When I saw you in Palando yesterday..." Titus began, breathing steadily. "It was strange... _You_ were strange... Different."

"Different?"

"You're power is greater than average charmeleon, and I'm not talking about your I.V.s."

"Why not my individual values?" Hazel asked, only determined to keep the charizard talking as she thought of some way out of this mess. She took her eyes off of Titus for only half-seconds to see something about her surroundings she could probably use.

"It doesn't matter," Titus stated. "All it means is that something is different about you compared to others of our species."

"Different from you?" Hazel had looked over the whole room, seeing nothing that could possibly give her aid in the fight. There just wasn't anything here.

"No," Titus shook his head. "I'm different as well. You see, a charizard like me is a very rare case. I'm perfect in almost every way."

"So you have a weakness?" Hazel asked out of desperation.

"No," Titus said flatly. "I was born and trained to be a killing machine. My I. V.s are as high as they'll ever be. My experience in battling is higher than most: not at its peak, but higher nonetheless. Even still, I'm missing something."

Hazel's mind was racing with thoughts, only paying enough attention to Titus in order to keep their conversation flowing, though she felt like it was about to end. _I have one option._ "So, what are you missing?" she asked slowly, buying herself as much time as possible.

"I was hoping you would show me just that," Titus said. He raised his wings once more. "Shall we?"

 _Alright..._ Hazel thought. She could feel her heart racing with fear and adrenaline. _I have two options..._

Hazel felt like yelling as she darted towards the door behind her. She ran as fast as she could. Apparently, it wasn't fast enough. Titus was on her in a mere second. He grabbed her tail and threw her deeper into the room. Hazel slid across the chilly floor and into the middle of the room where she stopped and stood up. She faced Titus. _Guess running isn't an option, either..._

"You wouldn't get very far," Titus stated. "Even if you _did_ manage to escape, you'd come back for your friends."

"My friends can take care of themselves!" Hazel shouted. If she couldn't escape, then she would fight. It seemed as though it was her only option until another one came up.

"Molan thinks differently," Titus stated. "He thinks most of you will crumble in a mere slap, and I agree."

"Molan?" Hazel asked. The name clicked into place the moment she said it out loud. _No..._ "He's here?!" she shouted frantically.

"Yes," Titus stated. "He's probably fighting that gabite as we speak."

 _Dillan..._ That lit Hazel's fuse. Molan had always seemed like a capable pokemon. After all, he was an Armageddon Commander, and was probably going to take control of the group once Ignitus was removed. She had no doubt that he was just as strong as Titus, and the charizard took on Bolt without breaking a sweat. If Dillan and Ryan fought Molan... _I need to finish this, now!_

Hazel broke into a run at Titus who smiled at her. "Finally," he stated in a volume that was barely audible. He began walking at Hazel at a slow pace as if he was talking a stroll through a field of flowers.

The fear inside of Hazel bubbled. She felt her anger begin to rise. She felt every emotion start to flow forth inside her chest. She knew what move she was going to use; a move her father had told her she could learn, but one she never truly tried. _Guess now's a better time than any..._

She focused on the emotions inside of her. They swirled together like different ingredients being stirred to make a truly brutal potion. Normally, these emotions flowed out of her in a warming stream of pure fire. However, this was different. The feeling that rose through her throat was forced – a feeling that could be felt when one vomits – and cold. She opened her mouth and let a purple beam of light and energy fly towards Titus.

The charizard continued walking, taking the "Dragon Pulse" attack head on. It slammed into his chest and spread in different directions like a burst of water hitting a brick wall. Hazel watched the charizard's face. He looked at her with a grimace as if what she was doing had an affect on him. Even so, he continued walking through the attack Hazel refused to stop. _He's feeling this, I just know it!_

"I'm impressed; not many can perform a "Dragon" Pulse attack as a charmeleon." Titus stated. Hazel felt shocked. He didn't sound strained. In fact, he sounded happy. Hazel looked closely through her purple attack. Now, she saw he was never grimacing. In fact, he was grinning wildly. "Now, show me everything you have!"

Titus' wings flapped downwards, sending him through the open-roof of the building and into the sky. Hazel looked upwards, trying to redirect the beam. It collided into the walls, leaving scorch marks wherever it hit, and flew through the air to meet the charizard. Titus immediately dropped, using his dive to gain speed and fly around the beam, straight at Hazel with a massive amount of force. He collided with her chest, forcing the last bit of breath she had from her lungs and took her upwards into the sky. Hazel struggled for breath, but the climbing altitude made it harder to get oxygen. She looked downwards at the Alkan Guild. It continued to shrink further and further below them as the two pokemon ascended into the sky. Hazel could now see the whole Alkan Castle just by looking downwards. They were up so high, she didn't even try and struggle from Titus' grip. He looked at her with a smile before Hazel felt weightless.

Hazel watched the charizard shrink above her as she began falling through the sky, doing flips through the air as she descended. She started screaming, fear taking hold of her. From this height, she would most certainly die from an impact with the ground. She started slashing at the air in a feeble attempt at grabbing some invisible object to stop her from descending. Then, Titus came up from behind and grabbed her, forcing her to dive head-first into the ground. He flapped his wings, making the two gain speed.

"If I'm right about you," Titus said, "You won't die. But you're going to feel this."

Hazel looked below her. The charizard directed the charmeleon's fall just outside the castle. He flapped his wings once more, slowing their fall, before letting go of Hazel. She shrieked as she passed by the outer walls of the Alkan Castle and the ice. Her neck felt the strain as her head collided with the icy water. She descended feet below the surface. It clung at her tail-flame, forcing it to struggle and flicker just to stay lit. She felt her entire body tense up, but the pain drifted away. She could tell how weak she was. The walk here, the battle with the jynx, the relentlessness of the weather, it had all taken its toll on the charmeleon. She felt trapped in the icy waters where she would die. She knew she would, no matter what Titus said, and no matter how much she clung on to the possibility of surviving. As exhausted as she was, there was no way she could survive the exposure of the water. _This can't be the end... can it?_ Hazel slowly and shakily grabbed her tail and held it close in an attempt at getting some sort of heat before she slipped away. She felt her eyes staring to get heavier. She tried to take in some air, but instead, she took in water. She coughed up as much of the water as she could and tried to hold what little oxygen she had left, if there was any at all. Her eye lids began drifting together as she watched her flame. It flickered and died down, on the verge of going out. Then, it happened. Hazel looked at the tip of her tail; the flame had disappeared.

 _So this is it..._ Hazel smiled, remembering all of the good times she had when she was younger. All of the mischief Dean, Haily, and she would get into. At that time, she was a different pokemon; she was Sigourney. Now, she was Hazel; just plain and simple Hazel. Sigourney was friends with Dean and Haily. Sigourney wanted to explore. Sigourney wanted to be on an exploration team and help other pokemon, but she could never find a way to make that happen. That part of her died when she went to meet Dillan and Ryan.

She recalled walking into the hospital room and meeting Dillan for the first time. She portrayed such a fake confidence at that time, making jokes and acting like a child to hide the fear and pain she had been through as Sigourney. Dillan and Ryan helped her through that pain. It felt like no matter what happened, they were there for her. She remembered the joy she felt when Dillan came through for her back in Palando. She also remembered all the times Ryan had her back in a fight. She felt like crying at the fact that she could never thank the two of them for their help. They had come through for her like a family, yet she didn't trust them enough to explain what had been on her mind for the last week.

Hazel closed her eyes, feeling her slowing heart as it thumped feebly in her chest.

 _Dillan... Ryan... I'm sorry._

* * *

(Author's Notes)

MasterKnight2142 here! I'll keep it brief as to not kill the feelings inside you right now.

Thanks so much to "pati1234" for following the story! ... Sorry about the end of the chapter... Pretend cupcake?

I wanted to let you all know that I've been cutting back on my other chapter, "Another Lonely Day" for too long. I haven't decided how I'm going to do this, but I'm either going to A. Work my butt off to write two chapters for the different stories so I can release one every week (doesn't appeal to me :P), or B. I'm going to cut back on a "Shadows of Ganderosa" chapter every once in a while and release a chapter for "Another Lonely Day" every once in a while at random (More appealing than the other, but still not too appealing). If you have any suggestions (other that, "Quit 'Another Lonely Day' and focus on 'Ganderosa'!" That doesn't jive well with me. (YES, REALLY! I WROTE JIVE!)), feel free to share them! I'll even give you (and your story if you have one) a special shout-out in the next chapter if you do! :D

Thanks again for staying witht eh story, guys! I'm out for now! Have a great week! I'll see you all in the next chapter!


	32. The Chaos Theory: Part III

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 32

The Chaos Theory: Part III

* * *

(Alkan Castle, Alka)

Hazel floated motionless underneath the water, surrendering her body to the current. The cold still nipped at her flameless tail. Seconds went by. Hazel waited for death to force her underneath its darkening veil, but nothing happened. She opened her eyes and stared into the blue and green water around her as rays of light shot between the icy walls creating beams between the shadows.

She might have kicked her feet wildly in an attempt at rising to the surface, but she was exhausted. The battle with Titus – as well as the massive drop into the water which still rattled her head – had taken every bit of energy she had. She couldn't fight death even if she wanted to, and she accepted that. Sure, her friend needed help with their own personal lives, but Dillan would eventually get his memories back with Ryan's help, and Ryan would be back to his normal-self with some help from Dillan. They didn't need her. Personally, she had some unfinished business in Ganderosa, but death was too close, and there was no way to avoid it in sight.

That's when Hazel felt something abnormal. Her stomach buckled inwards from a shock of agony. It felt like a flame exploded in her heart. Hazel gave as close to a cry of pain as one could while under water. Her lungs ejected all of the oxygen she had left. The explosion in her chest seemed to ignite something inside of her: something that she had felt before. That flame gave her a new-found burst of pure energy mixed with adrenaline.

 _No._ she thought. _You can't give up, yet. You can't let her death go unanswered!_ Hazel, with this new flame inside of her, kicked her legs as fast as she could. She paddled her arms until she breached the surface of the water. Hazel began coughing out the water in her lungs while trying to take in a breath of air at the same time.

"Interesting," Titus' voice called down from above the charmeleon. Hazel looked up to see the charizard perched on top of the edge of the icy cliff.

Hazel scowled at the charizard, watching him carefully. She took her eyes off of him for a split second to see some way of getting out of the water, though she saw nothing. The metal poles connecting the Alkan Castle's island of ice to the main-land were too far above the water for her to grab, and the cliff-walls were all made of ice, making it nearly impossible to scale.

Titus seemed to see this. He leapt off of the cliff and flapped his wings, keeping himself air-borne. The gusts created from his wings attacked the water, sending small waved over Hazel's head. She tried to stay above the water, but it was no good. Then, she felt claws grab onto her shoulders. Hazel attempted to shake from the grip, but it just made the claws dig into her scales.

"Wait," Titus ordered from above. Hazel looked up with wide-eyes. The charizard was the one grabbing her. She expected him to force her underneath the waves, but he just lifted her out of the water. Hazel didn't struggle for fear of the charizard dropping her, but she hated where this was going: wherever it was headed.

Titus brought Hazel above the cliff-wall and set her on the ice. He let go of Hazel who immediately slashed at Titus. She nicked his wrist, but Titus immediately flew up and out of her reach. He moved forwards a few feet before landing on the ice.

"I have to say," Titus began, gripping his cut wrist, "I'm shocked you're still alive."

"Why did you save me?" Hazel asked sharply.

"Because I want to learn from you," Titus announced. He turned towards Hazel. She was shocked to see a smile on Titus' face along with a glint of interest in his eyes.

"Learn from me?" Hazel asked, shocked by Titus' sudden interest.

"Of course," Titus said. "After all, you're tail-flame reignited."

"Wh-what?!" Hazel immediately looked at her tail. It swished around behind her, a light-blue flame bathing the tip in its heat. She had seen this same flame before back on Tom's ship.

"Tell me," Titus stated. "How does that happen to one such as yourself?"

"I..." Hazel said, still staring at the blue flame. _I don't know..._

"Confused, yet?" Titus asked.

Hazel looked at Titus with wide-eyes. _Confused? Does that mean he knows more about this?_ Her eyes drifted back to her tail."You knew this would happen, didn't you?" she asked.

"No," Titus said as he shook his head. "I knew _something_ would happen: not this."

"How?" Hazel asked.

"You are unlike any other charmeleon; that much was clear to me the moment I saw the way your flame flickered back in Frost-Island's Guild. The next part was figuring out why. I had a hunch, one that has proven to be correct."

"What are you talking about?" Hazel asked. She felt her chest beginning to tighten as a flash of pain went through her head for a second. She slapped her paws to her temples to stop the pain, but it went away as fast as it came.

"Enough talk," Titus stated. "I want you to show me what your new powers can do to me."

Hazel removed her hands from her head and looked at Titus. She knew the charizard would strike at any second, so she had to be ready.

Titus raised his wings and flapped them – sending himself nearly fifteen feet into the air – before he pointed his body downwards. Titus descended into a dive before pulling out of it making himself fly at Hazel with blinding speed. He caught the charmeleon in his right paw. Hazel felt Titus' claws dig into her waist as he carried her off of her feet. She looked into his eyes. They were staring at her – focusing on her – as Titus waited for Hazel's next move, though he didn't give her the opportunity. The charizard brought his left paw up. It was covered in what appeared to be a shadow. Hazel felt her heart skip a beat. _Shadow Claw... Again..._ Titus' paw flew open, revealing the long, jagged, black claws that were aimed straight at Hazel's head. Titus jabbed his claws at the charmeleon. She didn't even bother on dodging the attack. Her only hope of avoiding it was to get Titus to let her go. She felt the fire inside of her rage on like a forest fire. She opened her mouth and let out a massive blast of heat and blue flames that engulfed the charizard's entire body.

Titus' claws loosened on Hazel's body, and she felt herself leave his grip. She grimaced as she tumbled into the snow. The moment she stopped, Hazel got up. She felt kind of dizzy, but she assumed that was because of the damage she had endured from her fall. She stared at Titus. Blue flames flickered from all over the charizard's body. He was kneeling in the snow, patting the flames with his free hand.

"Whoa..." Hazel said, astonished by her own attack.

"Very impressive," Titus said. He had put the last flame out and turned to face Hazel. "Igniting a fire-type is an accomplishment: proof of your own power. Now, tell me how you came across this strength."

Hazel shook her shock out of her head. She scowled at Titus, her opponent. "Why do you want to know?"

"Let's not play games," Titus said. He began walking towards the charmeleon. "Fight me." Titus' claws extended from both paws and became bathed in shadow. He continued walking towards Hazel.

If she was being honest, it freaked her out. A black charizard, one that was stronger than any enemy she had ever fought, was using an attack that put a ghost-like aura in the air. That alone put her on edge. The fact that he knew something about her new flame was even creepier. Now, he was walking towards her as if he was some murderer from the urban legends. But as much as Hazel felt like bolting, she knew she couldn't. She needed to fight this battle until either her or Titus couldn't fight any longer. If she didn't, Titus would kill her friends. This fight needed to end. _If I ever needed to fight, now is the time.. Come on Hazel! He has to have a weakness! What would it be?_

Titus was a few feet from her now. In a second or two, she would be in striking-range. Hazel refused to let that happen. _No more time to think._ She darted towards the charizard as fast as she could. Titus slashed his claws at Hazel's head. She ducked under the strike and slammed her arms into his stomach, forcing the air out of Titus' chest. Titus didn't move due to his weight, but he still wheezed from the lack of air. She then focused on her fear, using that to fuel the fire inside of her. She exhaled a massive jet of flames at Titus; it touched every inch of his body. The charizard swiped his claws through the flames. Hazel moved as quickly as she could, jumping to the left. Titus' claws grazed the side of Hazel's shoulder. She felt a burning sensation in the left side of her chest, not her shoulder. Hazel ignored the burst of pain and slashed at Titus' side. Her claws dug through Titus' scales creating a red mark in his side, but it wasn't very deep. Titus slashed again, but Hazel fell backwards onto the ground. She kicked at Titus' ankle in an attempt at doing more damage, but she realized her mistake instantaneously. Being on the ground restricted her movements. Titus had a chance at striking her. She turned away from Titus and jumped to her feet as fast as possible. She expected to feel an attack at her back, but nothing happened. She just stood up and ran away from the charizard.

Hazel stopped a few feet from her opponent and turned around. She faced the charizard. He was standing in his original position, panting as if tired from Hazel's attacks.

"You're... strong..." Titus admitted through pants. "Very... strong..."

Hazel looked at Titus with worry. She raised her arms and planted her feet as if ready for another fight.

Titus, still panting, stared at Hazel as if curious. "What's... wrong?" he asked.

 _This isn't right... Something's wrong... He shouldn't be this hurt..._ "What are you trying to do?" Hazel asked.

"Nothing I haven't already done," Titus' voice said from behind Hazel. She watched in horror as the Titus in front of her disappeared in a puff of smoke. She whipped around and looked behind. Titus was standing there with a straight posture that showed confidence and a demand of respect. His claws wrapped around Hazel's throat and pulled her upwards. She slammed her paws on Titus' and tried prying herself from his grip, but he didn't seem fazed. She kicked at his chest, trying to get him off of her.

"You look surprised," Titus noted, scowling at the charmeleon. "You turned your back on me, Hazel. That allowed me to get away from your sight and replace myself with a 'Double Team'." Hazel felt her neck start to numb. Her vision was going blurry. She then felt herself fall to the floor, gasping for breath. "You're a foolish girl." Titus knelt own to Hazel. He set his paw under Hazel's chin and forced her to look up at him. "Even though you and your friends are strong, you can't win against me, let alone Ignitus. You're attacks are too unorganized and you use moves for the sole purpose of using them. You might think of a strategy here and there, and that may let you win some fights, but you'll never be strong enough to stop Team Armageddon in your state. Go home before you get yourself hurt." Titus stood up and stepped over Hazel's body.

"Stop..." Hazel ordered. She put her paw underneath her body and began pushing herself upwards shakily. That burst of energy from before felt as though it was vanishing. Even so, Hazel didn't want to give in. She got onto her paws and knees and began standing on her feet.

Titus sighed. "Don't stand," he ordered.

"I can't let you hurt my friends..." Hazel said. She was on her feet now. The charmeleon could feel her strained neck, her cut shoulder, her bruised body: it was all awful – especially the burning sensation in her heart. She felt like lying there in the snow. She felt like running away, but she couldn't. Every standard she had set for herself, every moral code she had abided by, everything she believed in; none of it let her take a step backwards. She was determined to push herself beyond her limits to beat Titus and save her friends.

"That was foolish," Titus stated.

Hazel watched the charizard closely. He was scowling deeply, his head hung from his neck. He was staring at the snow, not meeting the charmeleon's eyes.

"You won't hurt my-" Hazel stopped. Her eyes widened as she felt a pain in her chest. She looked down to see the three oozing marks in her stomach. Titus was on top of her within a split second. The tips of his black claws were stained red. Hazel felt the tip of her tail become frigid and cold. Her heart began to slow down.

Titus continued to scowl at the snow. "I warned you, girl."

Hazel fell backwards onto her backside. Her entire body had gone cold. She shakily the dancing, blue flame had died down, turning into a red and orange like it use to be. He flame barely flickered against the cold. Her body was starting to numb. Pretty soon, the only thing she could feel was the burning sensation in her heart.

"Th-..." Hazel tried to say. She stumbled on those words. Breathing seemed to be the only thing she could accomplish.

"I have to thank you for coming," Titus said coldly. "You showed me that your kind exists."

"P-please..." Hazel said as best she could. "L-lea-" She sharply coughed, ending her sentence.

Titus looked down at Hazel. "You want me to leave your friends alone?" he asked. Hazel nodded as best she could. Titus continued to scowl. "Hazel... I'm a pokemon of my word." Titus began walking away from the charmeleon towards the Alkan Castle. "And I made a promise; I can't let the Guild win."

"Stop..." Hazel said, reaching out to Titus, but she fell forwards onto her chest. "T-Titus..." she said feebly.

"Until next time, little charmeleon."

She felt her vision start to blur. Her eye lids grew heavy as she stared at the charizard. Hazel took one final breath before her eyes shut. The last thing she heard was the scrunching of feet in the snow accompanied by an unintelligible yell as her hearing faded away.

* * *

(Alkan Guild, Third Floor)

Ryan, Bolt, and Adelina had been walking for the past ten minutes. They checked hallway after hallway, door after door, no sign of Dillan, Ignitus, or Guildmaster Zinclyde came up. On top of that, Ryan was starting to wonder if they were going in circles.

"It's like a maze in here," Bolt stated.

"I know," Adelina said. "Why is it so massive?"

Ryan didn't say anything. He was contemplating what Adelina had told him earlier. _She's right... I shouldn't have snapped at Bolt, even if I'm on edge... Even if..._ Ryan stopped at a door and closed his eyes for a few seconds, lowering his guard, and attempting to relax.

The moment his muscles relaxed, he felt a surge of pain go through his brain. He looked out on the horizon. He was in a massive field with flowers blooming along a dirt-road. The road snaked its way through a metal gate and towards a familiar, brick house with glass windows and bushes at the front. The entire property was fenced off with barbed wire.

Ryan felt like running to the house. He felt like going inside and tackling the people he loved most. The pachirisu took a step forwards towards the house. The instant his foot touched the ground, the earth began to vibrate from underneath, throwing Ryan onto his backside. The pachirisu looked up. His eyes widened upon seeing a cloud floating above his house. It turned black and began expanding, leaving a massive, dark void present in the sky. Ryan looked on in horror as a massive crack of lightning came out of the void. It struck the house, sending pieces of brick and glass flying in different directions. Ryan was speechless. He felt tears come to his eyes as he watched in horror. The lightning struck at the house again, and again, and again. Over and over, the lightning struck at what use to be a solid structure until it was leveled with the ground.

Ryan squinted his eyes and grimaced. _Why do you keep showing me all of this?_ He opened his eyes again. He was back in the hallway, holding open a door that led into some sort of lounge. The pachirisu shook the images out of his head as best he could. _Isn't once enough?_ He closed the door and walked onwards towards the next. That's when he heard something above the silence.

"So, you won?"

Ryan stopped in his tracks, ears twitching as he listened. He immediately turned to Adelina and Bolt and said, "Shh."

Adelina stood still, looking at Ryan with anticipation while Bolt stared at the pachirisu. Bolt's eyes drifted upwards towards Ryan's twitching ears. He nodded his head and perked his own ears upwards.

"Of course I won," a voice stated proudly; it was barely audible, telling Ryan that the source was a lot further down the hall. "None of those intruders stood a chance against my super special move."

"I hear them," Bolt said quietly.

"Armageddons?" Adelina asked. Bolt smirked at the lickitung. She obviously got the message because upon seeing Bolt's smirk, she grimaced.

"Maybe they can tell us where Zinclyde is."

"Alright," Ryan said quietly. "Follow me."

Ryan crept down the hallway followed by Adelina and Bolt. The further they went, the more the voices elevated in volume. Ryan continued looking down the hallway expecting to find a body in the distance that would spot him and jump. It started putting him on edge. _Calm down... They aren't here..._

"Sparky," Bolt whispered. Ryan stopped in his tracks and faced Bolt.

"Yeah?" Ryan asked a little forcefully. Adelina shot Ryan a warning glance.

"Their voices are muffled," Bolt stated, seemingly unaffected by Ryan's attitude. "They're through one of these doors."

"Which one?" Adelina asked.

Bolt shrugged. "All I know is that they're not going to see us coming."

Ryan didn't know what to do with that information. He wanted to say something along the lines of, "Great!" or "Good one!", but at the same time he felt like he still felt mad with him for leaving Hazel behind. On top of that, the whole mission was still messing with him.

For starters, why would Guildmaster Zinclyde turn traitor? The Guildmaster was suppose to be the highest point anyone could achieve in Ganderosa's government. She had everything she could have ever wanted. On top of that, Team Armageddon's purpose was to take down the corrupt guild system and its leaders. Why would Zinclyde, one of the pokemon who benefitted most from the corrupted system, attack the very thing that gave her power? Then there was the fact that a King would allow his guildmembers – the lowest ranking in Guild status – to go on a mission like this. Sure, you could say that Garth picked them because he felt that they were the ones who were the most prepared, but there was also the fact that Garth was acting funny about the whole situation back in Palando. He didn't seem to enjoy the process at all, as if something was wrong, and he knew about it. On top of that, why Ryan's team specifically? Why choose Team Rapture? Wasn't Team Force stronger than they were? Weren't they more suited for this assignment? The thing that threw Ryan for a loop more than anything was that Judah was staring in Ryan's direction during a good majority of the Palando Guild meeting. It felt like he was trying to suffocate him with his eyes. But why? Why did Judah take such an interest in him? Did he know? _No. There's no way..._ That thought stuck in Ryan's head. _Does he know?_

"Ryan," Adelina whispered forcefully, snapping him out of his trance-like state. Ryan shook himself back into reality.

Not wanting to give Adelina a second's chance to interrogate him, the pachirisu said, "Let's just go," before walking onwards down the hall. _Something's off about this whole thing, and I'm in the center of it..._

As the group crept further and further down the hallway, the voices became more and more audible. Ryan followed the voices until he reached a closed door in the side of the hallway.

"Quit acting like a bunch of twits!" a voice ordered from the other side of the door.

"You're kidding!" a different voice exclaimed. "You don't believe him?"

"They're in there," Bolt whispered.

"Alright," Ryan said. "We need one of them conscious enough to interrogate. The lucky Armageddon can lead us to Zinclyde and Ignitus. So on three, we jump them."

"Good plan, Sparky," Bolt stated with a smirk.

"Okay," Adelina said as she turned to Bolt. "Don't get too cocky."

"Me? Cocky?" Bolt questioned sarcastically.

Ryan rolled his eyes at the pikachu's arrogance as he motioned towards Adelina, then towards the door. Adelina seemed to understand because she walked right towards the door and set her hand right above the handle as to not jiggle it, alerting the room to their presence. She gave a nod to Ryan. The pachirisu stuck out his paw and shook it in the air three times.

"Now!" Ryan shouted.

They busted through he doorway to find themselves in a square room that was only filled with a group of four pokemon: some sort of quadrupedal elephant with armor over its back (donfan); a bipedal, yellow chicken with bulky, orange legs and long talons for fingers (combusken); a small, black and white squirrel with flaps of skin that went from its arms to its sides (emolga); and a pokemon Ryan recognized from their time in the Frost Island Guild: a crocanaw.

Ryan didn't give his opponents any time to react to his sudden intrusion. The pachirisu immediately flung himself towards the crocanaw, who only managed to turn around before Ryan rubbed his cheeks against the pokemon. As per usual when Ryan used "nuzzle", sparks began flying from the shouting crocanaw. Ryan then jumped off of the pokemon's body and searched for his next target. Bolt, grinning confidently, had just slammed his electrified body head-first into the combusken who fell to the floor from the force. Adelina had only just managed to get into the room with her orange swords in her hands.

"We're being attacked?!" the emolga shouted frantically, staring at the sudden onslaught that formed.

The donfan eyed Ryan coldly, and vice-versa. The pachirisu landed on the ground and whipped around in a circle, swinging his tail through the air. Stars flew towards the donfan and pelted it in the face, though Ryan's opponent didn't even flinch. It immediately threw itself head-first into the floor and formed into a grey ball of metal. The donfan began spinning like a wheel, accelerating quickly and barreling straight towards Ryan. The pachirisu was about to jump left to avoid his attacker, but he instead gave a cry of agony as a massive, sharp pain surged through his tail. Ryan quickly took his eyes off of the donfan and stared backwards to see the sparking crocanaw was chewing on Ryan's fuzzy tail. The pachirisu looked back at the donfan who was on top of him. Instinctually, the pachirisu jumped left, ignoring the pain in his tail. He immediately found his jump ended short of his intended distance, though it was just enough to avoid most of the donfan. He slammed into the floor and felt a new sensation in his tail. Ryan gave a howl of pain as he looked back to see the donfan had barely missed his body and went straight over the crocanaw's head. The crocanaw laid there on the floor, his moving back from inhaling being the only identifying factor that he was still alive. He had let go of Ryan's tail, though it still felt like fire. He quickly pulled his tail in for examination, though a screeching on the floor told him that now wasn't the time. He looked at the source to see the donfan had come out of its ball, its eyes set on Ryan. They focused on each other, waiting for the other to make their move.

"Why are there three of you?" the donfan questioned. "There was only suppose to be one!"

"Hey, you!" Bolt shouted.

The donfan took its eyes off of Ryan for a second to catch the glimpse of Bolt slamming his left, glowing paw into its head. As the donfan gave a cry of pain, it fell onto the floor. Bolt, for good measure, brought his right, white paw onto the donfan's head. Bolt stood in front of the donfan, grinning at his downed enemy.

"Give up?" Bolt asked. The donfan attempted to get up, but as soon as it moved, Bolt dropped his glowing paws on its head yet again. The donfan fell back onto its stomach. "Well?"

"Stop hurting him!" the emolga shouted. Ryan looked around to see the black and white squirrel in Adelina's tongue. "Please, stop!"

"Sorry," Bolt shrugged. "We can't just let him attack us."

"We don't have time for this," Ryan said. He walked up to the emolga, glaring at the pokemon. "Where's Iris Zinclyde?" he ordered.

The emolga's eyes widened fearfully. "Y-you're the r-rogue Armageddon," it stated. The emolga's voice was cracking. "Th-they warned us not to underestimate y-you based on y-your size!"

Ryan ignored the comment. _It isn't important right now._

"You're afraid of us?" Bolt asked with confusion. The emolga didn't say anything.

Ryan walked right up to the emolga. He was inches away from the pokemon. He feel its shaky breath against his nose. "Let me tell you something," Ryan began slowly. "My best friend was taken by you murderers. I have no idea where he is, or if he's alright. We think he's probably with either your leader Ignitus, or Guildmaster Iris Zinclyde. Other than that, we have nothing to go off of. Now you're going to tell me exactly where to find Zinclyde and Ignitus, or I'll find someone else to tell me."

"Don't hurt me!" the emolga shouted.

"Where are they?" Ryan questioned sternly, ignoring the emolga's plea.

"Don't tell them!" the donfan shouted from the floor. Ryan didn't face the donfan, though he did hear a "thud" coming from its general direction.

The emolga took a hard gulp and said, "I only know where Zinclyde is!"

"You expect me to believe that?" Ryan asked.

"It's true!" the emolga shouted. "None of the lower members are suppose to know incase we turn traitor!" Ryan's upper lip twitched angrilly: not from the lack of information the emolga provided, but at how useless he felt. The emolga, however, seemed to take the twitching lip as a sign that Ryan was getting ready to attack. It whimpered before blurting, "Zinclyde should know where Ignitus is, though! She should be high enough in our ranks!"

"And where's she?" Adelina questioned.

"She spends most of her time in the tower at the top of the guild!" the emolga shouted. "That's all I know, I swear!"

"You're lying," Ryan stated coldly.

"It's true! I swear it's true!"

"Good," Bolt stated. "Guess we don't need you anymore."

"Wait!" the emolga pleaded. "Don't kill me!"

Bolt laughed heartily. "That's not how I roll." He rushed in on the emolga and slammed his glowing paw on its head. In an instant, the pokemon was out cold.

"Can we trust it?" Adelina asked.

"That emolga was too scared of you," Bolt told Ryan. "It wasn't lying."

Adelina put the emolga on the floor and looked at Ryan. "You're worried about Dillan," she stated softly.

Ryan didn't answer. _She knows me too well._ He turned from the battle and began walking out of the room.

"That was too easy," Bolt said as he began exiting the room with Ryan. Adelina followed. "Could you believe that combusken? It was like it didn't know what to do."

"No offense," Ryan began, looking at Bolt out of the corner of his eye, "But it would be best if talking was kept to a minimum. The more we talk, the bigger risk we run of someone hearing us." _I say that, but in reality I just want some peace and quiet before the fight._

"Right," Bolt said with a smile accompanied by a wink.

"I have something to add," Adelina said.

"What?" Ryan asked.

"Which door leads up?"

"Easy," Ryan said. "Just follow me." He continued walking in silence. Bolt looked at Adelina with a grin and continued following Ryan. Adelina gave a sigh. She seemed exhausted by this whole endeavor, and Ryan didn't blame her. Nevertheless, she continued following the pachirisu.

* * *

After a little more tha ten minutes, Ryan opened the door to the arena room from earlier. He looked worriedly at the damage that still remained on the walls. Adelina and Bolt entered the room right behind the pachirisu.

"Back in here," Bolt said.

Ryan turned towards the staircase at the back of the room that led either down or up.

"There," Ryan said.

"No killing," Adelina said.

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said. "But only because you'd kill me."

"And cheer up. Dillan's going to be up there and alright."

"That's more like it," Bolt stated. He ran towards the stairs and took the first step up. "But before we go up there, I wanted to say something."

Ryan gave a sigh and said, "Why do you keep wasting time?"

"Chill," Bolt stated. "I just wanted to say that we need to work as a group if we want to beat Zinclyde."

Adelina looked at Bolt with a raised eyebrow. "So, you have a plan?"

"More or less," Bolt shrugged. "Again, winging it.

"All I'm saying is that we probably need to fight Zinclyde as a team. Although, three pokemon sending random attacks at one target can either be a good thing or a bad one."

"Yeah?" Ryan asked. He had to admit, he was curious about what Bolt had to say, and it did help to take is mind off of his negative emotions.

"For starters," Bolt began, "If everyone were to throw an attack at the same time without communicating, it would run the risk of our attacks missing the target and hitting one of us. Another thing to keep in mind is that if we watch each other's movements and calculate where the opponent will dodge, we end up knowing where they'll be next making sure our attack hits it's-"

"Bolt," Adelina interrupted nervously. "I don't mean to dampen your strategy, but all of this is... too complicated for me... I wouldn't be able to follow through on anything you're saying..."

Bolt looked at Adelina with a smirk. "Alright, then. In that case, just power yourself up with 'Swords Dance', and use 'Wrap' to hold the enemy. Is that do-able?" Adelina looked relieved. She nodded to Bolt who gave her the thumb's up. He then turned to Ryan. "In that case, just communicate with me. I'll worry about the complicated stuff."

Ryan raised his eyebrow at Bolt. "It isn't complicated for me."

Bolt gave a light laugh. "Now who's wasting time?" Ryan grimaced at the pikachu's comment. "Relax. I'm just kidding." The pikachu turned towards the stairs and began ascending.

"Wasting time..." Ryan said under his breath as he followed the pikachu. Adelina led the rear as they ascended the steps.

It took about three minutes to reach the top.

"Alright," Bolt said upon seeing the set of big, wooden doors framed with metal. "Show time."

Ryan took a deep breath to try and mentally brace himself for what was to come. _Dillan, please be there..._ Ryan walked up to the doors and pushed on them. They gave a small "creek", but that was just about it. It didn't even budge. He broke away from the door and looked up at its size. Compared to Ryan, the door looked massive and heavy. It made him mad. _Why doesn't anyone think about the little guy when building these things?!_

"Let me," Adelina said. She pushed on the door, her face tensing from the amount of pressure she exerted. The floor squeaked from underneath the lickitung, but after a while, it started creaking open.

Little by little, the interior of the room was revealed, until Adelina had pushed it open entirely. Ryan gazed upon one of the biggest rooms he had ever seen. A purple carpet with Ganderosa's symbol – the dragonite skull with two spears underneath it in an "X" – was laid out along the blue-and-white-marble floor which led to a massive bed at the back wall. An even bigger picture of King Judah Arvaine was hanging over the bed: or at least, Ryan assumed it was King Judah. The scorched hole in his head threw Ryan off, but the purple cape draping behind his fat body accompanied by the crown peaking over the ashes helped in his assumption. Pieces of blank paper littered the surface of a burned table to the right of the bed, as well as the floor around it. A chair was laying on its side in the middle of the room. There were also a massive amount of slashes and burns along the walls. A few windows along the walls allowed light to penetrate the otherwise dark room. In the middle of the bed sat a massive serpent with smooth, vanilla scales. Ryan's cheeks started sparking upon seeing Iris Zinclyde in the bed, though she wasn't the real reason Ryan was here. Zinclyde's head perked up and looked straight at Ryan. Her eyes widened and her lower lip started quivering.

Ryan's eyes went over the entire room once more as he searched for his gabite companion. There was no sign of him. _He's not here..._

"Wh-what are you doing here?!" Zinclyde asked worriedly. Ryan's attention was placed back to Zinclyde.

"You're the Guildmaster?" Bolt asked with a confident tone.

"You're n-not suppose to be here!" Zinclyde shouted frantically.

"Where's my friend?" Ryan shouted. "Where's the gabite you guys took hostage?"

"M-master Ignitus said I w-would be alone!" Zinclyde stuttered, glossing straight over what Ryan had said. "You're not suppose to be here!" The milotic began muttering that same phrase over and over.

"Guildmaster Zinclyde," Bolt said. He took a step forwards, his cheeks now sparking. "We don't want to fight you, but-"

"You're not suppose to be here!" Zinclyde continued, shouting over Bolt.

Bolt looked at Zinclyde with concern. "Uh... C. A?" the pikachu said. "She doesn't seem mentally... stable..."

"I know..." Adelina said. She took a step towards Zinclyde.

"No!" Zinclyde screamed fearfully. She recoiled away from Adelina, getting closer to the back of the bed. "Boss, help!"

"Are you alright?" Adelina asked.

"It doesn't matter," Ryan stated. He started walking towards Zinclyde. The milotic began screaming in terror with Ryan's advancements.

"Ry, wait," Adelina said.

The pachirisu stopped where he was at. When he did so, the milotic stopped shouting. Ryan turned towards Adelina. "What now?" he asked, angry with all of the interruption.

"Something's wrong."

"Yeah," Ryan lashed out. "It's the fact that you guys feel pity for her-"

"Really?" Adelina interrupted sternly. She shook her head and directed her attention back to Zinclyde. "She's obviously shaken up from us being here, but she's a Guildmaster. It doesn't make any sense what-so-ever. So, let me talk to her."

Ryan knew she was right. _Of course she's right... It's just that..._ He looked at the shaking Guildmaster. He wasn't sorry for her. _She's a coward and a traitor, and she has my friend held captive._

Adelina took another step towards Zinclyde. Her movement was met with another shriek from the milotic. She had begun to shout frantically, "I don't want to do this anymore, Boss!" She continued to shout, "I don't want to do this anymore" over and over.

"Guildmaster," Adelina said calmly. "Please calm down. I'm not here to hurt you."

Zinclyde lowered her head and looked over at Adelina. "Boss says not to trust you!" Zinclyde shouted. "Boss says you're here to hurt me for what I did!"

"We're only here to talk," Adelina said. "Please, just calm down and-"

Zinclyde's head flew back as a massive stream of water shot out of her mouth. It flew straight towards Adelina. She quickly rolled over on her side and avoided the attack. Ryan watched the jet of water fly by. His eyes widened upon seeing the white, wavy streams of what appeared to be smoke fly off of the water. _No, not smoke: steam..._

The water flew out of the room and slammed into the wall outside the doorway.

"That's scald," Bolt warned. "Touch that, and it'll burn you."

"I'll keep it in mind," Adelina said.

"You're asking for a world of hurt!" Ryan shouted to Zinclyde.

"Master Ignitus said I'd be alone!" Zinclyde shouted. "Boss said I could trust Master Ignitus! Boss said I would be safe here!" Zinclyde shot another burst of scalding water towards Adelina, who once again avoided the attack. Orange swords materialized out of thin air, and Adelina began dancing with them on the spot.

"Alright," Ryan said. "Pain train coming at ya."

Ryan got on all-fours and darted towards Zinclyde. The milotic began shooting rounds of water towards Adelina, who managed to dodge every one of the attacks gracefully as she played with her swords. The Guildmaster was so occupied with Adelina that she'd seemed to have completely forgotten about Ryan. He leapt at Zinclyde and began rubbing his cheeks all over her neck. It felt very smooth to Ryan, as if he was rubbing against ice. The milotic gave a shriek of pain and shot a burst of scalding water towards Ryan. The pachirisu leapt off of Zinclyde's neck and into the middle of the room. He looked towards Zinclyde just in time to see a smirking Bolt pummel Zinclyde with his electrified body. Another blast of water shot towards Bolt, who dodged the attack.

Adelina came out of nowhere and wrapped her tongue around Zinclyde. Ryan watched as tension marks formed around the area Adelina had begun squeezing. Zinclyde yelled in the air. Ryan was shocked to see in mere seconds that the entire room had gotten darker.

"What the-" Ryan began. He was abruptly cut off by a massive gust of wind that blew through the room. Ryan covered his eyes instinctually for protection, though that didn't help at all. Almost instantaneously, he felt goose-bumps under his fur as the room dropped in temperature. Multiple, tiny objects started pelting Ryan. His skin then felt as though it had been rubbed raw. It was extremely painful, and felt as though he was being turned into an ice cube.

"Blizzard!" Bolt shouted above the roaring winds. "She's not messing around!"

Almost as soon as it appeared, the temperature went back up, and the light streamed back in through the window. Ryan immediately looked at Adelina to see if she was alright. Her tongue was no longer wrapped around Zinclyde. Instead, it hung from the lickitung's chattering mouth.

"No!" Zinclyde shouted from her bed. "Boss said that was my strongest move! That should have beaten you! That should have beaten you!"

Ryan and Adelina looked just about ready to jump back into the fight, when Bolt held up his paw.

"Bolt," Ryan said warningly. "I swear-"

"Alright," Bolt said to Zinclyde, completely ignoring Ryan's comment.. "What gives?" He walked right up to Zinclyde. She looked panicked, shooting another blast of steaming water. Bolt bobbed and weaved around the attack and faced Zinclyde. "Aren't you suppose to be one of Ganderosa's strongest? Why can't you seem to hit me?"

"Stay away!" Zinclyde pleaded, shooting yet another burst of steaming water. Bolt, once again, dodged the attack.

"Tell me, Guildmaster," Bolt said, "Why is it that you don't seem to know your own moves?"

"Stay away!"

"You aren't Zinclyde, are you?"

"What?" Adelina asked, stunned by Bolt's accusation.

"Who are you, really?" Bolt smirked.

"Boss would kill me if I told you!" Zinclyde shrieked. Her red eyebrows floated in the air before her as her eyes glowed a light shade of blue. "Leave me alone!"

A massive beam of pure energy erupted from Zinclyde's face and barreled straight towards Bolt. The pikachu rolled to the left, dodging the "Hyper Beam" and immediately shouted, "Sparky, Team Attack!"

"Right," Ryan acknowledged without hesitation. He leapt into the air and sent a massive jolt of electricity hurdling towards the exhausted-looking Zinclyde. Bolt then sent his own burst of electricity towards Zinclyde, his looking a lot more powerful than Ryan's. The bolts of electricity hit their target. Zinclyde shrieked from the pain and fell onto the bed. Her eye lids were heavy, but she still looked at the guildmembers.

Bolt looked at Zinclyde in anticipation. "So, are you going to surrender and tell the truth?"

"Boss would kill me..." Zinclyde mumbled wearily to herself. "Can't show them... Boss would kill me..." She continued muttering to herself.

"Bolt," Adelina said. "What's going on?"

"Fine, Zinclyde," Ryan said. He jumped onto the bed and walked right up to the milotic. "I'm tired of your crap." Ryan realized he was only slightly bigger than the milotic's head, but he didn't let that intimidate him. He grabbed Zinclyde by the eyebrows and forced her to look at him. "Listen to me closely, you coward." She gave a shriek which Ryan met with a jolt of electricity. "Listen to me!" Zinclyde stopped shrieking and stared at Ryan with fear. "Ignitus has my friend held hostage, and you're going to tell me exactly where he is, understand?"

"Boss would kill me... Can't show them... Boss would kill me."

"Wrong answer!" Ryan shouted. He jolted Zinclyde. "Where is he?"

"Can't show them..."

Ryan gave Zinclyde another jolt of electricity. "Where's ignitus!"

"I can't... tell you," Zinclyde said wearily. "Boss is going to... kill me..."

"And what makes you think I'm going to let you live?!" Zinclyde gave a shriek of fear. Her eyes rolled up in her head, and she was unconscious.

"Ryan!" Bolt shouted. Ryan felt his tail being yanked from behind. He was pulled away from Zinclyde and to the floor. He looked ahead to find Bolt was looking at Zinclyde with a fearful grimace on his face. He leapt onto the bed and began going over Zinclyde with his hands for life-signs. That's when it happened. Zinclyde began glowing with a white light. Her body began changing before their very eyes. It morphed into a small, plump object. When the light faded, Ryan could make out a small pile of purple goo with shut eyes and a frown.

"A... ditto?" Ryan said with shock. "But where's Zinclyde?"

Bolt stopped himself as he stared at the pokemon before him. His eyes were widened as realization came to his face. "I remember you..."

"You do?" Adelina questioned.

"He was at the Palando Guild when we came back from... Castellum Town... A greninja called him 'Bob'."

"I can't believe you remember that..." Adelina said, though she sounded concerned.

Bolt shook his head as if he wasn't surprised. Ryan, however, had something else on his mind. "Where's Zinclyde?" he shouted at Bob. He heard Adelina gasp from behind him, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was finding Dillan.

"Dead..." Bob said wearilly. Ryan looked at the purple blob. His eys slowly opened wide as he said, "Boss killed her... And now Boss is going to kill me..."

"She's dead..." Ryan said, his face horror-stricken. "No..." _If she's dead... then..._ Ryan leapt back onto the bed. He stared down Bob with absolute anger. "Where the hell is Ignitus?!" he shouted.

Bolt's fist came into Ryan's stomach and sent him flying backwards. Ryan flew through the air, processing what had just occurred, and landed on his back. He looked up from his grounded position at a scowling Bolt.

"You just..." Ryan said with shock.

"Get out, Ry," Adelina said from Ryan's side. Ryan was shocked to hear her voice quivering. He looked up at the lickitung. She was standing there, tears streaming from her eyes as she stared at Bob. "Just get out..." Ryan looked at Adelina with a dumb-founded expression. _Get out? Is she serious?_ "Get out!" she shouted.

Ryan looked at Bolt. He was scowling accusingly at the pachirisu. _What did I..._ His eyes drifted towards Bob. The ditto was eyeing Ryan with a look between exhaustion and fear, as though Ryan would kill him.

"But Dillan needs me-" Ryan protested.

"He needs you?" Bolt asked. He hopped down from the bed and began walking up to the pachirisu. "He needs _you_? You specifically?" Ryan eyed the pikachu nervously. He'd never seen Bolt act so harsh towards him. It put him on-edge. "I don't think he does."

"Of course he does!" the pachirisu shouted.

"Oh," Bolt said with a forced surprise to his voice. He put his hand to his chest as it checking his heart. He looked at Adelina and smirked. "Here that C. A? Dillan needs a killer to save his life." _Killer?_ He turned towards Ryan. Seeing the shocked expression, Bolt laughed. "You don't know what I'm talking about?" Bolt smacked Ryan across the face with such force, Ryan was now looking at the ground. Adelina gave a gasp. Ryan's face felt as though it was the victim of a spike trap; it tingled with pain. "Why don't you take a look at the ditto on that bed!" Bolt took a step to the side

Ryan's head came back up, facing the ditto. It was still quivering, wearily eyeing the scene before it.

"Your point?" Ryan questioned.

"He's scared of you!" Bolt shouted. "Don't you find that the least-bit disturbing?"

"He's a killer!" Ryan shouted, rearing towards Bolt.

"You don't know that for sure," Bolt stated. "Can you tell me you're one-hundred percent certain that this ditto is a murderer and not just being used?" Ryan's expression didn't change. He just continued to stare at Bolt. "Of course you can't. So, tell me what gives you the right to murder him?"

"I wasn't going to murder him!" Ryan protested.

Bolt scoffed. "No? Then tell me when you were going to stop attacking him? When were you going to stop electrifying his brain?"

This time, Ryan grimaced. "I was going to..." Ryan said. He stopped himself. He started reviewing what he had done, his anger dissipating. He thought about how he jolted the pokemon. He thought about all the anger he had.

"Did it at least feel good?" Bolt asked. "Did taking your anger out on him relieve you of your own pain?" Ryan wanted to protest, but he didn't. _No... It didn't..._ "It never does, Ryan." Bolt gave a sigh. "Look at Adelina." Ryan looked at Bolt as though he was kidding. Bolt gave him a glare that said, "Do it, or I kick your tail". Ryan turned towards his friend. Adelina looked at Ryan with a mixture of emotions: worry, fear, hate, anger, sadness.

Ryan was horrified. _Did... Did I do that to her?_

Adelina turned away from Ryan, tears falling down her cheeks even more rapidly than before.

"Addi-" Ryan tried to comfort.

"Damn it, Ryan..." Adelina quivered. "Is it so hard to leave me again?"

Ryan felt like he'd just been shot through the heart. He felt tears come to his own eyes. He looked towards Bob the ditto with horror. _Was I... going to kill you?_

"Dillan doesn't need you, Ryan," Bolt said. "You're too emotional right now to help anyone, so just leave."

"But-" Ryan tried to protest.

"Get out of here, Ryan!" Adelina shouted.

Ryan shut his eyes. His breathing became very unsteady. What was I thinking? He turned from Team B. A. K. and ran out of the room. He reached the stairs and began descending them. Each step felt as though the castle around him was going to collapse and crush him underneath its own weight. He didn't pay any attention to anything that went on around him. The pachirisu just darted to the bottom of the stairs and out of the castle. _I was going to kill someone... Without hesitation, I was going to end someone's life..._ His mind flashed with the image of his home being struck with lightning. _And all because I couldn't keep my emotions in check!_ His wrecked home flashed in his mind again as Ryan ran out to the gate. The skarmory looked at Ryan with curiosity, while the protestors continued to shout at the Guild the pachirisu was leaving behind.

"Open the gate..." Ryan said. Tears began flowing over his yellow cheeks.

"Are you alright?" the skarmory asked.

"Open the gate, now!" Ryan shouted, his voice cracking from all the emotions swirling inside of him. The skarmory began opening the gates as fast as he could. _Bolt's right... Dillan doesn't need my help... I'm too messed up to help him, or Hazel... If I tried to help him... would I kill someone? Am I that unstable?_ As soon as the gates were open enough for Ryan to squeeze through, he darted into the crowd of pokemon. He stepped on many feet in order to get away from the Guild, but that didn't matter to him. _Something needs to change inside of me..._ The images flashed through his head once more. He heard the thunder crack around him as though it was really here. He broke through the crowd of rioters and stopped. He grabbed the Team Armageddon bandanna that was still tied around his forehead and removed it. _I need to fix myself... I need to fix my emotions, or I could hurt someone forever... I could hurt my... my friends..._ The image flashed again. He felt his fear rip at his insides. _My problems are catching up to me... They have been for a while..._ _I need to stop running from them; I need to tackle them head-on._ Ryan looked back at the Alkan Guild. _Maybe when my problems are over, I'll be fixed._ _Until then, I won't be able to help anyone..._ He dropped his "Team Armageddon" bandanna on the floor and walked off. _Dillan, Hazel, I'm sorry... but I have to do this on my own..._

* * *

(Unknown)

Dillan's heart was thumping against his chest at a million miles an hour. His wide-eyes accompanied by the sweat on the back of his neck didn't help him feel any less afraid. He had no clue what to do. Ignitus was slowly walking around the table towards Dillan while rotating his shoulders as if getting ready to dig his fist through the gabite's chest. Dillan had to fight, but he was so unsure about himself. _What am I thinking? How am I suppose to beat him? He has to be much stronger than I am, so how?_

"By all means, arrest me," Ignitus stated. Dillan watched the infernape with fear and caution. He took a few steps backwards to keep the gap between the two. His eyes continued to dart between Ignitus and his crystal which was hanging from the string tied to Ignitus' open palm. "Why back away from me, Dillan? Are you more afraid that I'll kill more innocent pokemon, or are you more afraid of me?" Dillan grimaced. "Don't you understand? I'm trying to save Ganderosa from extinction!"

"How d-does attacking a t-town help?" Dillan stuttered.

Ignitus closed his palm around the string. He then grabbed the crystal with his other hand. "You don't understand your role in this world." He rushed towards Dillan. The gabite wanted to dart to the left to avoid Ignitus, but that wasn't possible. The fear in his chest seemed to root him in place. Ignitus put his hands to Dillan's chest, pressing the green crystal to his scales. "Let me show you Ganderosa's future!" Almost immediately, Dillan felt his head grow heavy. His consciousness seemed to slip from his grasp as he plummeted into darkness.

* * *

Dillan slowly opened his eyes. He found himself lying on the cobble-stone road surrounded by small, stone houses. Above the houses, Dillan could see the top of a wall that seemed to surround wherever he was. Dillan slowly got onto his feet. He was surprised to find the pain in his chest had all but gone away. Dillan looked around the street to find where Ignitus had gone. All he could see was groups of cheery pokemon walking: some with objects and wears, others with friends or family. It was peaceful here, which made Dillan smile, though he dropped that in an instant and stuck with a concerned frown. _It's not cold enough to be Alka... So, where am I? How did I get here? Wasn't I fighting Ignitus?_

"Howdy, stranger!" a voice called out. Dillan looked to his left to find a massive, pink creature with a long tongue was smiling at him. That made the gabite feel very relieved.

"Adelina!" Dillan said with joy.

"Dad!" a child-like voice shouted from behind the gabite.

Dillan turned around to find a smaller lickitung that skipped through him and towards what Dillan previously thought to be Adelina. He suddenly felt wrong: as if violated. _Did that kid j-just skip through m-me?!_ He watched as the two hugged each other as best they could what with their bulbous bodies and shorter arms. That seemed to give him some of his comfort back: some.

"So, how did school go?"

"Is Adelina coming home this week?" _Adelina? Coming home?_ Then it occurred to him; these pokemon had a remarkable resemblance to his friend. _Does that mean that these pokemon are Adelina's family? But that's not possible. They're missing._

The older lickitung looked at his son with a sort of sad gaze, but still wore a smile. "You know as well as I do that she's busy with the Guild."

"But she promised to teach me how to use Swords Dance, soon!" the little one complained.

Mr. Jennings sighed. "Adelina's just got some things to deal with."

"Like that short, jerky boyfriend she had?" His complaints were met with a warning gaze from his father. The child looked away as if concerned by his father's look. "Yes, sir..."

Mr. Jennings smiled at his son. "Tell you what: we'll go inside and write to your sister, asking her to come home as soon as possible. How does that sound?"

The child smiled brightly at his father as he gave an even tighter hug. "You mean it?"

"Sure I do!" Mr. Jennings assured.

Under normal circumstances, Dillan would have smiled at this show of affection. This, however, was no normal circumstance. _If Adelina's family is missing, then why are they here? Why aren't they missing? And where am I? It doesn't look familiar at all..._

"Boom". Dillan whipped around towards the sound of a loud explosion. He saw a cloud of dust floating through the air beyond all the houses near the castle walls accompanied by shards of stone.

"Get inside, Albert." Dillan looked to his left so see Mr. Jennings was looking his son in the eyes, his hands on his son's shoulders. He was no longer holding the little lickitung.

"What's happening?" the little lickitung asked.

"Albert Jennings, get inside right now!"

Albert didn't refuse again. He broke away from his father and departed for a building to the left. Mr. Jennings didn't seem as though he was going to join him. Instead, he was walking into the middle of the road. More explosions could be heard in the distance, making Dillan shudder. _What in Ganderosa is going on?_

Dillan looked down the path to find different pokemon running towards Mr. Jennings. They were all wearing faces of terror. Then, the gabite saw that one after the other, each and every pokemon was dropping into the streets.

"No..." Dillan said with horror. He broke into a run, not knowing or caring what he was going to find in front of him. The gabite focused on his fins. They grew into the blue blades he had used in just about every fight he had gotten into. Dillan was almost there when he stopped himself. The last of the pokemon dropped revealing the dreaded figure of a big, wooden pokemon with long a long, whit mane of hair that flowed down the creature's face, but parted at a pointed, long nose. _Arlon..._ Though there was something off about the shiftry. Dillan realized that instantly: Arlon was perfectly fine. No burns or frizzled hair were present on the pokemon's body. Dillan instantly threw that information aside. Instead, he was focused on the anger and fear in his chest. _No... Not here... He's in jail... How is he here hurting more pokemon?_

"Take them all," the shiftree announced. "And make sure they're alive! The master wants to make sure we get the right one." From behind Arlon arose an army of brown men with green leaves on their heads. The nuzleaf immediately went for the grounded pokemon who struggled futilely against their attackers. Other nuzleaf busted through different doors to houses and threw their inhabitants out into the streets.

Dillan tried to take a step forwards, but his muscles were stiff, making it difficult to walk. _Stop being afraid! He's the reason I know about Grace! He's the reason I know she's dead! He's the cause for all of the pain I've faced here! Stop running and fight him! Fight him!_ Dillan finally felt his muscles loosen. The gabite broke into a run at his opponent. Arlon didn't seem to take note of his existence. Dillan lunged at the pokemon and slashed across his face, but nothing happened. Dillan was shocked to see he didn't harm Arlon. _No!_

"You," Mr. Jennings shouted angrily, "Shiftree! Why are you here?"

Arlon looked at Mr. Jennings with a smile. "Take him." A group of five nuzleaf rushed towards Mr. Jennings. Dillan slashed once again at Arlon, but he just stood there smiling at the fight between Mr. Jennings and the nuzleaf. Mr. Jennings tried to fight, swinging his tongue like a whip in the air at the nuzleaf, though they didn't seem to care. One intercepted the tongue, taking the attack head on as if he had some sort of death wish. His move stopped Mr. Jennings' tongue while the other nuzleaf jumped him. Mr. Jennings flailed wildly as he tried to shake off his attackers, but they were too strong. In seconds, Mr. Jennings had been battered and bruised to the point of exhaustion.

"Arlon, stop!" Dillan shouted. "Leave him alone! Fight me, just leave him alone!"

"Daddy?" a voice asked. Dillan looked back at Mr. Jennings with horror. His son, Albert, was rushing towards his father. Almost immediately, the little lickitung was jumped by a nuzleaf from behind. The enemy slammed his fist into the side of Albert's head, knocking the child unconscious.

"Stop it!" Dillan shouted in desperation. He had no idea why he couldn't attack Arlon and end this, but it made him feel helpless. He felt tears start to form in the corners of his eyes.

"You see what this is?" a voice asked. The gabite whipped around to his left to find Ignitus standing there observing the atrocities with sorrow in his eyes. "This is what the enemy does."

"Do something!" Dillan pleaded with the infernape.

Ignitus smiled lightly and sadly. "I wish I did."

"Fine!" Dillan shouted. "Stand there!" Dillan turned towards Mr. Jennings and was about to run towards him when Ignitus grabbed his arm and held him in place.

Ignitus didn't face Dillan. He simply said, "There's nothing you and I can do: not any more."

"What are you talking about?" Dillan questioned.

Ignitus closed his eyes. "Look around, and tell me what you see."

Dillan didn't understand how that would help anything, but he did what he as told. "There's a bunch of pokemon being attacked by that shiftree, Arlon."

Ignitus looked at Dillan. "I'm surprised you know his name. It was my understanding that he died around the same time you came into this world."

Dillan didn't understand what Ignitus was referring to. _Arlon? Dead? What's he talking-_ It dawned on Dillan who this Arlon was. He recalled the original Arlon he had met when he was captured, the Arlon before Kieth had taken his name.

"Is that the first Arlon?" Dillan asked. _But he's dead... Wait..._ "When did this happen?"

Ignitus smiled. "Good. When _is_ the question that you should ask. You see, this is the past. The reason we can't help these pokemon, as you may have realized, is because this has already happened."

Dillan looked over at Mr. Jennings. He was being dragged in the dirt, through Dillan and Ignitus, and towards Arlon.

"How did we get here?" Dillan asked.

"We never left," Ignitus stated. "We're still in the Alkan Guild right now. What you see here is the past of Castellum Town."

"How is that poss-" Dillan stopped himself as he watched Mr. Jennings being kicked by the previous Arlon. The gabite turned away from the abusive behavior before him and began staring at the ground.

"That crystal you wear has the ability to take your consciousness from your own body and place it wherever you wish: that is, if you know how – and are able – to use it."

"Can we talk somewhere else?" Dillan was intrigued by what Ignitus was telling him, but what was occurring before him was disturbing.

"Yes," Ignitus said. Dillan watched as the ground below him as it begun to swirl. That made Dillan look up. He watched as his surroundings began to spin. Every pokemon around him seemed to vanish into the background. Out of nowhere, some sort of fog began enveloping the entire place. The ground started shaking and the sky turned black. Some of the buildings crumbled into dust, while others remained intact. Dillan looked up and saw a pair of gigantic, red eyes.

"J-Jake?" Dillan stuttered. His heart began beating faster and harder in his chest.

"Jake?" Ignitus said. He gave a sharp laugh. "So he took on another name. It's worse than the other one."

"H-He's not really here... is he?" Dillan asked nervously.

"No," Ignitus stated. Dillan watched as the red eyes seemed to fade from above, leaving a grey fog that covered te entire sky.

"So, where is this?" Dillan asked.

"It is still Castellum Town, Dillan," Ignitus said.

Dillan reared around and faced Ignitus. "What happened to the buildings? Why was Jake here? What happened?"

"The Enemy happened," Ignitus said. He looked down. "It's sad, really. At one point in history, this was the center of a grand empire: one that cared for its citizens and strived to make life better for them. Then the Arvaine family branch came around and destroyed the city, making it little more than a set of ruins with a town at its base. Today, Castellum Town is no better than any other mystery dungeon you encounter. This is what the Enemy does, Dillan. They will ravage towns to achieve their goal. They will separate families from each other to find what they seek."

"How does destroying one town... help destroy everything?" Dillan asked, shocked at what he was hearing.

Ignitus scoffed. "Here, their goal was you." _Me?_ "The Enemy needs a human to destroy everything. I'm not sure how, but they acquired information that a human would be here in Castellum Town, so they kidnapped everyone here. In an attempt to cover up what they did, Jake – as you call him – formed a mystery dungeon over Castellum Town. That way, the pokemon they took are now seen as missing: lost to the mystery dungeon like countless others before."

"How do you know that?" Dillan asked.

"You forget that I worked with the Enemy at one point. I know what they can do, as well as what lines they will cross in order to complete their mission of complete annihilation. I would tell you more, but that would put my Armageddons at greater risk than they already are. Telling you more would put me at an all-out war with... Jake, as you referred to him."

"Alright..." Dillan said. He took another look at the sky. "So... if Jake needs me..." Dillan took a hard gulp. He hated to ask this question, but he felt like it was needed. "Why not just kill me, and... um... make sure the enemy can't... use me?"

"The thought had crossed my mind," Ignitus admitted. "However, it does not solve the issue."

"Why not?" Dillan asked.

Ignitus opened his mouth as if to state something, but stopped himself. He stood there in the complete silence of what use to be Castellum Town for a few seconds before stating slowly, "You are here... Perhaps that is evidence enough to suggest that another human could come if you were to fail in completing your task: whether that is through death or pure incompetence.

"The next best option – besides going underground to avoid detection – is to make sure he does not have the option of being used by the Enemy. We could always hide you for all of eternity, but I suspect that would only prolong the Enemy's goals. That leaves one final option, which brings us to why we're here.

"Tell me, after all of these atrocities you have seen, can you tell me one instance in which your group has done something to stop this?"

Dillan didn't grimace like the last time Ignitus had attacked the group he had worked for. This time, he had already thought about whether his group was truly the one he should be working with.

"You still want me to join you?" Dillan asked.

"It is the only way I can make personally sure that you are never in the Enemy's hands. But... this isn't about what I think; it's about you. Dillan, tell me that you think your group can help more than mine has. Tell me your group has a plan. Tell me you know what you're doing here in this world." The infernape sighed. "This is the last time I'm going to ask you, Dillan," Ignitus said softly. "Join Team Armageddon and fight the Enemy. Join our group and make a difference in Ganderosa."

Dillan couldn't meet Ignitus' eyes. Everything he said made the utmost sense. Maybe Team Armageddon was the key to stopping the enemy. Maybe they were trying in their own way. He had to admit that what Ignitus was saying was very compelling.

"I'll join your team on one condition," Dillan stated quietly, unsure of what he was about to say would work.

"What is your condition?" Ignitus asked.

"I need you to call off your attack on the main land."

Ignitus stared at Dillan with a neutral expression. He stood there for a few seconds, unmoving and completely silent. Even his breathing was quiet. Dillan knew Ignitus wouldn't call off the attack, but he needed to try.

"You're still holding onto that?" Ignitus asked.

"Ignitus," Dillan stated. "Now it's your turn to take a look around. Look at where you've brought us. You're trying to cause this."

"Weren't you listening?" Ignitus said harshly. "I'm trying to prevent this-"

"By causing it," Dillan finished. "You want to destroy a town in order to make the guild look like the villain so you can get more followers."

"They are the villain!" Ignitus shouted wildly. "They allowed this happen!"

"No, they didn't." Dillan said.

"You sound just like Commander Peterson; that gutless coward doesn't understand! He doesn't know what we're trying to achieve! _You_ don't understand what we're trying to achieve! You think it's all black and white! You're either a good guy or a bad guy! It's blind cowardice like yours that keeps the pokemon of Ganderosa from doing anything to help this country-"

Almost instantaneously, Dillan felt like he was being ripped in two and stitched back together. Everything around him began to fade into darkness and was replaced just as quickly by the room back in the Alkan Guild. Dillan was facing Ignitus, who continued to press the green crystal to Dillan's chest. On Ignitus' right stood Molan. He was shaking Ignitus with one arm, while holding the other on his right side as if he was hurt.

"Wha-" Ignitus began, looking around the chilly room frantically for evidence on what had occurred.

"I-Ignitus, sir," Molan said through gritted teeth. Dillan looked at the greninja closely. Molan let go of Ignitus and hunched over. His breathing was unsteady, and his expression looked like he was in pain. Dillan then notices small sparks flying off of Molan's body. His expression grew into a smile of relief. _Ryan._

"What happened?" Ignitus asked.

"I-it's-" Molan was cut short as his body was hit with a massive jolt of electricity.

The greninja shut his eyes tightly as he shouted from the pain. The electricity died, and Molan fell to the floor at Ignitus' feet. Ignitus looked at the doorway to find a short, bipedal pokemon looking angrily at him. Ignitus looked at the pokemon with awe.

"Surprised to see me, Ignitus?" Hank Peterson shouted from the doorway. _The Armageddon Commander?_ His cheeks were sparking, telling Dillan he was the one who attacked Molan. Dillan also noticed the plusle's "Team Armageddon" symbol that was strapped to his chest was slashed through the middle.

Dillan was in shock. He thought Ryan was the one who had attacked Molan. Now he saw it was Peterson, an Armageddon Commander. _What in Ganderosa is going on?_

"What are you doing away from your post?" Ignitus asked calmly.

"To hell with my post!" Peterson shouted angrily. "I've been your pawn long enough! Tell me, _King Ignitus_ : do you know how many lives Team Armageddon's ruined - ended - to get to where we are?"

"No," Ignitus stated. "But I am assuming you've kept track of the number you've personally finished." Peterson snarled angrily at the infernape. "Get off your throne, Peterson, and remember what you've been fighting for," Ignitus snapped. "Team Armageddon is going to save more lives than you can count. Sure pokemon die to achieve our goals, but the end justifies the means."

Peterson looked back at Ignitus, his cheeks sparking even more than before, and his snarl even more menacing. "You have no right to say that," he stated coldly. "You have no right."

"I have every right," Ignitus stated. "As I remember, I saved your sorry tail from starvation n the Red Strip. So stop moping around and be and do your job."

"Ignitus!" Peterson shouted. He broke into a sprint on all-fours, darting straight towards Ignitus. "I resign!" Dillan couldn't keep track of the plusle. It was as if it moved faster than his eyes could track. One second, he was at the doorway, the next his head was buried in Ignitus' stomach.

Ignitus smiled wildly. His hand moved almost as fast as Peterson's. Dillan could hardly keep track of it as well. It grabbed the plusle by the tail and yanked him from Ignitus' body. Ignitus' second hand formed a fist that barreled straight towards Peterson's face.

Dillan reacted instinctually upon seeing the imminent danger to Peterson. His foot came down on the floor, and the ground below Ignitus shattered. Boulders flew into the air, throwing Ignitus upwards and off balance. His fist missed its target. The infernape attempted to regain his balance, but not before Peterson sent a jolt of electricity through the infernape's body, creating the smell of burning fur in the room. Ignitus had let go of the plusle, and he landed on his feet. Peterson fell onto the floor, but quickly got up.

"Peterson!" Ignitus shouted angrily. "I've trusted you for the last time, you traitor!"

"You're the traitor," Peterson accused. "And now you'll pay for the lives _we've_ ended!"

Ignitus' fiery hair began to flare wildly, scorching the ceiling with a black streak wherever it touched. He put his fist in front of him and bent his arm into a hook. His second hand came down on his bicep. Ignitus was then surrounded by an orange light, and what looked like orange orbs of light formed in the air and started racing into his body.

Peterson's scowl, if it was possible, became even worse. He spun quickly on his toes, doing twirls through the air at an incredible speed. _How's he going so fast?_ Then, almost instantaneously, a yellow, glowing streak emerged from the middle of the twirl. Peterson came out of his spinning with a glowing, yellow, sparking orb in his hands. The plusle immediately threw the orb towards Ignitus. The infernape looked down at Peterson's orb. He had no time to avoid it. The orb slammed into the infernape, creating a massive explosion that kicked up its own miniature wind and cloud of smoke.

"What was that?" Dillan asked.

"don't get involved, maggot," Peterson shouted at Dillan. "Ignitus is mine!"

Ignitus emerged from the smoke cloud in a run. Dillan noticed that the infernape's hair stood-on-end as if electrified. Ignitus engaged Peterson head-to-head. His fist flew at an unbelievable speed and slammed into the plusle's face. Peterson went into the air and collided with the table, splitting the entire thing in half. Splinters flew through the air, pelting the walls and Dillan's scales.

"'Agility' and 'Nasty Plot'?" Ignitus asked. "You powered yourself up in your battle with Molan." Peterson coughed as he stood up from the wreckage. "Have you had enough, yet?"

"Hardly," Peterson stated. He darted from the collapsed table and towards Ignitus.

He slammed his head into Ignitus one again. Ignitus grabbed at Peterson, but he darted out of Ignitus' reach and around the infernape. Peterson began slamming into Ignitus from different directions at random. Every time Ignitus grabbed at his opponent, Peterson was already attacking from a new place entirely. Dillan watched the battle in awe. The two of them moved so fast, that he decided he would have never survived a battle with Ignitus. Even so, Peterson seemed to be ale to hold his own against the infernape. Ignitus' foot stuck out and swept the entire area. It collided with Peterson's face and sent him across the room.

Dillan looked on in horror as Peterson hit the wall. Dillan had no idea what came over him. Maybe it was seeing Adelina's father being beaten to a pulp. Maye it was the useless feeling he felt when he found he couldn't take on his greatest opponent. Either way, seeing Peterson being assaulted made him break into a sprint towards the infernape, focusing on his fins. They extended into the blue, glowing blades Dillan had relied on countless times before. He slashed at Ignitus, but the infernape almost instantly caught Dillan's arm below the fin. Ignitus gave Dillan a glare that he thought would have made Dean run for cover.

"You want to be a hero?" Ignitus asked sharply. "You want to blindly fight who you think is the villain?" Ignitus' fist came into Dillan's chest, but the gabite merely swung backwards due to his arm still being held. He coughed up all of his air and struggled to take in some more. "Fine. You'll be the hero," Ignitus' fist came into Dillan's chest again, and again, and again. "And I'll be the villain."

"Focus on me, Ignitus!" Peterson shouted. Out of nowhere, Peterson was on Ignitus' back. He bit down into the Infernape's neck. Ignitus let Dillan go and began clawing at his back, trying to grab Peterson. Dillan was on the floor, gasping for air. It felt like his wound from earlier had reopened, rendering him in agony. The gabite felt like yelling from all of the pain in his chest, but he was determined to help Peterson. He stood up shakily from pure adrenaline, and looked at Ignitus, who had resorted to throwing his back at the closest wall in order to crush Peterson under his own weight. It seemed to work, because Peterson let go of the Infernape and began sending jolts into the pokemon's body.

Dillan was about to intervene when Peterson shouted, "Don't get involved, maggot! You'll only get yourself killed-" Ignitus had slammed his fist into Peterson's face, but the attack didn't stop there. Ignitus then threw a kick Peterson' way, then a fist, then another kick. Dillan watched in horror as Ignitus began throwing wild attacks at the little plusle, every attack making contact with the little pokemon.

"Stop!" Dillan shouted, fearing for Peterson's life. He drove his glowing fin through Ignitus' back, creating a deep gouge. Ignitus shouted from pain and reared on Dillan. His eyes were narrowed on the gabite, filled with absolute hatred. Dillan felt all of his courage and adrenaline leave his body. He fell backwards and began crawling backwards in an attempt at staying away from the infernape.

"Stop getting involved!" Ignitus shouted.

"Leave him alone..." Peterson said wearily. Ignitus looked back at the plusle. He was barely standing on his own two feet, swaying back and forth, but raised his fists as if he was going to confront his opponent once more. "Your fight is with me, and I'm your biggest problem right now."

The infernape's hair flared like an inferno. His face tightened into the most threatening snarl Dillan had ever experienced. "Fine!" he shouted. "Peterson, you're fired!"

Ignitus shouted upwards to the ceiling. Dillan watched slack-jawed as Ignitus' flame exploded through he entire room, covering every inch in fire. Dillan felt the full-force of the blast. It inched over his entire body. The gabite screamed in fear and agony. The seconds felt like hours of unceasing pain. It was horrifying. He had no idea what would happen to him, or if he would survive. He fell to the floor, body still scorching. Then, the explosion stopped, though Dillan still felt like he was on fire. The entire room was scorched. The walls were burned, while parts of the floor and ceiling were still burning accompanied by all of the different pieces of furniture in the room. They were slowly filling the room with smoke. The mere smell it created was enough to make Dillan cough. The infernape looked down at the gabite with what looked like pity.

"Fool," Ignitus stated. "You're a fool. You thought that you could come into my castle, infiltrate my army, and try to kill me? Don't you know who I am? Don't you know what I'm trying to do?" Ignitus reared on Peterson. "And you: traitor. You thought you could just kill me and be done with this?"

"Heh heh heh," Peterson laughed wearily. Dillan saw the plusle was laying on his back, hardly conscious. "Traitor... That's rich..."

Ignitus looked at Peterson with awe. "Laughing, are we?" he questioned.

"Yeah..." Peterson said. "I just find it-" he coughed abruptly, cutting his sentence short. "I find it funny that you... ever thought I was completely with you..."

"What are you babbling on about?" Ignitus questioned.

Peterson laughed heartily. "Molan was the only one... making sure I didn't pull anything... in Frost Island..."

Ignitus' eyes widened. "What are you..." His face tensed into a menacing snarl. "What did you do?"

"There's not going to be an attack..." Peterson laughed.

"What did you do?!"

"It's funny when you think about it; I would have sat by... and let you assault the main land, killing bystanders who had nothing to do... with our private war... I would have done nothing if it wasn't for a certain charmeleon... She was braver than anyone I'd seen in a long time; she put herself in danger to talk to me... And she said, 'If you really care about those pokemon who are in danger, you'd try and do something instead of sit in this room like a coward'. So I did something."

"Peterson!" Ignitus shouted. He grabbed the plusle by the neck and held him up to eye-level.

"When Molan left and came here," Peterson said, sounding strained by the infernape's paw over his neck, "I had the chance to call a meeting with the maggots. So I did, and I told them about Bob-" the plusle was cut short by a couching fit. _Bob?_

"You..." Ignitus said in complete anger. It was as if he had lost the ability to speak.

"Most of them took the truth hard, but accepted it... and no longer want any part of your lies."

"Damn you!" Ignitus roared. He threw Peterson into the nearest wall. The plusle made contact, but didn't grimace. He fell to the floor, and began laughing.

"Your assault isn't happening... Your army's finished..." _We won..._ Dillan was in disbelief, and his blank face showed just that.

Ignitus stood there, eyes darting along the floor as if he was thinking hard about his next move. He stood there for nearly three minutes before he walked up to Dillan and looked him in the eyes. "You need to capture me for King Judah?" he shouted. Dillan didn't answer. He was still shocked by the shift in power. "Give that fat dragonite a message; Team Armageddon isn't finished! We'll be back, and we'll crush his precious Guild! Understand?" With that, Ignitus turned away from them and began exiting the room.

Dillan had no intention of stopping him. He just slumped down on his back, not caring about the pressure his body was exerting on his fin. _We won..._ _I didn't do anything... but we won..._ He watched as the infernape exited the room and was gone.

"Are you alive, maggot?" Peterson asked from his wall. Dillan looked to his left and found the plusle was dragging himself across the floor towards him.

"You're the Armageddon commander..." Dillan said wearily.

Peterson laughed. "You maggots don't pay much attention to anything-" He coughed abruptly. "But you aren't a maggot; you're a guildmember, right?" There was a minute of silence before Peterson spoke up. "I have to thank you. I'd probably be dead right now if Ignitus' attention... wasn't divided...

"On top of that... your charmeleon friend helped me out, yesterday..."

"Hazel?" Dillan asked.

"Is that her name..." Peterson smiled lightly. "She's a good kid... Take care of her...got it?"

"Yes sir," Dillan said. The pain on his body began subsiding.

"Now, get me out of this mess before it collapses..." Peterson ordered.

"I'm not sure if I can stand..." Dillan admitted. He shakily and slowly got to his feet. It was painful, to say the least. He felt his scales stretching from uderneath his bandage. The smoke had filled the top of the room, just above his head.

"Ah, well... It's probably better this way: fitting, even... I killed to take this place... might as well die in it and pay for my crimes as best I-" another abrupt cough cut his sentence short.

Dillan placed his arms around the plusle and picked him into the air as he walked out of the room.

"You're not going to die," Dillan said as he entered the hallway outside.

The hallway he was in was like the rest of the guild's hallways: littered with doors and rooms.

Dillan looked back at the room he was in. He realized something he had missed. _Molan's still in there... he'll die if I don't help him._ Dillan set Peterson on the floor, leaning the little commander against the wall, before he took a step towards the room. He felt a small, soft paw grip his ankle. He looked down at Peterson who was holding him.

"You're not saving Molan... are you?" Peterson questioned.

"I have to," Dillan said. "I can't just let him die."

Peterson laughed. "Well, you've got more heart than me. I would have left that murderer to burn." He released Dillan's ankle, but said, "Molan's not in there... He ran out after Ignitus used 'Over Heat'."

"'Over heat'?" Dillan asked. "Was that what the explosion was?"

"Mhm," Peterson said. "There's no reason to go in there..."

Dillan sat down as slowly as possible to avoid pain as much as possible. When he was on the floor, he drifted in thought. "So it's all over... After all of the walking... All of the fighting.. All of the worry and strife... It's finally over..."

"There's something I need you to do, maggot..." Peterson said. Dillan looked at the plusle, curious about what he wanted of him. "In the main hall... at the exit to the Guild... there's a desk with something important... sitting behind it and out of sight... It's something I need you to take care of... Can you do that for me?"

"You're not coming?" Dillan asked.

"Nah..." Peterson said softly with a smirk. "I'm fine where I am... You go on without-" Peterson began hacking and wheezing, putting his paw to his mouth to cover up whatever may have come out. When he was finished, he whipped his mouth dry. "Go on without me... I'll catch up when I'm ready..."

"You don't look so good," Dillan noted. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Maggot," Peterson said with a little more force in his voice, though his expression showed peace. "I'm ordering you to go on without me. The mission I've given to you is more important than worrying about me, alright?"

Dillan reluctantly nodded. He slowly made his way to his feet, gave Peterson one final look, and began walking down the hallway away from Peterson. _He'll be fine..._

Peterson sat there and watched as Dillan turned toe corner out of sight. The plusle gave a sigh. He felt his side under his left arm. It skin felt squishy. When he pressed on it, he felt a pain as though a knife had been driven into his side. Every breath felt like he was pressing against that same knife. _My rib's broken, and it's probably punctured my lung..._ he thought. _Heh heh..._ Peterson smiled at his predicament as he checked his paw. It was stained from the blood he'd coughed up earlier. _Looks like you may just have killed me, Ignitus. At least I tried to make up for the atrocities I've committed... Oh, well. If I die here, so be it..._ _At least I'll see my family again..._ The plusle took another breath, the feeling of pain in his chest subsiding as he closed his eyes. _No use just sitting here..._ Peterson felt the pain in his chest and lung as he struggled to his feet. Eventually, Peterson managed to stand. He looked down the hall that Dillan had taken earlier, then down the other one. _Alright, maggot. You better be waiting for me..._

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey, guys! MasterKnight2142 here! As you've probably seen, this is the longest chapter yet. I've gone over it a lot, changing and rewriting entire portions to it in an attempt at giving you guys a spectacular chapter. It's mainly the reason it took so long to release (I didn't wait until the last minute for no reason). Anyways, without further ado, my "notes"!

So I've been going through some more tricks here and there to try and improve my writing, and I think I found one that I'll try and expand on (one that I really hadn't given much thought up until now). For the sake of conversation, it is using all five senses a person has. You can see my attempt at using it through the smoke in the room, and other instances I don't care to say for your sakes.

Is Team Armageddon finished? Is it truly over? Maybe, maybe not. Guess you'll have to wait to find out! ;)

Shout-out to Jws701234, , and Bob Bobington1 for favoriting/following the story! Thank you guys so much! You guys, and everyone else's support of the story keeps me writing for your enjoyment!

I'm answering reviews! Some people have said some things that I don't agree with (which is completely fine), so I'm going to be answering reviews (as a friendly gesture with the fans (note that if you challenge my story, I will defend it purely out of fun :D))!

"TheOrangeLord" states, "The tail flame thing is a myth it goes out after death it does not cause it..." (taken from the review section). I'm glad you pointed that out! It got me thinking about whether it is a myth or not, so I'd like to clear this up by bringing something simple to the table (so to speak). Pokemon Fire Red's pokedex entry of charmander (and pokemon Y's entry) states, "From the time it is born, a flame burns at the tip of its tail. Its life would end if the flame were to go out." Notice that it says its life "would" end if the flame "were" to go out, indicating that the flame goes out first, then death. The structure of the sentence indicates it is, in fact, not a myth. Cool to think about, though!

So, TheOrangeLord, I wanted to say that Dillan's not the brightest guy, which is why he asks so many questions. In your review about the "Uknown Writing", you state that since Dillan is human, he should understand Uknown. Well, to tell the truth, it took me more than an hour to figure out the writing was based on the English language (not sure if that was my own sheer incompetence, but it's the truth!). Also, Dillan didn't have much time to decipher the writing because Ryan jumps right in and tells the team how it is. There's also the possibility that it isn't in English, but is only using English characters. Just another possibility, but I was just trying to take something from the games that didn't really work, so I get your issue with Dillan. :P

I want to thank TheOrangeLord for all of his reviews! It made me smile to see he made reviews about the references to the games I put in the story. Basically, thanks for making me smile, dude!

Thanks to "SlickGuest0" (not sure if FanFiction chose that name for you or not, but it's cool nonetheless!) for his review! Glad to know you like Dillan being a gabite! P. S. I'd never heard of "Evangelion" until now, so Copyright MasterKnight2142! But in all fairness, I'll check it out for the fun of it :D)

Another thanks to "Pokemon and Animated Lover" for stating, "Nice chapter and story so far, I hope Hazel dont die cause the friendship between her, Dillan and Ryan is the best part in the fic, and the lost of her will break my heart, but it's your fic so do what you do." Well, Hazel's state went from known to unknown (sort of) in the course of 1/4th of a chapter, so... Don't hate me! P. S. thanks for the heart-warming review! Glad you like their relationship with each other!

And that's all for now! Thanks for reading guys! But wait! Is it all truly over, or is it only beginning? Guess you'll have to find out when I see you guys in the next chapter!


	33. Closure

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 33

Closure

* * *

Dillan turned the corner. He was relieved to finally see the end of the seemingly-endless hallways of the Alkan Guild. Ten minutes had gone by since he saw Hank Peterson, and he was ready to collapse. His red bandages around his chest indicated his wound had reopened, though he didn't need blood to tell him that. The stretching pain was more than enough.

As he saw the end was near, Dillan had only one thing on his mind: _What happened to everyone else? Are they alright? The last time I saw Ryan, he was being restrained... Did he make it out?_ Dillan shook his head. _Of course Ryan escaped. He's Ryan! He probably jumped those Armageddons the minute they dropped their guard..._ Even as Dillan tried to assure himself, he had doubts – however small they may be. Though he wouldn't admit it even to himself fear of something bad happening.

The gabite entered the room ahead, seeing it was the main room from earlier with its ice-like pillars and running water under the chilly floor. Dillan saw the two, white desks at the front of the room right next to the exit. _So something important is behind one of those desks... Peterson said it was out of sight._

Dillan entered the main hall and slowly made his way to the first desk. When he got to it, he leaned on its paper-filled top to rest. The pain in his chest was starting to throb. _I wasn't hit very many times, but Ignitus still got to me..._ The gabite grimaced. _Peterson took more abuse than I did... I shouldn't have left him... I'm hurt, but he's probably even worse... Why did I-_ Dillan stopped himself mid-thought from a sharp cough coming from the other side of the desk. He held his breath from fear of who might be there. That's when he realized a panting noise he hadn't noticed. Dillan focused on his fins in anticipation of an enemy on the other side. He slowly made his way around the desk and faced the other side. His eyes widened and his heart stopped.

Leaning against the table was Hazel with a blood-stained bandage wrapped across her entire chest, much like the one Dillan had on, but even worse. He was in complete shock at the state she was in. He went over every bruise on the charmeleon's body with his eyes. Every breath she took seemed to indulge in the agony that seemed to spread across her grimacing face.

"H-Hazel?" Dillan asked fearfully. He dropped onto his knees and got close to her. His fins stopped glowing and shrunk back down to their original size. She didn't respond to him. He put his claw to Hazel's arm so he could shake her awake. The moment he touched her, Hazel's eyes darted open and focused on the gabite's arm. Her right paw came up and slapped Dillan's arm away. She then began swiping at Dillan wildly as if fearing for her own safety. Hazel began shouting as if trying to scare off the gabite.

"Hazel!" Dillan shouted frantically. "It's only me!"

Hazel's eyes were set on Dillan's face. Immediately, she stopped flailing and stared at the gabite.

"Dillan?" she stated. Her eyes widened and her paws went to the sides of her head. She slapped her temples and waited before shouting, "Why can't I h-"

Dillan instinctively put his fin to Hazel's mouth, stopping her. She then looked at him worriedly. She pushed Dillan's fin away from her mouth. She moved her paw to her chest and grimaced, sucking air through her teeth.

He was horrified at her state. _W-what happened?! Why is she injured?!_

"C-can you stand?" Dillan asked. Hazel didn't respond. _Can she not hear me? Is that why she shouted?_ Dillan slowly got to his feet. He held out his claw for Hazel to take. She wasn't looking at him. She seemed lost in her own thoughts. Dillan tapped on her shoulder. She looked up at him. He once again held his claw out, urging her to stand up. Hazel looked away from him as if worried. She then looked back and nodded.

Grabbing Dillan's claw weakly, Hazel attempted to stand. Almost as soon as she started rising, her eyes dilated, and she let go. She fell back down into a sitting position.

"I can't..." she stated wearily without shouting.

Dillan knelt down next to her. "What happened to you?" he asked quietly, not truly expecting Hazel to answer him. He was just in shock.

"Dillan?" a voice asked from behind the gabite. Dillan turned around. He saw Bolt and Adelina walking down the stairs at the back of the room. He was shocked to see a purple blob-like creature between Bolt and Adelina like some sort of captive.

"Oh my gosh, Dillan!" Adelina shouted. She reached the last step and broke into a run towards the gabite. Dillan was surprised to see wet streaks coming off of the lickitung's eyes that trailed down her cheeks. She looked about ready to tackle Dillan with a hug when she stopped in her tracks. Adelina's horror-stricken face was looking straight pass him and at Hazel. She seemed at a loss for words. Her lower lip was trembling, and her jaw was lowered.

"Hazel," Bolt said, sounding terrified. The pikachu moved around his captive and towards the charmeleon. He got down on his knees. Tears fell from the pikachu's face as his eyes darted all over Hazel's battered and scared body. "This is-"

Hazel pressed a claw to the pikachu's quivering lip. "Bolt," she stated as she shook her head. "It isn't your fault."

Bolt looked like he was going to protest. His jaw moved up and down as he tried to find some words, but he just remained silent.

"Dillan," Hazel said a little loudly. Dillan turned towards the charmeleon. "Wh-where's Ryan?"

Dillan grimaced. "I don't know..."

"Try to yell. I'm starting to get my hearing back, but not that much."

"You mean, he's not here?!" Adelina shouted. An expression of worry, fear, and anger washed over her face.

"He's not?" Hazel questioned. She immediately tried, again, to stand. Her eyes dilated once more, and she started leaning to the right. Bolt immediately jumped onto the desk and pulled her backwards, forcing Hazel to lean on the desk for support. "Where's Ryan?"

Adelina completely ignored the question. Fresh tears fell from her eyes as she ran around the desk and darted outside of the Guild.

"What's going on?" Dillan asked, staring out at the exit as he wondered what had gotten into Adelina.

"Did Ryan find you at all?" Bolt asked the gabite. Dillan turned towards him and shook his head. Bolt shut his eyes tightly and turned towards the ground as he stamped his foot on the desk-top.

"Bolt," Hazel shouted as she shakily sat on the desk. "What happened?"

"He did," Bolt stated loudly as he pointed towards the little blob. The ditto smiled as he waved a piece of himself that was smoothly attached to his body.

"Who's that?" Dillan asked. Hazel tapped on the gabite's shoulder.

"Can't hear very well," she stated.

"I asked who he was," Dillan stated again, increasing his volume for the charmeleon. Hazel slowly nodded her head.

"Meet Iris Zinclyde," Bolt said loudly, making sure Hazel could hear him. "Or as he's really called, Bob." Bob waved again.

Hazel looked at Bolt with wide-eyes while Dillan couldn't help but stare at Bob in complete awe. _He's Zinclyde?!_ Dillan then recalled the argument that Ignitus and Peterson had before the infernape stormed out. He remembered Peterson stating he told the Armageddons about 'Bob', and that was the reason they gave up. _Is this pokemon who Peterson was talking about?_

"Show them," Bolt said to Bob.

"Right," Bob acknowledged. He began glowing white. His body morphed before their very eyes into a serpentine figure with bushy eyebrows. When the light died down, the ditto looked exactly like the milotic Dillan saw back on the balcony.

"B-but..." Hazel stuttered.

"The real Zinclyde's dead," Bolt stated. "Apparently some greninja Bob refers to as 'Boss' killed her."

"Molan?" Dillan asked the pikachu.

Bob's face lit up from merely mentioning the greninja. "That's Boss!" he stated cheerfully.

"B-but..." Hazel stuttered again. She seemed as though she was having a hard time wrapping her head around what was just said, and so was Dillan.

"Why use him?" Dillan asked. "Why lie to the Guild?"

"Maybe they needed a symbol..." Hazel said. "Making it look like Zinclyde joins Team Armageddon gives them a better image in the eyes of Guild supporters. Think about it: if your hero were to join a side you though was morally bad, wouldn't you rethink their position?"

"Besides," Bolt said, "They didn't just lie to the Guild. They lied to their own members as well." Hazel stared at Bolt with a dumbfounded expression. "From what Bob's told me, Ignitus wanted him to act as Guildmaster Zinclyde in order to boost Team Armageddon's moral. Ignitus wanted them to feel like they were winning. Zinclyde becoming a member of Team Armageddon makes it feel like Team Armageddon could win the fight against the Guild."

"So that's how he did it..." Dillan said, realizing exactly what Peterson had done to disband Team Armageddon. Hazel turned to Dillan with confusion. She had obviously regained her hearing, though that wasn't important. Dillan turned to Hazel and said, "Hank Peterson's here."

Hazel looked at Dillan with the same shocked look she had been wearing for the entire conversation. She shook her head and smiled. "Go figure."

"Who?" Bolt asked.

"Hank Peterson," Dillan said. "He is – or was – a Team Armageddon Commander. He took a deep breath and explained exactly what had happened. He told them about Peterson saying that Team Armageddon was finished. "He must have known Bob was acting as Zinclyde and told his followers about him. Once they found out Ignitus had lied to them, they gave up."

"Team Armageddon's finished..." Bolt said in awe.

"What about Ignitus?" Hazel asked.

"He left me and Peterson in that room," Dillan stated. "I don't know why, but he left us alive."

"Ignitus must have fled," Bolt said. "If what you're saying is true – and I have no reason to doubt you – then Ignitus doesn't have any reason left to stay."

Hazel sighed. "Then I guess we failed."

Bolt looked at her with confusion. "Failed? What do you mean 'failed'?"

"We were suppose to bring Ignitus back to the guild alive."

Bolt nodded slowly. "Yeah... I guess that would be a problem-"

"It's more than a problem, Bolt!" Hazel snapped. "This was a mission from King Judah, and we failed! I wouldn't be surprised if he accused us all of joining Team Armageddon!"

"Hey," Bolt said calmly. "It's fine. So we don't know where Ignitus is, now... Unless..." Bolt turned to Bob. Bob stared at Bolt contentedly for a few seconds. "Bob."

"Yes?" Bob asked, obviously not understanding what Bolt wanted.

Bolt rolled his eyes. "Do you know where Ignitus is?"

"No," Bob said.

"Well, do you know where he would go?"

"No." Bob still had a neutral expression on his face as if he was oblivious to what was going on around him.

"Then, we're still screwed..." Hazel said as she buried her face in her paws, though her muzzle poked out between them.

"Hazel," Dillan said. "We're fine. I don't think Judah's going to accuse us of being traitors just because Ignitus got away."

"You don't know that for sure..." Hazel said.

"What makes you say that?" Bolt asked.

Hazel sat there in silence for a few seconds before saying, "I can't tell you, Bolt..."

Bolt raised his eyebrow. "Why not?"

"B-because..." Hazel came up from her paws and stared at the white wall ahead. "Ryan's not here..."

Dillan then remembered how their conversation had started earlier. He couldn't believe they had drifted away from the main point of the whole thing. Dillan quickly looked at Bolt and said, "You were going to tell us what happened to Ryan."

Bolt clenched his teeth as he nervously stared at Dillan. "Right..." he said slowly. Bolt then turned towards Bob. He explained everything that happened to them – from when they met Bob to the point of Ryan running out. "Adelina thought Ryan was going to find you... When we saw you were alone with Hazel, and Ryan wasn't here..."

"He left the Guild..." Hazel finished.

Bolt shook his head sadly. "I shouldn't have said those things..."

"No, you shouldn't have," Hazel stated. She got off of the desk and landed on her feet. She began wobbling like an infant who had just started walking. Dillan immediately got to her side and helped her stand.

"Wait," Bolt said. "What happened to you, Hazel?"

"Titus dropped me into the moat outside the castle," she said quickly as she turned to Dillan. "We need to find Ryan before he gets hurt."

Dillan nodded his head swiftly in agreement.

"Stop!" Bolt shouted frantically. "Hazel, you're injured _and_ bleeding! There's no way you'll be able to find Ryan right now!"

Dillan and Hazel both looked at Bolt with determined gazes. "There's no way we're letting Ryan go," Hazel said.

"He's our teammate, and our friend," Dillan said.

"I'm not saying you should let him go," Bolt said. "I'm only saying you two could do more harm than good in your condition."

"How is finding Ryan bad?" Dillan asked.

"Finding him isn't wrong," Bolt said quickly. "Risking yourselves is. You guys are too injured to do anything right now except put yourselves in more danger." Bolt hopped from the table and looked his friends in the eyes. "C. A.'s most likely looking for Ryan as we speak. I'll join her, but you two need stay here with Bob."

"The Armageddon?" Hazel questioned.

"He's harmless," Bolt stated. "He doesn't attack anyone without being told to do so by 'Boss'. You'll be fine."

"We can help!" Dillan protested. He didn't want to be useless yet again because of his injuries.

"Stay here and watch each other's backs," Bolt said. He got down on all fours, darted around the table, and exited the room.

Hazel gave a groan. "Why would Ryan just run off like that?"

Dillan didn't have an answer for her. He stared out at the exit, wondering the same question. _Was Ryan that scared? Was he that ruthless towards Bob?_ Dillan felt like kicking himself a thousand times over. "This is my fault..."

Hazel looked at Dillan with concern. "You can't blame yourself-"

"But, I can," Dillan said. "Ryan hasn't been himself for so long... I knew something was bothering him. Maybe if I tried hard enough, he would have opened up. I should have tried harder..."

"Dillan," Hazel squeezed his arm. "This isn't your fault. Ryan's been worried about this mission from the start... If anything, it's my fault he ran off..." Dillan looked at Hazel. She had a guilty expression on her face.

"What?" Dillan asked.

"There's... something I should have told you and Ryan... something that's been on my mind for a while, now... I think it's the reason we were picked for this mission over Dean and Haily." _She thinks she's he reason we're here? Why?_ Hazel took a deep breath. "Remember when my father came to see us in Palando a few weeks ago?"

"Yeah," Dillan said, remembering the one-armed sceptile. "He met you at Harley's Diner."

Hazel nodded her head. "Well, he didn't come for a friendly visit. He came because he had something to tell me... about my mother..." Hazel seemed very reluctant to open up to the gabite. She sat back on the desk and slouched.

"Hazel," Dillan said. "It's alright if you don't want to tell me-"

"No." Hazel shook her head. "I should have told you and Ryan when I found out. Bolt was right when he said that we needed to trust each other... Keeping it from you guys any longer is just asking for something bad to happen to the team. So here goes nothing...

"I told you that when I was younger, me and my parents use to live in the Red Strip of the Labensia Castle in the south-west part of Ganderosa." Dillan nodded. "Well, my parents created a group with Dean and Haily's parents so me and my friends could be pushed to be better than anyone else. That way, we could get out of the Red Strip and on our feet. We could have a better life. Well, when my father came to Palando, he told me it wasn't that simple..." Hazel paused and took another deep breath before continuing. "They didn't just want to help us have a better life, they wanted that for everyone..."

"What's so bad about that?" Dillan asked. His heart sank as he saw tears starting to form in the corners of Hazel's eyes.

"The parents blamed all of th-their problems on the monarchy..." Hazel sniffled. "They wanted every problem in Ganderosa to e-end, so they pushed us to be the s-strongest so we could lead a rebellion..." Hazel tightly closed her eyes and began sobbing. "King Judah f-found out and k-killed my mom!"

Dillan was speechless. "King Judah... He..."

"That's just it!" Hazel shouted at the floor. "I don't t-truly know f-for sure! Th-that's only what my d-dad thinks..." Dillan put his arm over Hazel's neck for comfort. "It could be that h-he only b-believed it was Judah because he's mad at how he's had to live his life at the bottom c-class, and the king's d-done nothing about it!

"But he th-thinks Judah left us a-alive as a warning to the o-other parents s-so they would stop conspiring..."

"Oh, Hazel," Dillan said out of empathy.

"Everything I've worked towards... Everything I believe in... It's a-all a lie!"

"No, it isn't," Dillan said.

"But it is!" Hazel shouted. "I took an oath every d-day for the p-past month to trust and serve my King to find out h-he's the reason I don't have my mom a-anymore..." Hazel turned to Dillan. Tears were falling down her cheeks at a rapid rate. At the same time, she looked absolutely enraged, as if she was ready to kill someone. "D-do you know what it feels like to have e-everything taken from you? And it wasn't just once, but twice!"

Dillan couldn't help but turn away from Hazel and stare sadly at the ground. "Actually, I know exactly what it's like..." Hazel looked at Dillan with confusion, though she didn't say anything. Other than her sniffling between breaths, the room was deathly silent. "I lost my memories of my family and my sister... When I finally remembered her, I found out that... she's..." Dillan couldn't finish his statement. He knew it would tug at every emotional cord in his chest, but he needed to stay calm for Hazel. He turned to her. "So, yes. I know exactly what it feels like to have everything taken... But you still have me and Ryan... We're real, right?" Hazel nodded. "I know you miss your mother, and that won't ever leave you... but you need to focus on the pokemon who are here for you. Lean on your friends; lean on me. I'll help you find out what's going on."

Hazel began sobbing into her paws. All Dillan could do was be there for her. He couldn't think of anything else that would help. At the same time, Hazel's confession brought up even more questions. _First Team Armageddon, now this? No one seems happy with how Judah's running Ganderosa... But why isn't he dealing with Ganderosa's issues? You could say that he's a selfish king, but that's not it either. It would have been in his best interest to arrest Team Armageddon, so why didn't he do anything? Why is he ignoring what could very well take him out of power?_

"Dillan..." Hazel said. Dillan looked at his friend. She had stopped crying, and was currently wiping her cheeks dry. "I'm scared... I think... Judah sent me here to die... so I couldn't rebel. And what's worse is you and Ryan got dragged into it... Now that Ignitus is gone, Judah has an excuse to kill me..."

"That won't happen," Dillan assured.

Hazel chuckled softly. "Judah would kill you, too..."

"Hazel," Dillan said defiantly. He stared forwards at the white wall. "I don't think Judah wants to kill you."

"You can't say that for sure."

"Maybe I can. If Judah wanted you to die, why hasn't he done it, yet? Why hasn't Judah tried kill you and your father before now? Things just aren't adding up... We all know that this has felt like a suicide mission from the start, and I can't deny it. But... I don't know... Judah's attitude towards everything that's been happening... It's all wrong; Ryan's been saying so from day one. But setting up this whole mission just to kill you still leaves an inconsistency... It doesn't make any sense, and I don't think this was meant for you... What I'm trying to say, and I don't mean to sound harsh or... insensitive or anything like that, but it feels too convoluted to try and kill you for something that sounds like he's already taken care of..."

"So... I'm not the reason we're here?" Hazel asked with a slight smile. "Judah's not trying to kill me?"

"I don't think so... No, I'm sure of it." Dillan said, still trying to piece everything together. He was sure this was a suicide mission, but he didn't think that it was meant for her. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt the warm embrace of his friend who gripped him around the chest.

"Thank you, Dillan," Hazel began crying again, though Dillan could tell it was because she was relieved.

"That's nice." Dillan jumped from Bob's voice. He looked downwards to see a smiling ditto looking up at them. _Oh... right. He's here, too._ Dillan looked back to the door, still not satisfied with the lack of information he had on King Judah's motives, though something else came into his mind: something far more sensitive of a topic.

He looked down at Hazel. _She trusted me..._ Guilt began filling his mind as Bolt's words echoed through his head. _"Keeping secrets doesn't work on a team because a team needs to trust each other no matter what." Here I am keeping my own secret when Hazel just spilled her greatest fear to me. She trusts me enough for that, but..._ He took a deep breath, unsure of what he should do. He wanted to tell her everything, but at the same time, his doubts seemed to keep him in silence. _I need to tell her... If I don't... what might happen to our friendship?_

"Hazel..." Dillan said.

"Yeah?" Hazel asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"There's something that... I..." He hesitated. _Would she believe me? Would she be able to? Is it too complicated for her to understand? Could she think... I'm crazy: that it's all in my head?_

"What is it, Dillan?" Hazel asked.

Dillan opened his mouth. He wanted to say it. He wanted to tell her that he didn't belong here: that he was from another world entirely. But the words clumped up in his throat as if he was swallowing a rock.

"Dillan?" Hazel questioned. She broke away from the hug and looked Dillan in the eyes. He could see the fear that was still present in her slightly-opened mouth as well as concern in her urging gaze. He wondered, were those feelings for him?

"I..." The guild built up in his chest and exploded through his body like a volcano. Even after all that, he felt his own doubt hold him back. Dillan shook his head, saying the next-best thing. "I'm really worried about Ryan..."

"Bolt and Adelina are going to find him," Hazel said. "Have faith in them."

Dillan felt like his heart was going to collapse on itself. _Have faith because they're my friends, right?_ He wanted to strangle himself. He didn't know why he wouldn't just come out and tell Hazel. Maybe it was because when it came down to making a decision, it became the most terrifying thing he'd ever had to do. It felt like he'd be putting every bit of trust he'd ever had into one person. How could he expect his friend to believe in him when he couldn't even believe in himself? It felt like the impossible task. _I'll tell her when Ryan's here... That way I'll be able to tell them both..._ Now it felt like Dillan's entire body would explode from guilt. _Yeah... Just tell yourself that..._

* * *

(Alkan Guild, Main Room)

Dillan had been sitting on the desk in the Alkan Guild for over an hour. Hazel was so exhausted that she began sleeping on the desk, though that wasn't his concern. He was worried about his friends. _Where are Bolt and Adelina? It's already dark outside... Shouldn't they have-_

Dillan's thoughts were interrupted by the doors to the Alkan Guild bursting open, revealing a shaking Bolt who was accompanied by Adelina. The lickitung was wobbling unsteadily. Dillan was shocked to see her fall forwards onto her face.

"Bob, I need help!" Bolt shouted.

"Okay!" Bob shouted from Dillan's feet. Hazel's eyes shot open and she took a deep breath. She blinked twice and stared at Bolt and Adelina.

"Oh, no," Hazel said. She jumped to her feet, but immediately shouted as her left paw clutched her injured chest. She started leaning on the desk for support.

"Hazel, stay there!" Bolt shouted, only taking his eyes off of Adelina for a second.

"What do I do?" Bob asked as though nothing was wrong.

"I need you to pick Adelina up and set her on the second desk," Bolt stated. Bob nodded and began glowing white. He morphed before their eyes into a big, grey, bipedal pokemon with four arms, big lips, and black underwear. Bob also had some sort of short, brown mohawk on his head.

The newly-transformed machamp picked up Adelina with two of his arms and set her on the second desk.

"What happened?" Dillan asked frantically.

"I-I don't know," Bolt stuttered nervously. "I found her outside the castle in the snow, barely conscious. She kept saying to herself, 'He's gone'."

Hazel and Dillan both looked at Bolt with worry. "You don't think she means-" Dillan began.

"Ryan?" Bolt asked. He nodded slowly.

"She needs to wake up," Hazel said. She began rummaging through her bag on her shoulder until she pulled out three, green stalks. She began crushing them in her hands as she walked over to Adelina. Hazel opened the lickitung's mouth and set the crumbled greens inside. Almost immediately, Adelina jumped into a sitting position and shouted, "Ry!" Panting, she began searching her surroundings frantically.

"Hey hey hey!" Bolt said quickly. "C. A, it's fine. Take a deep breath."

"He's gone!" Adelina shouted. She jumped onto her feet and was about to race towards the door until Bolt grabbed her by the ankle in an attempt at holding her. Instead, he looked like a child clinging to his mother's ankle as she continued walking.

"Wait a minute!" Bolt pleaded. "What happened? What are you talking about?"

"She took Ryan!" Adelina shouted. "She zapped me and took him!"

"What?" Dillan asked frantically. "Someone took Ryan?"

"Who?" Hazel asked.

Adelina continued to walk towards the door. She was about to exit when Bolt shouted, "Would someone help me?!"

Bob took big, long strides towards them and picked Adelina up once again, this time with all four arms.

Adelina began screaming, "Put me down!" She sounded on the verge of breaking down into uncontrollable sobs. Bob looked at Bolt for an answer.

"Adelina!" Hazel shouted. "Who took Ryan?"

"That nidoqueen!" Adelina shouted. _Nidoqueen?_ Dillan looked towards Hazel for an explanation, but her face was white. He then looked at Bolt who was wearing the same expression. Adelina just began sobbing.

"Wh-what's a... nidoqueen?" Dillan asked, unsure of if he really wanted to know.

"That blue pokemon we fought this morning..." Bolt stated with shock. Dillan felt his heart sink.

"Y-you mean... Th-Thalia..."

"If she touches him..." Adelina sobbed.

"Put her down, Bob," Bolt said. Bob did as he was told. He glanced around the room at all the sad and shocked looks. Bob turned back into his usual blob-like self and slumped down in sadness.

Dillan was horrified. _She was after me... She was after me... Why did she take Ryan instead of me?_ _She should have tried to attack me... Is she trying to get me to come out? Is that it?_

Dillan ran towards the exit. He felt the pain in his chest, but that could wait. Right now, he only wanted to save his friend.

"Dillan," Bolt said. "Where are you going?"

"To find him!" Dillan shouted back.

"How?" Bolt yelled as Dillan exited the Guild. "Dillan!"

He ran though the gates and into the castle. He didn't find any protestors, and he didn't care why. It only meant he could get out of the Alkan Castle faster. _Thalia was after me... If she's there, maybe she'll take me instead of Ryan!_ Dillan found the gates to the outside were open, so he tore over the stone bridge and into the snowy lands ahead.

"Thalia!" Dillan shouted as he ignored the numbing effect the snow had on his feet. "I'm the one you want! Leave Ryan alone! Take me, just let him go!"

Dillan's foot was sucked into a massive dip in the ground. He found snow that was up to his waist, but that didn't matter to him. He tried futilely to get out of the snow while shouting Thalia's name. He continued to shout for a few minutes before thinking, _This isn't working! There has to be another way! Think, Dillan!_ Dillan recalled what had happened with the Sapphire Star before it was stolen. He remembered how it had led him back to Poltress Town and to his friends. _It worked then! It has to work, now!_ Dillan pressed his claw to his chest where he expected to find his green crystal. Instead, he only found his scales. With fear and desperation, he looked down at his chest. The normal green glint of the crystal on his chest was absent, leaving his scales. _No..._ Dillan dragged his claw across his neck to catch the green crystal's string. He didn't feel anything. _No no no! It was there! Where's-_ His heart stopped beating, and he stopped breathing. He recalled Ignitus yanking the crystal from his neck and pressing it to Dillan's chest. He also remembered a string hanging off of Ignitus' hand during his and Peterson's fight. That was the last time he saw the crystal. _Ignitus took it... He has my crystal..._ He looked out across the massive, white expanse. The stars littered the sky in a beautiful display. The only thing it reminded Dillan of was Ryan's poem.

"Ryan..." Dillan said, mortified by the realization. _He's-... He's gone..._ "Thalia!"

* * *

(Thirty Minutes Ago: Alkan Islands, Alkan Region)

Ryan kept on running. He couldn't stop thinking about how he was leaving his friends to fight Team Armageddon alone, but at the same time he couldn't bring himself to go back. _I can't go back. I'd kill someone... I'd hurt Dillan..._ The images of his reduced-to-rubble home flashed through his mind once more. "Get out of my head..." he said to himself. "Leave me alone..."

"Ry!" a feminine voice called from behind he pachirisu.

Ryan looked backwards to see a lickitung was charging through the white grounds like a snow-plow, tongue trailing behind her as she ran. She was heading straight towards the pachirisu. Ryan turned away from Adelina. He wanted to walk onward – leave the lickitung chasing – but at the same time he wanted her to catch up. His friend, the only one who was here for him when he was feeling lost and alone. _Still..._ He gave a sigh as Adelina came to a stop in front of him. Ryan could see streaks of water trailing down her cheeks

"So, that's it?" Adelina asked. "You're giving up?"

"I'm dealing with my problems," Ryan said. He looked at the snow, not having the courage to face his friend. "And I'm doing it alone."

"I'm sorry for what I said, Ry!" she said through sobs. That made him feel even worse than before.

"Why are you sorry for me?" Ryan shouted. "Bolt was right! I almost killed someone, and I didn't even give a second's thought as to why! I was too angry with myself, and scared for my friends that I let it control me!" He turned towards Adelina, tears in his own eyes. "I need to fix myself before I hurt someone I care about!"

"Let me help this time!" Adelina shouted. "Let me help you!"

"You can't help," Ryan said. "If you try, you'll be in danger, and I can't let you get hurt..."

"Let me make that decision!" Adelina pleaded. "This isn't like last time! I joined the Guild to get stronger! I joined so I could find you when you were missing!" Adelina put her paw under her tongue and yanked something. Ryan saw the string around her neck give way. Adelina moved her paw into visibility, revealing a golden locket on the end of the snapped string. Ryan grimaced. "You remember what this is?" She threw it towards Ryan. The golden locket landed in the snow at his feet. "You gave that to me as a sign of friendship. Was that just an act?"

"No," Ryan said flatly.

"Then as your friend, let me help you!"

"This is exactly like last time," Ryan said. He desperately wanted her to let him go. _She can't get involved..._

"Then help me understand." Adelina got closer to Ryan. "What happened to you?"

"You could never understand!" Ryan shouted. "It isn't possible!"

"I-" Adelina stopped herself. Ryan looked at the lickitung; her eyes seemed to drift over him: behind him.

"She's very persistent, isn't she?" Ryan felt his heart stop. He quickly turned around and found himself looking upwards at a blue, bipedal lizard he recognized. Thalia was glaring at Adelina.

"Why are you here?" Ryan asked sharply, shocked to see the nidoqueen.

"the Master's tired of your running," Thalia stated. "He wants-" Ryan jumped towards Adelina, turned around, and sent stars towards the nidoqueen. Thalia moved quickly around the "swift" attack and sighed heavily as she came to a stop. "Don't make this take longer than it has to."

"Addi, get out of here!" Ryan ordered.

"No!" Adelina shouted back. Ryan looked at her through the corner of his eye. She had her usual orange swords in her hands as she stared angrily at Thalia. "Why are you interested in Ryan?" she asked her opponent.

Thalia shook her head. "You're one of the pests from this morning," she stated. "Don't get involved in things beyond you. I'm only here for Ryan."

"You're going to tell me what I want to know!" Adelina's tongue came out of her mouth and straight towards Thalia. The nidoqueen put her arm up, letting Adelina's tongue wrap itself around her. Thalia then yanked Adelina by her tongue. She flew onto the ground on top of Ryan who sunk into the snow. Thalia started sparking as she pulled Adelina towards her. Ryan jumped out of the snow and darted towards the nidoqueen.

"I told you not to get involved."

"Thalia!" Ryan shouted as he leaped into the air. "Don't you hurt her!"

Adelina planted her feet and spun around. Thalia was shocked to find her feet come off the ground as she flew into the air. Adelina swung her upwards and back down, forcing Thalia into the ground. Snow flew into the air from the impact. The lickitung continued to lift Thalia into the air only to throw her back into the ground. Then Adelina gave a shriek of pain as electricity shot out of Thalia and into the lickitung's body. She let Thalia go, cutting their connection. Thalia landed on the floor and began glowing. Her body was consumed in a massive light. She immediately threw her body into the lickitung's chest. Adelina was thrown away from Thalia and into the snow. She laid there for a few seconds before struggling to her feet.

"Leave my friend alo-" Another surge of electricity jolted Adelina. She gave one more shriek of pain before landing on the floor, unconscious.

Thalia looked at Adelina with a raised eyebrow before turning to a scowling Ryan. "You attacked your own friend?" she asked with a bit of surprise in her voice.

"Leave her out of this!" Ryan blared. "She doesn't know what she's getting herself into!"

Thalia lost her confused expression and went back to a scowl. "Where was I?" she asked.

"Good question," Ryan said with a snarl. "I have a better one: why are you here?"

"I'm here for you," Thalia stated.

"I thought you were after Dillan."

"The Master's had a change in plans since then. At present, he wants to speak with you."

"And what would he want with me?"

"Don't play the fool," Thalia sighed. "You know what he wants with you. It's what he's always wanted."

"I'm done with him!" Ryan shouted.

"Well, he isn't done with you." Ryan stood there, only scowling at Thalia. He had no reason to attack her now. The only reason he jumped in before was to keep the nidoqueen's mouth shut. "You aren't going to ask why?" Ryan remained silent. "Are you truly going to make me spell it out?" Ryan still didn't answer. Thalia shook her head out of annoyance before stating, "He wants to talk about your shifting loyalties."

"Shifting loyalties?" Ryan shouted confusedly.

"He's sensed your sentimental attitudes towards the gabite. You're getting too close to him, and you know it."

"What makes you think-"

"Stop playing, Ryan," Thalia snapped. "You never really left Team Rebirth, did you? I mean, why join the Guild if not to travel around to search for the 'Amber Amulet'?" Ryan grimaced. "Stop trying to run like a coward. Get back on the path to your destiny."

"Don't you think you're being a little too straight-forward?" Ryan questioned.

"You're still treating this like a game, Ryan: as if you haven't already decided on a course of action! We both know you've been on this path for too long to quit now!"

"I can still refuse!"

"You very well could," Thalia stated. "Although, I doubt you will."

"What makes you say that?"

"You know that would mean denying everything you've been trying to achieve for the last three years."

"And if I don't want that anymore?"

"Liar," Thalia flatly stated. Ryan turned away from Thalia. The nidoqueen gave a sigh. "You've abandoned her once before, so what makes it so hard for you to do it again?" He looked at Adelina, then back to the Alkan Castle where his friends were. "Cut your sentiments towards your so called _friends_. It's pure weakness, and you know there's no room for weakness in Team Rebirth."

Ryan took a deep breath. "It isn't weakness..." Ryan said harshly. "Weakness is toying with pokemon's emotions by putting images in their heads."

"You know the Master only showed you those images to remind you of what you continue to deny."

"And what's that?" Ryan asked sharply. "What am I denying?"

"Closure," Thalia said.

Ryan didn't say anything else. That single word felt like a dagger in his heart, yet at the same time, it felt soothing. _Closure..._ Merely thinking the word felt like a double-edged sword. Ryan looked out on the horizon. The sun was setting, sending the last streaks of light onto the icy plateau. Ryan watched as a glacier floated in front of the sun, casting its on shadow on him and Thalia.

"Closure..." Ryan stated aloud, without anger. "You have no idea what that means. I left my friends for closure... I thought running from you guys before would bring me closure..."

"There was no running from the Master, traitor. You had to have known that he'd come for you like he's come for every deserter before."

Ryan looked into the snow and found Adelina's gold locket. He shook his head sadly as he reached into the snow and grabbed the locket. _I ran, but you still found me..._ "Guess I was an idiot for thinking I could escape." He laced the locket around his neck and tied it in the back. Ryan then faced Thalia. "Even if I wanted to come back, what makes you think I'd be accepted?"

 _"Don't be foolish, Mr. Simon."_ a dark, ominous voice stated. Ryan's eyes widened upon hearing the voice in his head. It had been so long since it was there that in this single moment, it frightened him more than anything. _"We both know that I desire what you will acquire, and you desire what I will give. Let's not play anymore games and get down to business. Come and see me."_

"So, you still want to see me?" Ryan asked the voice. There was no answer. So, he looked at Thalia for an answer. She just stared at him with a neutral expression. _Guess I forgot how much you hate to repeat yourself._ "So you're still willing to keep up your end of the deal?"

 _"Of course, Mr. Simon. Provided you follow through with your end. So, what is your answer? Do you choose closure, or your weakness?"_

"Closure... or friendship..." Ryan thought aloud. The choice was fairly obvious to him. He knew this was his only chance at, how Thalia put it, closure. He thought of Dillan and Hazel, Adelina and Bolt, and all the other members of the Palando Guild. He gave a sigh. "For closure, then..." He slowly nodded. "Take me to the Master."

* * *

(Alkan Region: Outskirts of Palando Town)

Team Rapture and Team B. A. K. walked down a gravel path. A town could be seen in the distance. Dillan would have smiled, but he couldn't bring himself to accept his mission was coming to a close: not when Ryan was gone.

Leaving the Alkan islands was probably the most unbearable thing he had ever done. He recalled the arguments from both sides. The first time Bolt proposed to leave the Alkan islands, everyone else was horrified.

"Listen to me," Bolt's words echoed in Dillan's mind. "You and Hazel are both too injured to properly search without getting hurt. Me and Adelina are the only ones who would be able to, and that means leaving you both behind waiting for that nidoqueen – who was hunting Dillan. As much as I hate to say it, we have to go back to Palando..." Dillan remembered all of the turmoil that Bolt had put their teams in. As a compromise, they all agreed that they would search for the next few days as one group in order to avoid Thalia being a threat to Dillan. They searched for nearly three days. Bolt had then pointed out that Hazel was worn out, and her wounds weren't getting any better. The massive amounts of yelling and fighting that had occurred put even more stress on the gabite's mind. On top of losing his friend, now he had to worry about losing friendships. After nearly a day of arguing, they had decided that it would be best for them to return to Palando.

Dillan recalled the outrage Adelina had been in. Leaving Ryan behind hit her the hardest out of anyone. She didn't seem to understand why they were leaving him. Bolt had tried on countless occasions to explain, but she didn't want to hear a word.

Adelina's shouts echoed in Dillan's brain. "We're abandoning him!" It made Dillan want to collapse where he stood. At the same time, he couldn't help but blame himself. _If I was stronger, I wouldn't have been so injured! We could have searched for Ryan longer than we did... If I was stronger, Molan wouldn't have separated us... If I was stronger..._

No one interrupted Dillan's doubts. Everyone continued walking, entering Palando in silence. The bustling of the town, the voices greeting each other cheerfully, all of the music flowing out of bars and diners accompanied by the sweet smells – none of it affected any of them. They just continued walking, passing the arena and through the gates of Palando's Guild as they entered the building.

Dillan looked to his left, seeing Janette the ariados working on a stack of paper. She looked up and said cheerfully, "Welcome to the Palando-" She stopped mid-sentence and stared at the group in shock. Her mandibles moved back and forth as her jaw quivered. She was at a loss for words.

"Hi!" Bob stated cheerfully.

"You're back!" Janette shouted gleefully. She leapt over the table, knocking over all of her paperwork, and stopped in front of Dillan and Hazel. Her eyes went up and down the two pokemon quickly. "And you're both injured!" She immediately darted towards the left side of the Guild, calling, "Doctor Valentine!"

"We're back..." Bolt said drearily. Adelina immediately broke from the group and darted towards the hallway on the left side, assumedly towards the girl's dormitory. She turned a corner and out of sight. Bolt gave a sigh. He turned to Dillan and Hazel. "You two see Doctor Valentine. I need to take care of him." He motioned towards Bob who was looking at the guild's room with amazement, looking over every inch.

Bolt tapped Bob on the head and motioned for the blob to follow him. Without question, the ditto followed Bolt as he led the way towards the north.

"Come on..." Hazel said sadly, pulling on Dillan. The two began walking into the same room Janette had entered.

* * *

"Are they going to be alright?" Janette asked. "My astrology book said they are to be in mortal peril next month! It could have been off by a month!"

"Janette," Doctor Valentine sighed. "I haven't even removed their bandages."

"W-well, do you need any help?"

"What I need is for you to leave. Now."

Janette looked at Dillan and Hazel who were both sitting in their own respective beds of hay. Doctor Valentine was in the middle of the room, urging with his paw for Janette to leave. The ariados gave one final look at the remaining members of Team Rapture before exiting the room. Doctor Valentine gave a sigh of relief and turned his attention to his patients.

"How are you feeling, Ms. Prince?" Valentine asked.

"Strained," Hazel stated. The doctor walked up to Hazel and began removing the bandages around her chest. Hazel sucked in some air through her teeth and tightened her eyes. Once the bandages were removed, Doctor Valentine took a closer look at three, massive slashes. They looked as though they were just starting to scab over. Valentine ran his paw over the edges of the scabs. He began humming to himself as he looked. Hazel's tail began swishing back and forth quickly.

"Your wound is infected, . You've been eating plenty of Oran berries I assume?"

"Sitrus, actually," Hazel corrected.

"Than the wound was bad." Valentine walked away from Hazel and towards Dillan. "And what about you, Mr. Gabite?"

"I'm alright," Dillan lied out of guilt.

"Really?" Valentine questioned. He began removing the bandages. Dillan felt a sharp pain in his chest. He gave a grimace and Valentine stopped. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"U-uh..." Dillan hesitated.

"That's what I thought." Valentine removed the rest of the bandages from Dillan's chest and began his evaluation. "Your wound doesn't look too recent... though it hasn't been given any time to heal." He looked Dillan in the eyes. "How exactly did you acquire these wounds?"

"A 'Dragon Claw' attack," Dillan explained. Dillan looked down at his own scabbing wound. "It isn't bad, is it?"

"Well, I assume you haven't been pushing yourself as hard as Ms. Prince," Valentine stated. "Unlike hers, your wounds have scabbed over. There's also the fact that you have no infection."

"So, are we alright," Hazel jumped in, sounding hopeful.

Doctor Valentine took a few steps back so he could face both pokemon. "I wouldn't say that," the persian stated. "You need some rest, Mr. Gabite. As a result, I want you off of exploring and rescuing for the time being. As for you, Ms. Prince, I suggest a more... tender approach."

Dillan didn't like the sound of that. "Tender?" he asked.

Doctor Valentine looked at Hazel specifically. "I want you to stay here for the next few days so I can treat your slashes and keep an eye on them."

"I'll be fine, right?" Hazel asked.

"I have no doubt," Valentine stated. "Although, the best you can hope for is a scar, and unlike Mr. Simon, you don't have fur to cover that up."

"Alright," Hazel said, sounding a little more depressed. Dillan hung his head at the mere mention of Ryan's last name.

Doctor Valentine's eyes went from both pokemon as if confused. "Am I missing something?"

Before Dillan could say anything, a new voice had taken his thoughts. "It's alright, Doctor."

Dillan looked up from the bed to see Garth standing in the doorway. His eyebrows were knitted together and his tail was swishing.

"Guildleader!" Hazel said quickly.

"It's fine, Hazel," Garth stated sadly. He looked over every wound, every bruise, every scratch. "Can you leave us alone, Doctor Valentine?"

Doctor Valentine raised his head to Garth before stating, "I would like to wrap Hazel's wounds f-"

"Valentine," Garth interrupted swiftly. "I need to speak with these two in private."

Valentine shook his head, but didn't argue. He reluctantly left the room. Garth looked behind and stated, "Janette, make sure no one listens in." He then entered the room and shut the door.

"Guildleader-" Hazel began. Garth held up his paw. Hazel immediately stopped to let the ampharos speak.

"Ryan is gone, then?" Garth asked. Both Hazel and Dillan looked at Garth with sadness. The ampharos didn't say another word. He just walked up to Valentine's desk and pulled the chair out in front of Dillan and Hazel with the back faced towards them. He sat down and rested his head on the chair's back. "Bolt told me about it, incase you were wondering. But... let's change the subject.

"What about Ignitus?"

"He got away..." Dillan stated.

Garth shook his head. "Then you failed in your mission, and Team Armageddon is still out there."

"That's not entirely true," Hazel protested. Dillan looked at her with shock. It wasn't like her to speak out against her superior officer. Garth looked at Hazel for a few seconds with confusion. Hazel seemed to realize her outburst and stated, "Sir..."

Garth gave a light smirk. "Go on, then."

Hazel took a deep breath and sat up straight. "Hank Peterson told the Armageddons at the Frost Island Guild about a ditto named Bob."

"I was meaning to ask Bolt who he was," Garth said. "Maybe you can explain."

Hazel did just that. She told Garth about Bob's role in Team Armageddon as a fake Zinclyde, and how the members of Team Armageddon were kept oblivious. Dillan explained his part with Ignitus, though he left out the part about the infernape trying to recruit him, as well as how his crystal had some sort of power; that part still confused him.

"So Team Armageddon collapsed when this 'Hank Peterson' fellow told his members about the ditto named Bob?" Garth asked.

"Yes," Hazel and Dillan both stated.

"But what about the other members?" Garth questioned.

"There _are_ no other members," Hazel stated. "Every Team Armageddon member from across Ganderosa was called upon to invade the Alkan Islands. All of the radicals who wanted to fight were there, and they gave up when they found out Ignitus had been lying to them. Team Armageddon doesn't have any more members. All that's left is Ignitus... and Titus, a black charizard..."

"And Molan," Dillan added. He shuddered just thinking about the greninja.

"So what you're saying is Team Armageddon is finished except for the leader and two lackeys," Garth said. Dillan was surprised to see Garth was smiling. "In that case, congratulations are in order!"

"Wh-what?" Hazel asked.

"But Ignitus got away!" Dillan said.

"He'll be easy to deal with," Garth stated cheerfully. "The only thing that needs to happen is to issue 'wanted' posters all over Ganderosa. Some one will eventually turn up a lead, and the Royal Guardsmen can take it from there." He gave a hearty laugh. "I'm astounded by both of your actions in this endeavor."

"But it wasn't just us," Dillan stated. "Bolt and Adelina were a big help-"

"Dillan," Garth interrupted. "Hazel, I need you both to promise me something."

"What is it?" Dillan asked.

"I need you to take all of the credit for the mission."

Hazel almost fell off of her bed from pure shock. Dillan was astounded by what he was just asked.

"Wh-why?" Dillan stuttered.

"Bolt and Adelina were never there," Garth stated. He sounded very serious. "If King Judah ever found out that they were, I would lose my job."

"But Judah sent... them..." Hazel trailed off. "You sent Team B. A. K?"

"I did," Garth stated.

"But Judah said he'd send help!" Dillan shouted in disbelief. "He said that Bolt and Adelina would be there to help us!"

Garth's eyes widened. He stared at Dillan in disbelief. "King... Judah told you that?" Dillan nodded. Garth stood up from the chair, tail swishing wildly as he paced the room.

"Guildleader?" Hazel asked.

"It's fine," Garth stated half-heartedly. "Just... don't say anything about Team B. A. K, alright? Bolt and Adelina weren't involved in any of this."

"A-alright," Dillan said, though he was very worried about whatever was going through Garth's head.

"Alright, then. I... I need to write a letter to King Judah telling him about your accomplishments..." Garth walked towards the exit of Valentine's office. He stopped at the door and turned to Team Rapture. He had a small smile on his face. "Just..." He stopped himself. Dillan couldn't help but notice Garth's tail was still swishing back and forth, even when the Guildleader was trying to look calm. "Good job, Team Rapture." Garth opened the door and exited the room.

"That... was weird..." Hazel said slowly.

"What do you think he was thinking about?" Dillan asked.

"How Judah wanted us dead," Hazel stated. "What else was he be thinking about?"

"Good point..." Dillan said. _Yeah... That has to be it..._

Doctor Valentine came into the room with a roll of what appeared to be silk in his teeth. He walked up to Hazel and set the silk on the bed. "Blasted Guildleader... interrupting my job like he's Arceus himself..." Valentine began wrapping he silk around Hazel's chest with his paws. Valentine sliced the remaining silk and moved on to Dillan. "So where's Mr. Simon?"

"Long story..." Dillan said, heart sinking.

Doctor Valentine finished the bandages and walked over to the chair in the middle of the room. "You'd think he'd at least put my office back in order, but no." Valentine moved the chair back to his desk and sat down. "You may leave, Mr.-"

"Bolt Raimi!" Adelina's voice roared from the next room.

"What in Ganderosa is it this time?" Valentine began. He stopped when he saw Hazel was about to leap off of her bed. "Ms. Prince!"

"I can't leave?" Hazel questioned.

"Not unless you want a piece of your chest surgically removed because yu wouldn't let your chest heal!" Valentine shouted. Hazel went pale and sat down, still as a leaf.

"I'll check for you," Dillan told Hazel. He looked at Dr. Valentine for permission to leave.

"I said you'd be fine if you didn't push yourself, didn't I?" Valentine questioned.

Dillan took that as his permission slip. He stood up from his bed and walked out of the room.

* * *

"C. A," Bolt pleaded. Dillan walked into the Guild's main room to see Adelina storming out from the right hall followed by Bolt.

"I'm done with you!" Adelina barked.

"What did I do?" Bolt asked worriedly.

"You left Ryan to die, that's what!"

"I didn't leave him!" Bolt demanded. "Hazel and Dillan needed medical help that we couldn't get in the Alkan Islands due to Team Armageddon, and Port Town is too new of a place to have a doctor! We needed to come back to-"

"I don't want to hear another word!" Adelina was about to leave the building when she looked at Dillan. She stopped in her tracks and stared.

"What's happening?" Dillan asked his friends frantically.

"I'm going to find Ryan," Adelina said sharply. She turned back towards Bolt with a scowl, adding, "And I'll do it with r without _you_!"

"We have duties as guildmembers to the entire country!" Bolt argued. "I can't let pokemon suffer for nothing!"

"So finding Ryan is nothing now?" Adelina asked.

"That's n-not what I meant!"

"Then what did you mean, Bolt?"

"We don't even have a lead as to where Ryan is!" Bolt said. "Abandoning other pokemon to look now would be wrong!"

"I'm done!" Adelina shouted. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a round badge with wings on the side and threw it to the ground. "If you'll excuse me, I have a friend to rescue!" Adelina stormed out of the building.

"Adelina!" Bolt shouted. He ran towards the Guild's exit and stared out at the lickitung sadly. The pikachu looked down at his feet, his ears drooping as he picked up the "Exploration Team" badge.

Dillan was at a loss for words. It felt like the world was falling on top of him. He stared at the sad pikachu with horror.

"Bolt..." Dillan said.

"Fine..." Bolt said softly, clenching his teeth. "Guess losing Koa wasn't enough pain... Now I lost two other friendships and my Exploration Team..." The pikachu threw the explorers badge out of the building. Dillan watched as the small object left his sight.

"Bolt-" Dillan said.

"What Dillan?" Bolt snapped, turning towards Dillan with a snarl. "You want to tell me this isn't my fault? You want to tell me it's all going to be fine and dandy in jolly ol' Ganderosa? Newsflash: it isn't!" Bolt turned away from Dillan. "Ganderosa wants me to suffer, so fine!" He stood there for a few seconds. Dillan felt mortified. One part of him felt sad for Bolt's loss while the other felt confused with the pikachu's outburst. Bolt shook his head slowly. "I'm going to the arena to kick someone's butt..." With that, Bolt slowly exited the guild.

Dillan looked down at the ground sadly. The entire world seemed to be collapsing around him as his latest fears seemed to be coming true. Ryan was gone, and he had no way to know where, Adelina just seemingly left the Guild and Bolt as a friend, and Bolt was mad at him. With everything seemingly collapsing on top of him, one single thought gnawed at every feeling inside of him: _Is it all my fault?_

* * *

(Author's notes)

Hey guys! MasterKnight2142 here!

First off, I am currently posting from my public library because the internet at my house is Ker flunky or something like that. I'll spare you the boing details...

I'm still doing shout-outs to reviews, so there's a lot of that below (if you want to read. If not, eh). The only thing have to say is that I'm sorry for how short this chapter was compared to my other ones. I wanted this one to be a sort of "resolution" chapter for the "Team Armageddon" story arc. Everything else I was trying to add felt like it should have been its own separate chapter, so that's what I'm going to do. Anyways, we're going to be getting back into the swing of things in the next chapter, which should release shortly. Anyways, onto the shout-outs!

Shout-out to "Person55", "Galieo Figaro", and "Shoz999" for following/favoriting the story! Like I said above, I can't thank you three enough for that simple gesture, but I can sure try! Thanks so much, guys!

(Reviews)

Special "Thanks" to "Shoz999" for the reviews! Glad you like the characters and conversations! Tbh, I was worried about what you would say about "Chapter 3", but you seemed to enjoy it, as well!

Another special "Thanks" to "Jakeroo123" for his continued support of the story! So... um... I know you like Ryan, but... yeah... At least... he has more... character?

A final "Shout-Out" to "TropicalCyclone" (not really sure of a gender, but I'll call you a 'Him' based on how I view Zoroark, your profile picture) for his *coughs* honest review. The reason I state that is because I asked him through a PM to elaborate on what he meant by, "to much easy 'embarrassment'" but I didn't get a response, so I have no clue what he means. The reason I don't agree with this review is because he state, "why does Lily just GAVE the necklace for no reason AT ALL. It's like Lily isn't even a part of the main story". If I'm being honest, he literally stopped on Chapter 2, so I don't think he has enough information to make the assumption that Lily has "no reason AT ALL". So, for the record, I try and have a reason for everything I do in this story (literally everything), so it is safe to assume that Lily gave Dillan the "Sapphire Star" for a reason (one I will share in a few chapters).

Alright! That's all for now! Thanks again to everyone who has read the story up 'till now! I'll see all of you in the next chapter!


	34. The Journey Continues

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 34

The Journey Continues

* * *

Dillan felt himself tear down the hallway, tears making their way down his blurred face. The sounds of machines beeping and whirring. The wheels that moved down hallways was amplified ten-fold.

"It can't be true," Dillan's body said continuously as he ran. _But it is... She's gone, and I'm here again, listening to a doctor tell me the same words over and over._

Dillan felt like breaking down outside of the dream. He wanted more than anything to feel the green crystal thud against his chest as he ran, reminding him that it was his choice whether to stay or leave, but it wasn't there. It was never there, nor would it ever be.

He heard the sliding of mesh on metal as a tinted, yet blurred, object opened before him. As he passed the object, Dillan felt a burst of fresh, warm air as well as the beams of sun hit his scales – or whatever humans had. He continued to run, wanting to go back to see his sister, but being restricted to the limits of whatever memory was left in his head.

He had to admit. It was a little shocking to see the dream continue beyond the truth of his sister, and he wondered why he was still here. At the same time, hearing the doctor's words in his head seemed to numb the shock.

 _I wish I could forget this memory... I wish this wasn't my only dream... Every night, the same thing... Over and over again, the sadness and heart-ache. Why is it always-_ Dillan's mind was cut off by his foot colliding with an object. It could have been a rock in the road, a crack in the pavement, a root that stretched over the ground. Whatever it was didn't matter. All it meant was he'd be feeling his muzzle's pain.

Dillan felt the smooth, hard, stone-like path in his face. He sat there, uncaring for his stinging cheeks. Dillan found himself beginning to sob in the floor. He didn't want to, so it must have been part of the memory.

"Hello, child," a voice said from above him.

Dillan felt his face slowly look upwards. When his eyes set on the figure above him, he wanted to squint. There was a massive source of a bright, blue light standing in front of him, radiating in every direction. The light was so bright, that he couldn't see passed it. _What... is it?_

"Leave me alone..." Dillan said.

"But you are hurt," the light said. "And broken."

"You don't know anything, so just go!" Dillan shouted.

"I know plenty about you. For instance: I know you are a person who enjoys walking across the beach. I know you are a person who looks across the waves and wonders what is out there on the other side. I know your dreams and hopes."

Dillan felt his eyebrows tense at the thing standing before him. _Well, I obviously don't know him, so how does he know about me?_

"Shall I continue?" the light asked. Dillan said nothing, so the top of the light seemed to nod. "I know you would rather leave everything behind to sail on the sea. You would rather go to another land, take a chance with a small boat you created, and you might have done so if it wasn't for your sister-"

Dillan felt himself jump to his feet. He charged straight at the light, shouting as he ran. His arm came up, and Dillan threw it towards the light. The light didn't move. Dillan found his fist passed through the light. His force ended up throwing himself forwards, out of his own control. That's when he felt something stretching across his chest, presumably cloth. He looked backwards to see the light outstretched towards him, holding a red blur that stretched from Dillan's body. _It... caught me?_

"Don't talk about her!" Dillan shouted.

"So you've given up all hope?" the light questioned.

Dillan stared at the light, presumably puzzled by the question. "What?" he asked.

"You want to give up on everything around you? You would rather break down and die?"

Dillan still didn't answer. He felt his face grimace, and he swiped at the light. The light retracted. The ground below met Dillan's chest.

"Mr. Lambert," the light said. "I don't have time for pokemon who are not honest with themselves."

Dillan looked very confused, and he was so outside of the dream as well. _Did he just say..._ "Pokemon?" he asked aloud. "Like the game?"

"We will meet again in a month's time." The light moved away from him.

"What?" Dillan asked himself quietly.

The light stopped in its tracks. "Is that a problem?"

Dillan shook his head. "Who are you? How do you know about me?"

"In due time, Mr. Lambert. In due time." The light dimmed and vanished before his eyes.

Dillan was left to wonder on the floor. He wanted to learn more, though he knew that wasn't going to happen. _Who was that? He said... pokemon... What the-_ Dillan felt himself start to shift back and forth. The world around him began to spin on itself as it all vanished.

* * *

(Palando Town, Alkan Region)

"Get up, Dillan!" Dean shouted from the doorway to the boy's dorm. "You too, Butter-fingers."

Dean's voice echoed in Dillan's head. He jumped up into a sitting position and slammed his head into the mesh roof of his bunk bed. He immediately slouched down and held the top of his skull. "Ow..." Dillan complained.

"Really?" Bolt asked Dillan with a smirk as he got off of his own bunk. "You've been doing that since we've been back. You'd think one of these days you'd learn."

Dillan sat up, thinking about the dream that had occurred. _What in Ganderosa did I just experience? Who was that blue light? How did he know about me? Why did he talk to me? Wh-_

"Hey," Bolt said, snapping Dillan out of his thoughts. He turned towards Bolt. "I miss ol' Sparky, too, but we need to move on for today."

Dillan looked at Bolt with a confused stare. _Ol' Sparky?_ Then, it clicked. Dillan looked up at the empty bunk. _Oh, right... Ryan..._ "It's already been a month, huh..."

"Hey," Bolt said. "We'll search some more when we're off duty, alright?"

Dillan looked at his friend with a thankful smile. He nodded, getting up from his bed and walked towards Bolt. "Thanks for helping me find him," Dillan said.

Bolt smirked. "Don't thank me until we find-"

"Boss!" Bob yelled from behind. Dillan jumped around and faced Bob. The ditto was worriedly creeping towards Bolt, exasperated.

"What did I tell you about calling me, 'Boss'?" Bolt complained.

"Sorry, Boss!" Bob apologized. "It won't happen again!"

Bolt sighed. "What's wrong?"

"I don't remember the Guild Creed!" Bob shouted.

"This again?" Bolt asked.

"Can you remind me? Please!" Bob begged.

"Alright," Bolt said. He stood up straight. "And it's the 'Guild Directives'." Bob nodded and stared at Bolt intently. "Repeat after me: My king is my duty."

Bob began repeating everything Bolt said to a "T", though Dillan tuned it all out. All he could think of was his shock when Bolt said that Bob wasn't going to be arrested. He explained, saying Bob wasn't all mentally there. He stated that he needed someone to guide him in his actions in order to commit the atrocities he did as an Armageddon. As a result, Garth didn't pressed any charges against Bob. Dillan distinctly remembered Bolt saying that the little Armageddon was going to join Team B. A. K. That shocked him more than anything.

Dillan recalled Bolt stating, "Bob needs someone to help him make the right decisions, so he's going to join me."

Bob seemed more than overjoyed at the idea. Since then, he'd taken a liking to Bolt, saying, "Boss" whenever he referred to the pikachu. Bolt did mind it somewhat, but not too much that it prevented them from being a team.

"Got it?" Bolt finished.

"Yeah, Boss!" Bob said.

"Alright!" Bolt said with enthusiasm. "In that case, what's the first line?"

"My king is my duty. To serve him..." Bob trailed off, obviously forgetting the lines.

"Eh," Bolt said with a shrug. "I guess it's better than yesterday." Bob slumped down into a sad, little blob. Bolt nudged him with his arm, saying, "Cheer up, Jinx! At least you remembered that much!"

"I did?" Bob smiled at his recognition. "I did!"

"Hey, Bob!" Jess shouted in sing-song voice from the hallway. She floated in the doorway and flipped upside-down. "You're all in trouble!"

"We are, Boss?" Bob asked with confusion. Bolt didn't answer. He was too busy darting towards the exit. Bob looked panicked as he glowed white and transformed into a pikachu. "Boss!" Bob began following Bolt. The two tore around the corner and out of sight.

"You're in trouble, too, Skitty!" Jess stated gleefully. "And Sigourney's gonna kill you!"

"Knock it off, Jess," Dean's voice called out from the hallway. Jess scowled, puffing her cheeks like a child as she looked right. "And get over here, or you'll be the one who get's an ear-full!"

"Fiiine!" Jess complained, letting her hands droop down sadly. She floated around the corner and out of sight, leaving Dillan alone in the room with his old companion: silence. The gabite sat back down on the bed, not truly caring if Garth was to shout at him. He had too much on his mind to care.

The gabite scowled at the purple Ganderosan rug at his feet. _It's been a month since our team lost Ryan..._ He removed his purple bandanna with the white sun from his neck. His explorers badge was back where it belonged, pinned to the bandanna's side as to not obstruct the print on the bandanna's front. He thought of all the implications that bandanna had for his team. _It's a symbol of unity for us... I remember Hazel telling us that we all wear one of these bandannas to show pokemon we're in Team Rapture, but... Ryan doesn't have his anymore..._

Dillan started remembering all the hard missions he and Hazel had endured in the past month, thinking they would have all been so much easier if Ryan was there to back them up. He gave a sigh. _Where are you, Ryan?_

Dillan heard a knock at the door. He looked up to find Hazel was standing there, staring at him with a small smile. "Garth wants to personally talk with us."

A worried grimace formed on Dillan's face. It turns out that he _did_ care now that trouble was upon him. "Am I that late?"

Hazel giggled. "You're not in any trouble, Dillan." She walked over to the gabite. "He's probably just worried about us is all. He even let me skip the 'Guild Directives' today to come here and tell you."

Dillan felt relieved at that statement. He stood up and the two departed down the hallway together. Dillan couldn't help but look at the three scars across Hazel's chest, reminding him of the brutal mission they had endured that was now known in the Guild as "Armageddon".

"You're staring again," Hazel said. Her face was a brighter crimson.

Dillan quickly turned away and looked straight ahead. "S-Sorry," he stuttered.

"It's fine," Hazel said. "It's just a little uncomfortable, is all."

"So..." Dillan started, trying to move the conversation away from his previous blunder. "Is she back, yet?"

Hazel sighed, wearing a concerned scowl. "Yeah," she stated. "But I don't know for how long... It's still obvious that she blames herself."

"It isn't her fault," Dillan said.

"You know how distant Adelina's been," Hazel stated. "Besides, her and Ryan have a history together; one that seems to affect Adelina more and more as time goes on." Dillan stopped in his tracks, frowning at the ground. Hazel stopped and looked back at him. "What is it?"

"I miss him, Hazel..." Dillan said. "I should be doing more to-"

"Stop," Hazel said, grabbing Dillan by the arm. He looked up at the charmeleon. "You've spent every free day you've had searching for him. You can't believe that you aren't doing enough."

"But Adelina-"

"Dillan," Hazel gripped Dillan's arm a little more forcefully. "You're doing all that you can, alright?"

Dillan wasn't convinced. He felt like he could be doing so much more to help find his friend. A part of him would rather go off with Adelina and abandon all his duties with the Guild like she did, though he would never admit it for fear of hurting Hazel.

"Alright..." Dillan said reluctantly.

Hazel looked at the floor for a few seconds. "If you want to... we can look some more after we finish the next mission. I mean, I'm sure Garth wouldn't mind if we took tomorrow off to search, right?"

A smile overtook Dillan's expression as relief spread in his chest. "Really?" he asked.

"Of course he will!" Hazel stated cheerfully. "He's Garth!"

* * *

Dillan and Hazel stopped at the Guildleader's door. An elegant, vibration could be heard from the other side, filling the air with light and cheery tunes. Hazel knocked on the door three times. They were met with a cheery voice that called, "Come in!" Dillan and Hazel did as they were told and entered Garth's quarters.

They found the Guildmaster standing next to the window, staring out into the sky as he stroked his violin with the bow in his paw. Garth continued to play regardless of the guildmembers standing behind him.

"You wanted to see us?" Hazel asked.

Garth nodded. "Please, take a seat on the bed." Dillan and Hazel sat down as Garth played a final note and ended his song. He then walked over to the door and set the violin on its stand. The ampharos smiled at Team Rapture. "On behalf of Ganderosa, I'd like to once again thank you both for stopping Team Armageddon."

"Sir," Dillan said. "We had help from Bolt, Adelina, and Peterson. It wasn't just us."

"True," Garth said. "But as far as Judah's concerned, your team was the only one involved, correct?"

Dillan hated taking all the credit. It felt like a lie, and it was, but what more could he do?

"Yes, sir," Hazel said.

"Good," Garth said. He walked up to his desk and pulled out two letters. "These are for you both." Garth handed a letter to Hazel and was about to give the other to Dillan before he thought better of it – realizing that Dillan couldn't hold anything even if his life depended on it. He gave a nervous laugh before stating, "It would probably be best if Hazel just showed hers to you."

Hazel looked over her unopened letter and gasped. Her eyes rested on the back of her letter where a red blotch sat, sealing the letter.

"Th-this is the G-Ganderosan seal!" Hazel exclaimed. Dillan looked at the red blotch a little closer than before. Sure enough, a dragonite's skull with crossed spears underneath was imprinted in the seal. "But that's only for the King to use!"

"Which is why I called you both here," Garth stated. "Those letters came in a week after 'Armageddon'. I figured you'd want to read them in private."

"Why did you keep them from us?" Dillan asked.

"I wanted to give you two some time to relax. So much has happened that I didn't want this to be on your minds just yet. You two deserved a break from Ganderosa's craziness."

Hazel tore her letter open and pulled out a piece of folded paper. She spread the letter out revealing some of the fanciest writing Dillan had ever seen. She held it in front of Dillan so he could read along with her.

King Judah Arvaine the Third Jarondai Castle

Dear Hazel Prince,

I hope this letter finds you in good health. I, King Judah Arvaine the Third, would like to formally thank you for your heroic deeds in crushing Team Armageddon. The reason for this letter is to invite you, Dillan, and Ryan Simon to accompany me in Jarondai Castle for a few nights as my esteemed and honored guests.

Dillan stopped reading upon seeing that sentence. He turned towards Hazel who looked absolutely stunned, though he could also see fear in her eyes.

"H-he's inviting us?" Hazel asked quietly.

"It isn't suppose to be a big thing," Garth stated. "No parades or anything. King Judah still wants Team Armageddon's actions in the Alkan Islands to be kept under wraps for the time being."

"Isn't it kind of late to be thanking us for stopping Team Armageddon?" Dillan asked.

"On the contrary," Garth stated. "These things take a long time to plan and organize. From what I've heard, King Judah plans on treating you two like royalty for your services. He also plans on taking you on a tour of the castle."

"How did you find that out?" Hazel asked.

Garth smiled proudly. "Because-..." He stopped himself, smiling a little more. "I'm not allowed to say, yet."

"Garth?" Hazel questioned. "What is it?"

"Alright, you've broken me." Garth looked as giddy as a school girl, which was a little disturbing for Dillan to see. On the other hand, he couldn't help but feel curious for what made the ampharos act this way. "I've been promoted to the Guildmaster of the Alkan region!" Hazel and Dillan's jaws both dropped from pure shock.

"You have?!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Ganderosa's Guildmasters and King Judah himself have been looking for a new Guildmaster to fill in Iris Zinclyde's spot. Judah decided to pick me. He said it was because of my skills in tutoring such admirable warriors of Ganderosa. I know that isn't really true, but it was just such a big thing that I didn't argue. I really have you two to thank for my promotion!"

"Garth," Dillan said, astonished by the news. "That's fantastic!"

"Thank you so mu-" Garth stopped himself mid-sentence. He was wearing one of the dopiest grins Dillan had ever seen. He wanted to laugh, but he couldn't bring himself to. How could he laugh at Garth when he just accomplished something so massive? Garth cleared his throat and stood up straight. He put on a neutral expression, though his blushing cheeks showed how embarrassed he was by his actions. "But we need to get back to the point.

"King Judah wants you two to meet a Royal Guardsman at Cirlynd Town in the Ferricia Territory. He should be easily identifiable in a Guardsman uniform."

"The Royal Guardsmen have uniforms?" Dillan questioned. He remembered when the Royal Guards came to Palando to sort out the rioters, but he didn't see any uniform then.

"Yeah," Hazel said. "It's usually just a purple sash with our symbol."

"Anyways," Garth cut in. "Back to the point. Once you meet the Royal Guardsman, he or she will take you to Jarondai Castle by air. From there, King Judah will personally oversee your visit."

"So it's a... personal visit?" Hazel asked nervously.

Dillan wasn't surprised by Hazel's attitude. He hadn't forgotten what she told him about her father back in the Alkan Guild. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her. _Hazel..._

"Why, yes," Garth said with a raised eyebrow, taking note of Hazel's attitude. "King Judah seems intent on thanking the guildmembers of Team Rapture personally for your bravery and perseverance in the face of hopelessness."

"When are we suppose to meet the guardsman?" Dillan asked.

"You have two weeks," Garth stated.

"That's a lot of time," Dillan said.

"More than enough to get ready," Hazel said.

Garth nodded. "It gives you both some time extra time to search for Ryan." He gave a sigh as he looked out his window. "And I have a lead."

Dillan shot up to his feet. "Where is he?" he blurted out.

Garth stood there, taking no note of Dillan's outburst. "I don't know where Ryan is exactly, but I have a lead on the pokemon he was taken by." Garth faced Dillan. "Someone said that they saw a nidoqueen near the Snow-Point Mountains in Labensia."

"But that could be any nidoqueen," Hazel said. "Are you sure-"

"Let me finish," Garth asked softly. "My source said that this nidoqueen met with a small force of nuzleaf on the outskirts of Harrier Town."

"That's her..." Dillan said. _But... a group of nuzleaf is Arlon's specialty... Did Thalia take Arlon's man-power?_

"I thought you'd recognize her," Garth said. "It was the nuzleaf, right?" Dillan didn't answer Garth. The ampharos walked up to the gabite. He knelt down and looked Dillan in the eyes. "You can trust me. I'm _your_ Guildleader, after all."

"Why wouldn't we trust you?" Hazel asked, knowing exactly why she wasn't telling him more.

Garth looked at Hazel with concern. "I can only help you two so much when you don't tell me the whole story."

"Sir," Dillan said, "Ryan was kidnapped by a nidoqueen named Thalia. That's all we know..." Dillan hated lying to Garth's face. He didn't want to, but he couldn't bring himself to tell Garth about the Enemy. It would only lead to more questions that couldn't be answered, raising even more suspicion. That's not what Dillan wanted. He only wanted his friend.

"Alright," Garth said with a shrug. "I can't make you tell me anything, but I know you're both hiding something." Garth stood up and walked over to his desk. "That's all I needed to tell you. Just arrive at Cirlynd Town's dock in two weeks. All the information should be in your letters along with an invitation for the Royal Guardsman to prove your identity."

"Thanks Guildleader," Hazel said. She and Dillan both got up from the bed and left the room.

* * *

Multiple thoughts and doubts were spinning in Dillan's head: none of which calmed or pleased him. _Judah wants to meet with us to congratulate us... Based on what happened during "Armageddon", I'm not sure going is the right move on our part... Maybe it would be best if we didn't go..._

"Hey," Hazel said, nudging Dillan's arm.

"What?" Dilan asked, being pulled from his thoughts. He turned towards a nervous-looking Hazel.

"It's going to be fine," Hazel assured. Dillan was shocked by Hazel. Wasn't she was the one who had been concerned with the Guild? Why was she was the one reassuring him? Hazel laughed at Dillan's blank stare. "You could at least agree with me."

"Sorry..." Dillan said with a nervous smile. "We'll be fine."

"It doesn't work now that I know you're unsure," Hazel said playfully. She pulled on his arm. "Let's just do a mission."

"A-alright!" Dillan said, following Hazel.

The two exited the Guild and entered the courtyard. Hearing the usual, pleasant sound of the fountain spouting water into its basin. Dillan and Hazel were surprised to see a familiar face resting her head on the fountain's base.

"Tracey?" Hazel asked.

The glaceon perked up her head and smiled seeing Team Rapture. "What took you guys so long?" she complained as she ran up to meet the Guildmembers.

"Long?" Dillan asked. "This is about the time we come out."

Tracey leaned to the left, looking around Hazel and then to the right around Dillan. "Where's Ryan?" she asked.

Both Dillan and Hazel hesitated. None of them really wanted to tell the glaceon, but what else could they do? Let her stand there begging for information?

"He's..." Hazel started sadly. "He was kidnapped..."

Tracey's cheerful attitude dropped in an instant. "He... was?"

"Yeah..." Dillan said drearily.

"By who?" Tracey demanded. "When did it happen?"

"It was a nidoqueen named Thalia..." Dillan said.

"And when?" Tracey asked.

"A month ago," Hazel cut in. "But we already have a lead to where Ryan might be."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Tracey shouted.

"We?" Dillan asked.

"Well, yeah!" Tracey shouted again. "Try not to be so dense!" _D-dense?_

"Tracey," Hazel said. "We're going to search for him tomorrow."

"Then I'll help!" Tracey announced.

"Tracey..." Dillan said.

"You can't stop me!" Tracey shouted. "Ryan's my friend, too, and I'm searching for him with or without you two! So don't tell me I can't come!"

"Actually," Dillan began. "I wasn't going to."

Tracey stood there defiantly for a few seconds before processing what Dillan had said. She dropped her head into a nervous grimace. "Oh... Sorry."

"It's fine," Hazel said.

"Tracey," Dillan began. "Why were you waiting for us?"

The glaceon immediately jumped up onto the fountain base and stuck her head up proudly. "I almost forgot!" she announced. "I'm joining Team Rapture!"

Dillan accidentally inhaled some spit in his mouth and began choking on it. Hazel looked at Tracey with surprise. She was smiling with a raised eyebrow of astonishment.

"And when did we on Team Rapture agree to this?" Hazel questioned.

"It doesn't matter if you agree or not, because Garth thought it was a good idea!" _He did? Why didn't he say anything? Did he forget?_

"Since when?!"

"Since yesterday." Tracey looked annoyed at Team Rapture's seemingly reluctant attitude towards adding a new member. "I thought you guys would be happy to have me as the fourth member!"

"Uh..." Dillan stammered. It never occurred to him that they could have a fourth member on Team Rapture. "I... um... thought you... hated the Guild."

"I did!" Tracey shouted with annoyance as she pulled her face downwards with her paw. "But then you guys showed me that the Guild isn't bad, it's just the pokemon in it!"

"Tracey," Hazel began. "I'm sorry, but no."

"Why not?" Tracey asked sharply.

"It's not that we don't like you... or anything..." Dillan started.

"Forget it..." Hazel intervened. "We need to work right now."

"I can help you guys!" Tracey shouted.

"There are steps you need to take in order to join the Guild, Tracey," Hazel said.

"Like?"

"Like..." Dillan started, thinking about what they had to do in order to become an Exploration Team. "Deliver a package."

Hazel looked at him with confusion. "What?"

"I can do that!" Tracey shouted.

"N-no!" Hazel stammered. "Joining the Guild isn't as simple as playing the peliper delivery man!"

"Come on!" Tracey groaned. "Tell me what I need to do!"

"Have you even applied for the Guild?" Hazel asked.

Tracey looked at Hazel for a few seconds as if not understanding what she was implying. "A-applied?" she asked.

Hazel sighed. "Tracey-"

"I'll do that right now!" Tracey darted passed Team Rapture and slammed the doors open. The next thing Dillan heard was an enthusiastic shout exclaiming, "I want to apply!" The doors shut behind Tracey, leaving Dillan in awe.

"She really wants to join..." Dillan stated.

"Quick, before she gets back!" Hazel announced, grabbing a random piece of paper off of the bulletin board and running off towards the interior of Palando.

"W-wait!" Dillan stuttered, chasing after his friend. "Hazel!"

* * *

Reaching the end of Palando, Dillan had finally caught up to Hazel. Both were out of breath from the sprint, though Dillan had a question on his mind.

"Hazel..." Dillan said through pants. "Why not... let Tracey... join?"

"What?" Hazel asked. "Oh..." She took a few seconds to regain her breath and think. "What makes you say I was against it?"

"I don't know..." Dillan said, thinking of what to say. "It just seemed like you were giving her a hard time."

"Right... that..." Hazel looked up at the blue sky. "Well... It's not that I'm really against her joining... I guess it's more that it feels... like... she'd be replacing Ryan..." Hazel gave a sigh. "I guess it's stupid..."

"No..." Dillan said. He thought about how he felt. _I guess it's really the same with me..._

Hazel laughed a little. "We're a bunch of sobby losers..."

Dillan noticed Hazel was still clutching a letter in her hand. He gave a sigh and said, "Forget our duties."

Hazel looked over at Dillan with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"Let's just go search for Ryan," Dillan said.

"Dillan-"

"He's out there, Hazel. I can't shake this feeling that I'm abandoning Ryan by continuing with our duties to the Guild..."

"Dillan..." Hazel said.

"I can't help it!" Dillan shouted at the horizon. "Ryan's my best friend! He's helped me so much here in this world! When I got here, I didn't even know my own name! I don't know what would have happened to me if Ryan wasn't there for me: if he didn't help me to continue forwards! Just being there as my friend gave me a reason to move on from Grace..." Dillan turned to Hazel. She wore a face of concern and guilt. "To think that I'm spending my time helping others that I don't know over my best friend is killing me inside... I can't do it anymore, not without him..."

Hazel gave a light smile. She nodded as she said, "Good luck, Lesley." She then plunged the parchment in her claws into her bag. Hazel then rummaged through her bag until she pulled out a rolled-up piece of paper and laid it out on the floor. It was Hazel's map of Ganderosa. "Garth said Snow-Point cave, right?"

Dillan felt tears come to his eyes. He was overjoyed that she understood. "Thanks-"

"Not yet," Hazel said with a smile. "Wait until we find him." Dillan nodded. "And Dillan, we will find him."

Turning her attention towards the map, Hazel ran a claw over a road on the map that led from Palando through Castellum Town, then to Harrier Town below. From there, her claw went north and stopped on a small group of mountains with a hole in the base that said, "Snow-Point Cave".

"So, we're going through Castellum Town..." Dillan said, remembering his last, physical encounter with Arlon.

"Yeah..." Hazel said. She turned towards Dillan. "Isn't that where your friend Reya was kidnapped?" Dillan nodded. "Maybe... Maybe there are clues at Castellum Town about where Thalia is."

Dillan smiled. It had never crossed his mind that Castellum Town may have clues about Ryan's whereabouts. "Hazel, that's amazing!" he complimented.

Hazel took a bow. "Thank you," she said.

"I'm assuming we'll be out searching Ganderosa for a long time, so we should probably pack for the trip."

Hazel winked at Dillan. "We don't need to pack a thing."

Dillan tilted his head in confusion. "Sorry?"

"I had feeling we'd be doing something like this sooner or later: whether it was because we were searching for Ryan or running from King Judah because he changed his mind about wanting us dead. Anyways, this bag has everything we need for nearly a month if we conserve, though we won't need it all for that long based on Judah's letter."

Dillan tilted his head even more. "We're going through with Judah's invitation?"

"Well, yeah," Hazel said enthusiastically. "How many times do you get to see a massive part of Ganderosa's history that's blocked off to the public?"

"But what about King Judah?" Dillan asked.

"I'll admit that I'm sort of worried, but he invited us through Garth. I don't think he'd risk killing us when our Guildleader knows our last known location. It would be sloppy."

"That makes sense."

"So we're going to Ganderosa's capital, and with Ryan!"

Dillan nodded. He felt like a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "In that case, onwards to Castellum Town!"

* * *

(Road to Castellum Town: Alkan Region)

Team Rapture had been on the road for a few hours now. Dillan was surprised at how cheery the sun felt. Maybe it was a lack of guilt that made it all seem that much brighter. Maybe it was the hope he felt that he'd find Ryan again and put their team back together. Whatever it was, Dillan liked it.

"So," Hazel said cheerfully, breaking the silence. "I was thinking... Once we find Ryan, we'll have a week at least to prep for the trip to Jarondai. Since we already have our supplies packed, I was wondering if you wanted to visit some places instead."

"What do you mean by that?" Dillan asked.

"Well, kind of like a vacation," Hazel began, looking at the road ahead with anticipation. "Personally, I want to visit Lake Town. I hear the entire town is floating on the water. It's a place where water pokemon who can't walk on the land can interact with us 'Landies', as they put it."

"That sounds like fun," Dillan said. He thought about a place he would like to visit, though his lack of geography made it next to impossible. "Can I see the map?"

"Sure," Hazel said. They both stopped walking, allowing Hazel to reach into her bag and remove a worn-out roll of paper. She stretched it out, revealing the map of Ganderosa. Dillan's eyes went over the map, looking at each location in the Ferricia Region. _Thundering Caves... Redwood Plains..._ His eyes stopped at the stone structure on the map. "Ferricia Castle would be cool. We could see Lawrence again. And Ziggy."

"Ziggy." Hazel chuckled to herself. "Love that name."

Dillan's eyes rested again on a stretch of markings that looked like long grass. Dillan slowly read the words sitting above the markings. "'Howling Plains'... Lily was there..."

"Lily?" Hazel asked.

"Remember the lycanroc tribe I told you about?" Dillan asked.

Hazel nodded her head, remembering what Dillan had told her. "Lily was part of that tribe."

"Yeah," Dillan acknowledged. "The thief we met last month in Frost Island Village told us Lily had my Sapphire Star..."

"Right..." Hazel looked at Dillan with a light smile. "You want to see her again?"

"Not really..." Dillan said half-heartedly, having another thought in mind. "My Sapphire Star might be able to lead us to Ryan..."

Hazel nodded. "Not really a place to visit once we find Ryan, but we'll definitely have to see Lily after Snow-Point Cave."

Dillan turned away from the map and looked ahead. The sun was at its peak in the sky, casting its light on the deep-blue horizon ahead. Dillan stared at a small bit of grey in the distance. He squinted and smiled. "Is that Castellum Town?" he asked.

Hazel looked ahead and squinted herself. "Sure is. You know, I wonder if there are ferals in there."

Dillan wore a determined gaze. "Even if there are, we owe it to Ryan to find him."

Hazel looked at Dillan with a smile. "Well then, enough with the future. Time to focus on the here and now."

"Right." Dillan nodded. The two pokemon continued onwards to the ruins ahead.

* * *

(Alkan Territory: Castellum Town)

Rubble littered the grassy plains that surrounded Castellum Town's cracked walls. Dillan gazed up at the divots in the castle. Each one belonged to some chunk of stone that fell into the fields. There were some dead patches of grass that revealed the dirt below.

"It's been a long time," Hazel said.

Dillan's eyes moved around the castle walls, trying to find a way passed the stone-bricks. He looked up and down the walls. There were only minor cracks. Nothing that made it possible to reach the town inside.

"I can't find a way in," Dillan said.

"Let's look around," Hazel said cheerfully. She began walking towards the massive wall and around a chunk of stone. Dillan followed.

Hey began walking for a few minutes, attempting to find an entry point to no avail. Dillan started dwelling on his last visit to the crumbled castle. _This place has so many bad memories... This is where Adelina lost her parents. It's where I last saw Reya before she was kidnapped. It's the last time I saw Arlon face-to-face... Even though it's been months since I've been here, it still puts me on-edge. I mean, what if Thalia_ is _here? Would we be able to take her? Just me and Hazel? Not to mention the fact that she had back-up the last time we saw her. I can't help but feel like we're walking into something we can't handle..._

"Here we go!" Hazel announced. She walked up to a massive crack in the wall that led inside. Dillan could see a fog-filled area through the crack. Hazel walked up to the crack and walked passed the wall. Dillan felt a little reluctant to go inside. He watched as a crimson paw outstretched itself through the fog. "What are you waiting for?" Hazel asked from the other side.

 _What are you worried about? This isn't like last time. This time, it's the other way around. We're the ones hunting Thalia. And besides, Hazel's here this time. There's no need to worry... Right?_

With those thoughts in mind, Dillan set his claw in Hazel's grasp and he walked into Castellum Town. The moment he stepped beyond the walls, he felt the chilly air. The entire place felt devoid of heat. Dillan saw Hazel next to him, but that was it. He could hardly make out the semi-broken buildings around him. It felt kind of... eerie.

"So, where to?" Hazel asked.

"Uh..." Dillan began, thinking about last time. "Well, there's a... M. P? Is that what it's called?"

"Mystery Pocket," Hazel said. "Typically the end of a mystery dungeon that's stable."

"Yeah, that." Dillan remembered the massive library him and Reya had stumbled upon last time. "There's an M. P. somewhere in here. Me and Reya were there before she was taken. If there are clues-"

"They would be there," Hazel finished. "Got it." She held out her tail-flame. Dillan watched as it grew in size, licking at the surrounding fog and creating more light for them ahead. Dillan could see maybe a foot more than usual. Other than that, nothing but fog.

"Let's do this," Dillan said as Hazel took the lead. He followed closely behind, making sure he didn't get separated.

"You know," Hazel began, "under normal circumstances, this would be really cool!"

"Walking into a mystery dungeon?" Dillan asked.

"That's not normal," Hazel laughed. "I mean, visiting Castellum Town. It has so much history behind it. For example: did you know that this is the original capital of Ganderosa?"

"Yes," Dillan said with a smile. "You told me that."

"Oh," Hazel said. Her scales turned a lighter shade of red around her cheeks. "Guess I forgot."

"It's fine," Dillan said. "Actually, there's a really cool wall in the M. P."

"A wall," Hazel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah," Dillan said. "It's got a massive picture on it with some sort of prophecy tied to it. Reya told me about it."

"Sounds cool enough."

"It-" Dillan's sentence was cut off by what felt like a rope slip over his foot and around his ankle. It tightened and yanked him to the left. Dillan fell to the floor, being dragged by the rope. He watched as Hazel's body disappeared behind the fog, leaving the glow of her tail.

"Hazel!" Dillan shouted. He felt afraid. He had no clue what was happening, but he felt every stone that scraped itself against his scales. He watched as Hazel's tail-flame began to disappear into the fog as he was getting even further from his friend. _No... Not now... I can't lose Hazel, too!_ "Hazel!"

* * *

(Kerroshian Territory)

"Remind me why I'm here?" Ryan asked, annoyed with his seemingly unending trek through the desert wasteland. Thunder cracked throughout his mind as a picture of his old home flashed in his vision. Ryan shook his head with a scowling smirk. "That's not what I meant."

 _"I'm only reminding-"_

"Yeah yeah," Ryan said, interrupting the cold voice in his head. "Closure." He walked over a small hill and looked out upon a small, crumbling town in the distance with a large hole next to the structures. The pachirisu grimaced, remembering the last time he was in this collapsed town.

 _"I'm sure you remember Poltress Town,"_ the voice said.

Ryan scoffed. "How can I forget the place that treated me as their living trophy, worthy of sacrifice?"

 _" Sass will not be tolerated, Mr. Simon. Respect me."_

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Yes, ' _Master_ '." he said sarcastically. A massive migraine surged through his brain. The pachirisu slapped his paws as high up his head as his stubby arms would allow as he shouted, "Alright! Alright! I get the picture!" The migraine ceased. Ryan took a few seconds to regain his focus.

 _"Do we have an understanding?"_

"You need me," Ryan said. "Not the other way around."

 _"I beg to differ."_

Ignoring the voice in his head, Ryan walked down towards the town in the distance.

It took a few minutes to reach Poltress' outskirts, but when he did, he immediately felt the familiarly eerie feeling that crawled up his spine. He didn't show any weakness – as he did last time for fear of ridicule and that the weird feelings he got from the town were all in his head – but it creeped the pachirisu out.

"Remind me why I'm here?" Ryan said again, still wanting an answer. "Master." he added.

 _"You are to go towards the center of the town and... speak with the locals."_

"Is that all?" Ryan asked. "I thought I was to be their 'final sacrifice'."

 _"These fools should have realized sacrificing was not the way to revive their master far before Thalia came to get you from your vacation." Vacation... Is that what you think it was? "It is."_

Ryan couldn't help but laugh out loud at the position he was in. Here he was, traipsing through the cracked streets of Poltress Town – a place he thought he'd never come back to – with some sort of supernatural entity in his head. _Things can't get any weirder..._

 _"Focus on your surroundings, unless you would rather be slaughtered."_

"And Thalia says you aren't humorous."

Ryan stopped at a four-way intersection with a dried up fountain. The fountain's base had a stone statue of a short pokemon he recognized as a gengar. He looked up at its red, glowing eyes that seemed to be looking straight at him. _Must be your distant cousin._

 _"Focus on your mission, Mr. Simons."_

 _Fine..._ Ryan set his paw under his chin to think. _Alright... What's the best way to get kidnapped?_ He stared at the statue before deciding his next course of action.

Ryan jumped up into the dry fountain and began scaling the gengar. Slowly but surly, he made his way to the top of the pokemon's head. From there, he stood and shouted, "Hey, dirt-bags! Fresh meat, and it's defiling your statue!"

A shiver ran down Ryan's spine as the wind whistled between his ears. The air seemed to be swirling around him, spinning his fur. He looked downwards and saw purple puffs of smoke start to ascend from the ground. The smoke seemed to be originating from a gang of floating heads with sharp teeth protruding from their wicked snarls. Another group of pokemon arose from the ground. These ones looked like Bolt if he was a doll with a zig-zagging piece of wood for a tail. A new group emerged from the ground. Pretty soon, Ryan was surrounded by ghost pokemon on all sides.

"What are you doing up there?!" one of the heads demanded.

"Take me to your leader!" Ryan shouted. His face tightened into a fearful grimace as he felt a chilly breeze stroke his back accompanied by, what felt to Ryan like a leather glove, running itself up his neck. Ryan quickly turned around. He lost his footing on his left side and fell off the statue, plummeting towards the concrete basin. The pachirisu forcefully shut his eyes. _This is going to hurt!_ But it didn't. In fact, he didn't feel any sort of impact, just another breeze that blew by.

Ryan opened his eyes to find himself swinging back and forth above the ground. He looked up, or in this case down, to find a white hand was holding him by the tail. The hand was connected to a grey body with a pattern that looked like some sort of face with yellow nubs for eyes and a zig-zag mouth. He remembered the floating pokemon from his first journey into Poltress.

"I remember you," the dusknoir stated.

"Then we can skip the introductions," Ryan said, hoping to get this done as quickly as possible.

 _"Do not rush this, Mr. Simon."_

Rolling his eyes at the voice in his head, Ryan directed his attention back to his captor.

"Why did you come back?" the dusknoir asked with curiosity. "Are you this desperate to be sacrificed?"

"Are you joking?" Ryan scoffed.

 _"This is your chance to gain his trust."_ the voice urged. _"Do not waste this."_

 _I don't have the energy to deal with both of you, so let me handle this!_ Ryan heard a sigh from inside of his head. He took that as his que to continue.

"So what's your name?" Ryan asked.

"Why would I say that?" the dusknoir stated.

"Call it a final request."

The dusknoir looked around at his peers for help.

"Sacrifice!" a purple pokemon whose body looked like some sort of cape wearing a sombrero stated.

"Sacrifice!" one of the ghastly started chanting. The other ghost pokemon took that as their opportunity to chant "sacrifice" with the rest of the group.

"Silence!" the dusknoir shouted above the ghosts. They all quieted down and looked at their leader. He brought Ryan up to look him in the eye. Ryan did just that, staring at the pokemon with an annoyed expression.

"Well?" Ryan asked. "Final request?"

The dusknoir nodded. "My name is Isaac, Guildleader of Poltress Town."

"Guildleader?" Ryan asked. "I didn't know Guildleaders sacrificed others; then again, what do I know about Ganderosa's government?"

"Do not mock me!" Isaac roared.

"Sacrifice!" the ghosts cheered again.

"I'll do what I want!" Ryan said defiantly.

"And why is that, little sacrifice?"

Ryan felt his blood boil. "Hey dumb-bunny!" he shouted. "Do you know how many pokemon I've beaten to a pulp for calling me 'little'?"

"Is it a _short_ amount?" a ghost called out from the crowd.

"Excuse me?!" Ryan shouted.

 _"I've had enough of your games, Simon!"_ the voice roared.

"And I care, why?" Ryan snapped. "And don't say 'closure'!"

 _"Fine! Maybe your lickitung friend will see things my way!"_

Ryan felt like tearing the voice to shreds. "Touch her, and all of Ganderosa finds out about you!"

"Who are you talking to?" Isaac asked.

 _"Go ahead and tell them. It isn't like your friend will be spared any less pain because of your retaliation!"_

 _Damn it..._ Ryan grimaced. He thought about his options, though it looked like there were only two.

 _"Make this work, right now."_

"Fine!" Ryan shouted. He turned towards a confused looking dusknoir.

"Who are you speaking to?!" Isaac demanded.

"Internal struggle," Ryan said. "Anyways, let's get down to business before _my_ problem becomes _your_ problem."

"Is that a threat?" the dusknoir demanded.

Ryan ignored the comment and continued. "My master has the ability to give your men what you've been searching for."

"What are you talking about?" Isaac seemed very confused with the change in subject.

"I'm talking about the small stone you've been killing pokemon for," Ryan said.

Gasps erupted from the crowd. Isaac's eyes began darting from side to side as he scanned the crowd. Ryan couldn't help but notice how nervous the dusknoir was.

"A-and what makes you think that y-you can help?" Isaac stuttered.

Ryan sighed. _Is he really going to make me explain everything?_

 _"Of course he is,"_ the voice stated. _"He's been ruling this town for nearly half a century with little progress in resurrecting his leader, and wants to know how we can do a better job than him."_

"Alright," Ryan said to the voice. Isaac seemed to think Ryan was talking to him. "What can you do about their issues?"

"We have been sacrificing pokemon for gen-"

"Not you, psyclops," Ryan said to Isaac.

 _"Their issue is with the stone hidden beneath the town. It is the home of a pokemon these ghosts have looked up to for an eternity named Spiritomb."_

"Yeah. I know that, but why-"

 _"Interrupt me again, and Thalia will take over your duties."_ Ryan's eyes met Isaac's. The pachirisu pointed to his fore-head and nodded, confusing the dusknoir even more. _"As I was saying: Spiritomb was the original leader of their cult during the Ganderosan Civil War. To end the war and Hardemlite Armadine's accursed forces, the town was decimated. A drawback to Poltress' slaughter was that spiritomb was sealed in his stone, forced into an eternal slumber. These pokemon have been sacrificing countless pokemon, always saying that the next will bring back spiritomb."_

"Sounds right up your alley," Ryan said. "But explain to me why getting the stone will help Team R-" Ryan immediately stopped upon feeling a massive migraine in his head. He felt as though his head was breaking apart. "Alright! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't say the name!" The migraine faded. _Geeze..._

 _"How it helps is none of your business,"_ the voice shouted. _"Just finish your objective!"_

Ryan looked back at Isaac. "Alright, what were you saying?"

"But... you were just..." Isaac stuttered, dumbfounded by what had just occurred.

"Here's the deal," Ryan said. "I need to see the stone before I can save... spiritomb, was it?"

The moment the name "spiritomb" was mentioned, whispers and gasps went across the crowd.

"How does he know the master's name?" someone asked.

"Maybe he _can_ help?"

Isaac looked at Ryan with the utmost apprehension. "Why would we need your assistance?!" he snarled. "We've been getting along fine for years upon years with our sacrifices!"

"Seriously?" Ryan asked. He was getting frustrated with the dusknoir's attitude. "You'd think that 'years upon years' of sacrificing would have come up with some sort of headway by now."

"How dare you insult me with your ignorance! I should-"

"Get over yourself," Ryan interrupted with annoyance. More gasps erupted from the crowd. "You haven't been able to revive spiritomb yet with your way, so what makes you think sacrificing me will work?"

"It will!" Isaac roared. "Master Spiritomb has been upset for generations with our lack of praise and sacrifice towards him! Killing you will show our devotion towards-"

"Get real!" Ryan shouted. "How many pokemon have you sacrificed so far?"

"One-hundred!" a pokemon shouted from behind.

"No, two-hundred!" another interjected.

"I thought it was one-fifty..."

"Silence!" Isaac roared.

"So you've lost count?" Ryan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"One more word and I'll take your head off here and now!"

"Would your followers forgive you for killing the one who can potentially save your master?" Ryan swung his hands around and began rotating on his tail to face the crowd. He gave a grimace of pain as his tail twisted. _Dang, that hurts!_

 _"Finish this already before things get out of your control."_

"Alright, Poltress!" Ryan said through the pain. "Who here honestly sees an end to the work and sacrifice? Who honestly thinks that their work is almost through?" Ryan counted about twenty hands raise out of the crowd of over fifty. Ryan quickly turned back to Isaac. "Well, it looks like your people are losing faith in your way, fatso."

"I've had enough!" Isaac shouted.

He swung Ryan through the air by the tail and threw him into the crowd. Ryan skidded across the ground and came to a halt. He felt the scrapes underneath the fur, but it only stung. The pachirisu stood up and stared towards Isaac with anticipation.

 _"You are failing, Simon!"_ the voice echoed.

 _Yeah, right,_ Ryan thought. _I've got most of the town doubting their leader. Do you seriously think that I'm going to get close to Spiritomb with Mr. Murder up there, dead-set on sacrificing Ganderosa?_

 _"For your information, we want_ him _, too!"_

 _Really? Would have been a good thing to know before hand!_

"Everyone move!" Isaac shouted. "Make a ring!" The crowd dispersed around the pachirisu, forming a small circle. The dusknoir drifted down to the ground, stopping on the edge of the circle of ghosts. "I'm going to make you the two-hundred-and-eleventh sacrifice to Master Spiritomb, rat!"

"Bring it," Ryan said with a smirk. _It's been too long since I've actually fought someone._

 _"If this mission fails, I'll have your friend's head!"_

"I won't fail... Not this time..."

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys! MasterKnight2142 here! I'm sorry if you guys felt like this chapter wasn't much of a chapter after two weeks of waiting, but here me out. As Person55 said in his review, the "Team Armageddon" arc has ended! What this means now is that I needed to set up where the story is going now. As a result, I wanted the story to calm down a bit before I throw you guys in for a loop! But trust me when I say I've got plenty in store for you guys!

Shout-out to "aurasphere447" and "Plague Dog UnleasheD" for following/favoriting the story!

Shout-out to jakeroo123 for his review! Glad to know that even after he seemingly has gone to the dark side, you still like him! Well, I'm here to tell you that you'll be seeing his perspective for a bit. Enjoy!

Shout-out to Plague Dog UnleasheD for his review! I looked back at Chapter 15, and I see the problem. Good to know that I messed up, if ever so slightly! For context, see the "Review Section".

Shout-out to Person55 for another review! He states, Dillan is "one of the unlikeliest protagonists from stories that I have read so far". I wanted to make Dillan someone any person can relate to, if only slightly. I feel like most of us, if put in a life or death situation, would freeze up or run away. We'd say, "Screw being a hero!" I wanted to make Dillan the same way, with how he freezes up whenever things start to get intense. Of course, this is not always the case, because let's face it: no one wants a story where the hero is a coward every time things heat up. There are other things I would like to say about Dillan, but I'll leave it at that just because of how long this paragraph is so far. :P

One last shout-out to Shoz999 for his reviews! I have no idea whether you get to this part in the story or not, but I'm glad you like the story so far, even with my poor writing in 2017!

As Porky Pig says, "That's all folks!" Thanks for reading this chapter! Hope you guys enjoyed it, wherever you could find such pleasantries! Next time will be better, I assure you!

Thanks again for reading! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!


	35. A Feral Feeling

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 35

A Feral Feeling

* * *

Just real quick before you dive into the chapter, everyone who is NOT following the story, I have something to tell you that is important (see "Author's Notes")! And for those who are following, this kind of affects you as well (but not to such a level like the guest viewers).

Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

"I'm coming!" Hazel shouted.

The light began to bob up and down, but it wasn't fast enough. Dillan watched in fear as the flame disappeared behind , he felt the rope pull him upwards. As the rope ascended, so did he. Dillan continued upwards until finally, he heard a "smash", and his ascending motion ended, leaving him hanging upside-down by his ankle.

"Hazel?" Dillan called frantically. He began checking his surroundings.

Dillan found he could see clearly due to a lack of fog in the area. Looking below, he found himself suspended a few feet above a cobble-stone road which led to a flight of stairs that ended at a set of columns. It looked like some sort of entrance to the building ahead. Dillan could see a mace-like crystal hanging from the ceiling to the room. It looked as though a fire was in the crystal, illuminating the surrounding area. Dillan looked upwards to see a rope that was suspended by a pole sticking out from the fog. The remaining rope ran along the pole and into the fog.

"A... a trap?" he asked himself.

"Are you alright?" Dillan looked below him to see Hazel standing there with a worried look.

"Y-yeah..." Dillan answered. "I'm fine."

Hazel's previously worried expression had changed into an amused smile. "So you're just hanging around?"

"Is this really the time to make a joke?" he asked, worried about what the trap entailed.

"Cut yourself down," she said.

Dillan looked up at the rope. He focused on his fin. As it changed into a glowing blue, he swung upwards. He missed it by a few inches. He then bent his back to try and get closer to the rope. He swung once more, nicking his foot. The gabite grimaced, but swung again. This time, his glowing fin sliced the rope above. As he fell, Dillan realized a problem with this plan.

Hazel took a step backwards and attempted to catch Dillan as he came down. As he fell into her arms, Hazel had an epiphany. Dillan's force pulled Hazel down into the ground as well. He felt his fin bend under his weight and his tail-bone hit the ground as well. Hazel felt her hands come off of Dillan due to the gap between his body and the ground. Her paws slammed into the ground and her jaw came down onto Dillan's chest, forcing her tongue between her teeth.

The two got up as fast as they could, trying to deal with their pain in separate manners.

"No a goo ihea!" Hazel shouted with her tongue out as she tried to numb the pain with exposure to the air.

"Gah!" Dillan shouted as he looked backwards at his fin. Thankfully, it didn't look broken. _One of these days, it will be!_

Hazel shook her head as she glanced up at the frilled end of the newly-cut rope. "A trap? Here?"

"I don't like it..." Dillan said.

"I don't blame you," Hazel said. "Why is there a trap in a mystery dungeon? I mean, ferals can't put these up. They aren't smart enough."

"Well, then who put it here?" Dillan asked. The moment the words left his mouth, he felt a shiver run down his spine, remembering the last time he'd been here. "You... You don't th-think it w-was Thalia..."

Hazel smiled. "Nah. This is too elaborate."

Dillan thought about Hazel's point. _Too elaborate... Well, Thalia had confronted us last time, determined to beat us with her strength, and not because of some trap she made. She seemed too prideful for that..._

"She's too strong to rely on... this." Hazel motioned to the rope. "No, this was made by someone who isn't confident in their abilities."

"What in Ganderosa do you think you blokes are doing?!" a small, male voice shouted. Dillan jumped from hearing the new voice. It seemed to come fro behind him and above him at the same time. The gabite eyes moved up the stairs and set on a small, brown animal with white fluff around the neck. It also wore a small chain with a smooth, white stone resting on the end like some sort of charm. The creature looked very familiar to him. "You've ruined my contraption!" Upon hearing him once more, Dillan recognized him.

"Leslie?" Dillan asked, recalling the small eevee – Leslie Bartholemule – he and Ryan had saved from the Shadowed Brush.

"Hey!" Hazel said, realizing she too had met the little pokemon. "It's been a while!"

Leslie tilted his head in confusion. "Do I know you?"

"We saved you in the Shadowed Brush!" Dillan said with a smile.

A look of recognition dawned on Leslie's face, quickly followed by anger. "From the look of it, it hasn't been long enough!" the eevee announced. "Do you know how long it took me to set up that trap?!"

"What's goin' on, sir?" a feminine voice asked. "Did the trap work?" Almost immediately after Dillan heard the voice, a small quilava head poked out from behind the stairs. Dillan recognized Leslie's accomplice from before: Nancy Remington. She smiled widely upon seeing the guildmembers.

"Remember the guildmembers who saved us from before, Ms. Remington?" Leslie said drearily. "They've ruined my trap..."

"We can set it back up, sir," Nancy assured. "Besides, we can't be mad at them. We owe these here fellers for the last time we met."

"Well, now we don't owe them a thing!"

"An explanation would be nice," Dillan said hopefully.

"Good idea," Hazel complimented. She looked up at Leslie and Nancy before saying, "What are you guys doing here?"

Leslie looked at Team Rapture for a few seconds, contemplating on how best to explain before stating, "It would be best for you two to come and see for yourself."

"It's mighty cool!" Nancy said enthusiastically.

"Of course it is, my good lady!" Leslie announced proudly. He turned down to the guildmembers and said, "We don't have all day to meander about, now do we?"

Hazel turned to Dillan with a smile before she said, "We need to go up there anyways."

"I know," Dillan assured. "Besides, now I'm kind of curious."

Hazel nodded and the two began ascending the stairs to meet the two researchers.

* * *

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Dillan felt a shiver run down his spine. He felt a little off being here once again, as if this was just like his first time being here. He instinctually looked backwards into the fog as if searching for some unforeseen threat, but found nothing.

"Woah..." Hazel said almost immediately upon entering the room. Dillan looked ahead, seeing Hazel was staring at the mosaic art-work along the back wall. He watched the black creature in the center of the painting, seeing the fire surrounding it and it's tendril-like appendages outstretched as if lashing out at two white forms on either side. Dillan looked above the creature at the left corner. He saw a third, white form spewing brighter tiles – assumedly light – towards the right where a black form sat who sent fireballs towards the next. Dillan's eyes went down to the bottom-left corner where he found a fourth form with a massive wave of water flowing behind it. The white form seemed like it was about to go into a battle with the other corner, where a black form sat. The black form was accompanied by dark waves of water that seemed to be lit by black flames. Dillan noticed blotches in the mosaic that seemed morphed and twisted. The most interesting part is that it didn't seem damaged, but as if the blotches were intentionally put there by the artist.

Even after seeing the mosaic before, he was astonished by the art. It all looked very beautiful, and at the same time frightening.

"It's amazing..." Hazel said in awe.

"Yes, very astonishing," Leslie said. "But that isn't the reason I called you both up here."

Dillan looked down at the center of the room. He was surprised to see the little eevee stop at a desk with a massive amount of flasks and tubes scattered across the surface. Each flask was filled with different solids or liquids of different colors, shapes, sizes, and amounts. _That wasn't there before..._

"Leslie," Hazel began as she motioned to the table. "What's this?"

"A breakthrough, Ms. Charmeleon."

"In what?" Dillan asked.

"In Mystery Dungeons, Mr. Gabite!" Leslie announced. "What else would a researcher of the A. R. F. M. D. be studying, hmm?"

"Right..." Dillan said.

"The Sir's found somethin' in Castellum Town no one's ever seen before!" Nancy said proudly. She seemed to have sparkles in her eyes. "Not even y'all explorers have seen anything' this spectacular!"

"Well said, Ms. Remington!" Leslie said.

"Really?" Hazel said with excitement.

"Am I the only one who doesn't understand?" Dillan asked, not knowing what the big deal was.

"Mr. Gabite," Leslie said. "This could very well be the most important discovery we will ever make in years! Nothing that has or will happen for generations will come close to the sheer magnitude our findings! Do you not understand the gravity of the situation?"

Dillan gave a nervous smile. "N-... Not really?"

"Poppycock!" Leslie shouted. He smiled at Dillan. "My boy, allow me to teach you exactly what-"

"Sir," Nancy cut in. "Maybe it would be best if you showed the guildmembers the experiment instead of yellin'. Maybe they'd understand then."

Leslie turned to Nancy and said, "What a smashing idea!" He turned his back on the guildmembers and faced the desk. "Ms. Remington, the dirt if you would be so kind!"

Nancy waddled over to the table and grabbed one of the many flasks filled with a small pile of dirt. She carefully brought it to Leslie who took the flask in his paws and set it in front of him.

"Experiment three-twenty-four," Leslie stated. "Once more with feeling, Ms. Remington!"

"Yes, Sir," Nancy responded. She blew a small ember under one of the flasks. To Dillan's surprise, a fire began shooting up from underneath one of the flasks. Leslie poured a small amount of the dirt from the first flask into the other. He then took yet another flask filled with a purple liquid and poured its contents into the other. Before Dillan's eyes, the purple liquid began bubbling almost instantly upon touching the glass. Leslie began pouring even more liquids into the flask until it was filled with a murky, green liquid.

"Excellent, Sir!" Nancy announced excitedly.

"We're not done yet, Ms. Remington," Leslie stated, keeping a steady eye on the liquid. "Repeat the process with Sample Fifteen."

"Right," Nancy said. She picked up a new flask filled with dirt. She spat another ember under a new flask and repeated the process. In a little under a minute, Dillan was very lost. He wasn't sure if Nancy had followed the same procedure Leslie had, but she ended up with a flask filled with a murky, electric-blue liquid.

"Jolly good!" Leslie shouted cheerfully upon seeing Nancy's concoction. He walked towards Nancy and hugged her tightly. "We've done it, Ms. Remington! We've finally done it! And this proves yet again that it wasn't some simple fluke!"

"Yes Sir!" Nancy proclaimed excitedly, though she wore a nervous smile. "But-"

"Excuse me..." Hazel interrupted nervously. "Why are you two so happy?"

Nancy and Leslie stopped what they were doing and looked at Hazel with dumbfounded expressions.

"You... You don't understand?" Leslie asked slowly, breaking away from his quilava compatriot.

"Not really..." Dillan admitted.

"Sir," Nancy said. "If I could just say-"

"Ms. Remington," Leslie cut in with a proud smile. "You've helped me in this endeavor through thick and thin! It would be an honor to hear you explain our research to the guildmembers!"

"N-no, Sir!" Nancy said with shock. "I-I was only goin' to say that we still haven't made the breakthrough we were hopin' for... what with the trap bein' a bust an' all... and... not..." Nancy trailed off as she looked at Leslie who stared back blankly for a few seconds. Dillan couldn't tell if he was contemplating what she had said, or was embarrassed over his assumption.

"Right," Leslie stated with a smile. He turned to Dillan and said, "You blokes broke my trap, so you both will set things right!"

"I'm sorry?" Dillan and Hazel said in unison.

"You want our help?" Hazel questioned.

"Not at all!" Leslie stated. "I want your co-operation!"

"What's the difference?" Dillan questioned.

"Mr. Gabite," Leslie began sternly. "I don't know if you've noticed, but _you're_ the one who wrecked my trap, so _you'll_ be the one to fix the mistake." Dillan grimaced. Being accused like that made him uncomfortable to say the least, even if it was true.

"Why do you even have a trap?" Hazel questioned.

"Well," Nancy cut in. "The Sir isn't exactly capable in a battle, which means he can't be of much help capturin' ferals."

Hazel took a step back, astonished by what Nancy said. "Y-you want to catch a feral?!" she shouted in shock.

"Glad we have an understanding," Leslie stated.

Dillan was starting to get annoyed with all the questions he had to ask, not that he let it show. He just wished the two pokemon would tell them what they were doing here. What's with all the flasks? Why Castellum Town Why capture a feral? Then, he remembered what _he_ was doing there.

Turning to his companion, Dillan said, "Hazel, we need to search for evidence."

Hazel looked at Dillan and nodded. "Right." She turned to Leslie and said, "We can't help you. We're searching for our friend."

"Poppycock!" Leslie protested. "Your group temporarily halted my experiment with your illegal wanderings, so it is in our best interest to assist me in my research!"

"Sir!" Nancy exclaimed. Her wide eyes were darting between Team Rapture and the eevee. "A-are you truly considerin' blackmail as an option?!"

"I'm sorry, what?" Hazel shouted.

"Indeed I am!" Leslie said. "The research we're doing here will effect the entire country! We can't allow our progress to be halted by these guildmember's shenanigans!"

"But we were only looking for our friend," Dillan said.

"Yes, but in a quarantined – and therefore illegal – zone," Leslie stated. "What would the Guildmaster say if she found two guildmembers breaking the law, hm?"

Dillan was speechless. He had completely forgotten about Castellum Town's quarantine. _We're breaking the law by being here... And is Leslie's blackmailing us?_ He grimaced at his position.

"Wait a minute," Hazel stated calmly. "You're here as well. What makes you think you can blackmail us with the same crime you're both _currently_ committing?"

"We're on guild business," Nancy said quietly. She had her head turned towards the ground as if ashamed by the whole situation. Hazel opened her mouth as if to say something, but was rendered speechless by Nancy's comment.

Dillan shook his head profusely. "No," he said flatly. "You're being unreasonable."

"Poppycock!" Leslie announced. "You interfered in our business, just like that nidoqueen from before! I let her carry on her way, but you're not getting-"

Dillan's mind went blank upon hearing that word. His breath became unsteady and his heart slammed at his ribs. It felt like the world had turned upside-down at the mere mention of her species. He had committed that name to memory after she took Ryan.

"N... nidoqueen?" he asked slowly.

Leslie stopped his rant and looked at the gabite curiously. "What the are you on about?" he asked.

"Did you say nidoqueen?" Dillan asked, hoping he had heard incorrectly.

Hazel's eyes widened as she realized what Dillan was implying. She quickly looked at Dillan, saying, "You don't think-"

"Did you say nidoqueen?" Dillan repeated.

The air seemed to become stagnant. Leslie seemed to feel very uncomfortable all of the sudden. He fingered the chain around his neck nervously as his eyes went around the room. "Did I say nidoqueen?"

"Y-yes Sir," Nancy said. Leslie slowly turned to the quilava with a menacing glare. Nancy shrunk down and backed up with a smile on her face and fear in her eyes. "Sorry..." she squeaked in a volume that was barely audible.

"She was here..." Dillan said to himself. He turned to Hazel and stated, "She was here. It must have been her."

Hazel nodded. She looked towards Leslie and said, "Was the nidoqueen with anyone?"

Leslie held his head up. "She might have been with a few pokemon: an elektross and a jynx... and two others..."

"Those are the same pokemon that attacked us," Hazel told Dillan. It was all he needed to know for sure that Thalia had been here.

"When did you see her?" Dillan asked. "Did she say where she was going?"

Leslie looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What's wrong with you blokes? They were just a couple of trespassers like you who caused trouble for me."

"The nidoqueen took our friend," Dillan said quickly. "We need to find her. She can lead us to our friend. If you know where they went, we need to know."

Leslie looked upwards and hummed to himself as if thinking. "Well, I might know where they might have gone to..." He slammed the side of his head with his paw. "But the stress of my job is preventing me from thinking!"

"Stress?" Hazel asked with a confused stare.

"If only I could complete my research! The joy might just jog my memory!"

Hazel leaned in a little closer as she and Dillan stared at Leslie with a mixture of shock and disbelief. "What?" Dillan asked.

"You're holding this over our heads?" Hazel questioned in frustration.

"Sir," Nancy cut in. "This is wrong!"

"Quiet, Ms. Remington," Leslie stated. "We can't deal with any of the ferals by ourselves. We aren't strong enough to capture one, and it's agonizing to think about! I don't know if I can recall anything in this state..."

"That's wrong on so many-" Hazel began.

"We'll do it," Dillan said swiftly.

Hazel turned towards Dillan with shock. "We will?"

"Only if you'll tell us what you know."

Leslie smirked at Dillan. "Then it looks as though we have a deal Mr..." he trailed off, obviously expecting Dillan to give his last name.

"Mr. Bartholemule," Nancy cut in. "We can't keep information from them! This is... This is wrong..."

"What's wrong is the simple fact that we haven't had a living subject to further prove our findings, Ms. Remington," Leslie said. "The simple fact is that we need these guildmembers, and they need us. So..." He turned towards Dillan.

"You want us to bring you a living feral?" Dillan questioned.

"Quite right," Leslie said with a smile that most would call friendly, though Dillan thought it looked more cold than anything. "And it only has to be living. If you must rough it up a bit, do so at your own leisure."

"Fine..." Dillan said. He turned away from the room and began descending the stairs. "Come on, Hazel."

Hazel glared at Leslie. "We saved you," she said flatly.

"Quite," Leslie said. "And now you're saving me yet again from your partner's previous blunder."

Hazel's eyebrow began twitching angrily. She looked towards Nancy in a last ditch effort for someone to show some decency towards a pokemon in need.

"I'm sorry..." Nancy said shamefully as she hung her head. "But I don't rightly remember much of what happened durin' the nidoqueen's visit here... I wish I could tell you more, but..."

"Poppycock!" Leslie said joyfully. "You're just as glad that our research may proceed!"

The ground became moist as a small tear rolled off of Nancy's cheeks. Hazel couldn't tell if they were from guilt, or from empathy, but she didn't care. The charmeleon gave a final scoff of disbelief as she walked away to meet Dillan.

* * *

They walked for nearly a minute into the fog-filled town. Dillan didn't know how they were going to find a feral in this weather. On top of that, they were surrounded by run-down buildings. A feral may be hiding in one of the houses for all he knew. Before he could even start to come up with a plan, Hazel reared on Dillan, shouting, "Why did you agree to this?"

Dillan stopped in his tracks, stunned by Hazel's sudden attack. "What?" he asked.

"You agreed to that slime-ball's demands before we even had the chance to talk about it!" Hazel said angrily. " You're not even considering why he wants a feral! On top of that, he black-mailed us!"

"Well... yeah." Dillan didn't understand what the problem was, but he was sure by Hazel's scowl that she was about to let him know.

"We're a team! Shouldn't we have made that decision as such?"

"I'm still not following," Dillan said calmly. "We came here to find Ryan, and Leslie has information. If he's going to bargain for it, wouldn't we do everything we could to get it?"

"But do you even understand what you agreed to?"

"Yes," he said with a nod. "We're bringing back a feral."

"But why?" Hazel questioned. It seemed to Dillan like she was starting to calm down, but she still seemed upset with him. "If he's doing experiments up there, what do you think-"

"Hazel," Dillan interrupted as calmly, but as forcefully as he could without seeming demanding. Although, he had to admit that Hazel's lack of help in the matter was starting to irritate him. "We need to save Ryan. If it means catching a feral pokemon, then what's the problem?"

"That's compromising our morals!" Hazel shouted. "How can you be alright with that?"

"How is helping Ryan compromising my morals?" Dillan shouted.

"What if we can save those pokemon?" Hazel asked. "What if somehow, somewhere, someone comes up with a way to reverse what happened to them? I mean, I want to help Ryan too, but we're guildmembers! We save pokemon from catastrophes! How can you be alright with this?"

"Ryan needs us, Hazel!" Dillan shouted. "Why can't you understand that?"

"I understand it perfectly!" Hazel gave a huff of anger before turning away from Dillan and began walking back the way they came.

"Where are you going?" Dillan asked.

"To find out what Leslie wants with a feral!"

"We're wasting time! That's time Ryan doesn't have!"

"I'm not killing anyone for Ryan's sake!" Hazel blared. _Killing?_

He watched as his friend disappeared into the fog, followed by her tail-flame. He felt frustrated by his friend. They needed to catch a feral. When was killing a part of the mission? _Fine... If I need to find a feral pokemon on my own, then that's just fine._ Dillan turned on his heels and walked away in the opposite direction.

* * *

The fog seemed to close in on him, amplifying the loneliness Dillan felt in his chest. The air seemed to freeze his throat with his every breath. Each echoing step on the cobble-stone path reminded him that he was the only one here. Dillan wondered where the feral pokemon were.

 _I should have seen one by now... Within nearly ten minutes of venturing into a cave, we find at least one feral. So why isn't there one, now?_ Dillan thought about the possibilities. _Maybe the mystery dungeon is too new? Maybe there haven't been many pokemon who have been in here, yet?_

Dillan's mind went back to his frustrated friend. _Why was she so upset with me? And why did she say "Killing"? I've never killed anyone! Why did she think I would do so, now? Why did she think I was even considering it?_

A loud, "cracking" noise could be heard from behind him. Dillan whipped around to face the noise. He expected to see some sort of attacker closing in on him. Instead, he saw the fog and darkness covering everything in front of him like a grey veil. His heart began beating in his chest and his breath became unsteady. All of the danger he was putting himself in by searching for trouble, let alone doing so alone, became more apparent to him. His breath became unsteady, and his neck was beaded with sweat.

 _No... Stay calm... You've fought Ignitus for crying out loud... What makes you think a feral is going to be any stronger?_

Another "crack" came from behind him. Dillan jumped around once more and faced the noise. Yet again, nothing could be seen.

"H... Hello?" Dillan called nervously.

Dillan's heart stopped upon hearing a growling noise in his left eardrum. A warm burst of air could be felt on the back of his neck, and a set of pointed, white talons rested themselves on Dillan's side.

A squeak sneaked out of Dillan's throat as his fins glowed blue and extended a few inches. He whipped around quickly and slashed at whatever was behind him. The creature leapt back into the shadows before Dillan could get a look at it. Although, he was able to catch a glint of what appeared to be an orange crystal that was at about eye-level.

Another growl could be heard from in front of him. _A-alright... There's obviously something there, but how am I suppose to see it with all of this fog?_

A sharp pain originating from Dillan's right side spontaneously appeared. The gabite doubled back onto one knee as his claws slapped on the small wound. Dillan's eyes went down onto his side as he found a group of three shallow marks. _When did those get th-_ His thoughts were interrupted by another burst of pain on his left side. Dillan sucked some air in through his teeth as he grimaced. He checked the wound, finding a new set of marks.

"What the heck?" Dillan looked up and into the fog just in time to see a blur of black and red darting towards him, only visible due to the blue glow of his fins. Dillan immediately rolled left and out of the way. He looked at the creature from before just long enough to see the white claws extended towards him as the form missed its target.

Dillan shot up to his feet, ready for a new attack. Sure enough, a set of white claws emerged from the fog, pointed straight at his face. Dillan had a second, but his eyes ran along the pokemon's body.

He wasn't surprised he couldn't see it as well as he'd hoped. Most of the pokemon's black body blended into his darkened surroundings. Dillan saw its round head with what looked like a red, trimmed, feathered crown sticking up from the top of its head. It had red feathers on either side of its head as if they were ears. Two, protruding, sharp teeth could be seen in the pokemon's wicked grin. Its red eyes contrasted the orange jewel that was set on its forehead.

Dillan dodged out of the weavile's way and slashed with his fin. He didn't have much range due to his previous jump, but it was just enough to nick its out-stretched arm. The weavile didn't stop grinning due to the attack. Instead, it quickly planted its feet and leapt at Dillan once more. He was astonished by its speed. So much so, that his mind slipped from the fight as the weavile clawed at Dillan's chest. He gave a cry of pain as the claws etched the top of his scales. Snapped back into the fight, Dillan slammed his foot into the weavile's ankle. The pokemon fell over onto its side, but jumped back onto its feet just as quickly as it went down.

"Woah..." Dillan was starting to worry for his own safety.

The weavile snarled aloud, lunging once more at the gabite. This time, Dillan noticed the weavile's claws were bathed in what looked like frost. _Ice punch!_ He recalled the burning cold Molan had forced upon him in their fight during "Armageddon". The gabite took a deep breath as he slammed the back of his foot on the ground. Stones flew up into the air, colliding with the bottom of the weavile. A shriek of agony could be heard as the pokemon flew down onto the ground and the stones hovered in front of Dillan.

He watched the weavile with worry. _That was close..._ Dillan slowly made his way to his feet, not taking a single eye off of the pokemon before him. It's only movement was its chest moving with each breath. Dillan ignored the flying stones and moved towards the pokemon.

He heard the pants coming from the creature at his feet. He slowly and nervously moved his foot towards the pokemon, tapping its body with his talon. It didn't make any attempt at attacking. _It's... not moving..._ He finally let himself relax. He looked back at the way he came. _So, now I have a feral pokemon... Time to go back._ Dillan looked back at the pokemon, then his claws. _Hm... I don't think I'll be able to carry it all the way there..._ He then looked back at the floating stones from before. Going back and forth from the stones and the weavile, Dillan had an idea.

* * *

As the stairs to the M. P. came into sight, Dillan wondered how he'd gotten the pokemon onto the stone, let alone if he'd have been able to do it again. He looked at the floating stone he had been pushing through the air, the weavile resting on top of it. Dillan's eyes went back towards the stairs. He noticed the charmeleon was sitting there, arms wrapped around her legs as she rested her head on her knees. She looked up at Dillan for a few seconds with a look of worry before going back to her original position.

"He's waiting for you," Hazel said half-heartedly.

"Hazel-" Dillan began.

"Just go," Hazel said. Dillan stood there, wondering why she was so mad. "Just go!" she shouted.

"Fine..." Dillan said. He began walking up the stairs, passed Hazel, towing the unconscious feral.

As Dillan passed out of earshot, Hazel buried her face between her knees. "Please don't be true..."

* * *

Dillan reached the top of the stairs with the weavile in-tow. He glanced back down at his charmeleon friend, waiting for her to come to her senses and join him. She seemed perfectly fine sulking at the bottom of the steps.

"Jolly good show!" Leslie's voice rang out from in front of Dillan. He shook his head profusely at Hazel's lack of co-operation before facing the small eevee.

"Alright," Dillan said. "Here's the feral. Now what do you know about the nidoqueen?"

"All in good time, my boy," Leslie said. He got behind the stone and began pushing it towards the table.

Dillan grimaced at his answer. "But you said-"

"I said my memory would be jogged once I complete my work," Leslie stated flatly. He grabbed the bottom of the rock and tipped it sideways, allowing the weavile to fall onto the floor. Dillan grimaced for the feral.

"Sir," Nancy began. "Do you want the sample?"

"Quite right," Leslie stated.

Nancy walked to the table and grabbed a flask.

"Leslie," Dillan said with an annoyed tone. "We had a deal-"

"One that I'm honoring, guildmember," Leslie finished calmly as Nancy walked next to him. He took the lip of the flask in his teeth and set it on the table. "I'll tell you what you want to know at the end of my studies. But for now, you need to be silent so that we may conduct our experiment and be out of this forsaken place."

Dillan looked down at the floor, thinking about what he should do next. _He did technically say he'd tell me after his research... But how long will that take? If he really_ does _know where Thalia is, then I should wait? But what if she leaves before I can find her? We would have wasted all this time for nothing..._

"Hey," Nancy said. Dillan looked up at the quilava with an annoyed glance. She looked away from Dillan as if she was feeling guilty. "W-we're almost done as it is. The Sir'll tell you about your friend in a little bit..." With that, Nancy walked away and back to the table.

He didn't know why, but Nancy's assurance comforted his worries, but why? Why is it that she comforted him? It didn't make mush sense in the grand scheme of things, seeing as she's with Leslie. But at the same time, she seemed nice. He couldn't help but trust her.

Leslie walked towards the unconscious weavile. "Nancy," he called. "The knife." _Knife?_

Almost immediately after Leslie's words, Nancy grabbed a small blade from the table. She quickly set it on the floor. Leslie set his teeth on the handle and lifted it above the weavile. Almost immediately, Dillan heard Hazel's words in his head. _"I'm not killing anyone for Ryan's sake!"_ _Is this what she meant?_

Leslie lifted the blade into the air, about to drop it on the pokemon. Dillan leapt to his feet and darted towards the pokemon. The blade dropped down as Dillan was inches away. He watched as if fell on the pokemon's hand. "Stop!" he shouted. Then, Dillan stopped himself.

Leslie took almost no note of Dillan's shouts as his knife cut into the tip of the weavile's claw, leaving a nub where it use to be.

"Only trimming the nail, Mr. Gabite," Leslie said. Nancy swooped in and took the claw into her paw. She immediately went up to the flask she had taken previously and looked inside. To Dillan's surprise, there was a white object not unlike the one Nancy was currently holding.

"Wait..." Dillan said confusedly. "What are you two doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Leslie asked as he walked over to the table. He began grabbing different vials filled with liquids and mixing them together over a fire in the desk. "Ms. Remington, Sample Four-Sixty-One, if you would." Nancy gave Leslie the vial in her paw to which he mixed it's contents with the concoction he had produced seconds ago, creating a black mixture.

"No..." Dillan answered, trying to think of what they could possibly want with the weavile's claw.

"Well," Nancy began as she set the weavile claw in an empty flask while Leslie mixed even more liquids in a new flask. "We're runnin' tests to prove our theory."

"Which is?" Dillan asked.

"We all know a mystery dungeon is constantly shifting, correct?" Leslie questioned. "Ms. Remington."

"What about it?" Dillan asked as Nancy gave Leslie the flask which contained the weavile's claw.

"Well, our theory is that the mystery dungeon changes on a molecular level." Leslie took a deep breath as he placed the weavile's claw into the potion in front of him. Dillan watched as the mixture changed into a murky, green liquid. Leslie smiled broadly as he jumped into the air. "Genius! It worked!"

"I'm still confused..." Dillan admitted.

"Look at this!" Leslie announced gleefully as he moved away from the green liquid which sat on the table, allowing Dillan to take a closer look.

"This proves that the chemical make-up changes when exposed!"

"Think of it this way," Leslie began. We're all made up of different elements, correct?"

"Yeah..." Dillan said. "And?"

"Everything on this planet is made up of elements and chemicals!" Nancy said joyfully.

"Even towns!" Leslie shouted. "Well, we came to Castellum Town to observe what may occur when those elements and chemicals are exposed to whatever is in a mystery dungeon. We wanted to see if they changed in any way."

"Which is why we used the dirt."

"Dirt?" Dillan asked.

"Quite," Leslie said. "You see, the dirt we used when you and your friend first got here was dirt found on sword fragments from the Ganderosan Civil War. That same dirt belonged to Castellum Town!"

"We also used dirt from outside!" Nancy said. "That was dirt found in the mystery dungeon!"

"You see, we would have used a different mystery dungeon had we acquired part of that place from before it changed. Since it's been hundreds of years, no such substance could be found. Yet since Castellum Town is a recent occurrence of a mystery dungeon, it had plenty of dirt and rubble preserved in museums/ Therefore, it became our primary testing ground!"

"And?" Dillan asked, urging the two to get to the point.

"The chemical make-up of the dirt was changed!" Nancy announced. "We found a mutation in the dirt!" Nancy grabbed two flasks from the table and showed them to Dillan. One flask was filled with the same green substance as before while the other one looked a murky, electric-blue.

"The mutation in the dirt caused the liquid in the flask to turn a murky green," Leslie said.

"That proves the mystery dungeon mutated the dirt!" Nancy stated.

"And just to be sure, we tested this same experiment on a multitude of exposed resources from mystery dungeons from across Ganderosa."

"So?" Dillan asked.

"This deserves more than a simple 'so', my good sir," Leslie stated.

"We needed to run a test on a livin' subject's DNA," Nancy said.

Dillan gave a sigh. He still had no clue what they were implying.

"Do we need to spell it out for you?" Leslie asked.

"Why not?" Dillan asked.

"The flasks speak for themselves!" Leslie shouted with joy as he motioned towards the remaining murky, green flask on the table.

"If the liquid turns green when a mutation is present," Nancy said, urging Dillan to realize the facts for himself. "And the feral's DNA turned green like the liquid," Then, it hit him.

"The ferals have a mutation in their DNA," he said with amazement.

"Bravo!" Leslie announced.

"How is that a good thing?" Dillan questioned.

Leslie looked at Dillan for a few seconds, saying nothing. Surprisingly, his joyful smile began to fade away into a frown of amazement. "How isn't it?!"

"We've begun to identify what causes pokemon to become feral!" Nancy shouted gleefully. "With this, we've taken the first steps to findin' out how to reverse the mutation!"

Dillan finally understood where this was going. "Then you can cure ferals!" he said.

"Precisely!" Leslie said. "It took you long enough to come to that simple conclusion. Then again, I am the Ganderosan leader in all things mystery dungeon."

"I mean, we can't necessarily cure it right away," Nancy said. "But we're a step closer than before runnin' into you."

"Which reminds me," Leslie began. "Since you've been oh-so-kind in co-operating with me, I'll tell you what I know about this nidoqueen you seem so intrigued in." Dillan looked at Leslie with happiness. He wasn't sure whether the little eevee would be able to sooth his worries, or if he was lying to him the whole time. Now, Leslie was about to give him what he'd been searching for: a lead.

Leslie cleared his throat before stating, "About a week ago, a nidoqueen with four compatriots came to Castellum Town. She barged in on our studies unannounced and ruined a previous version of the feral trap you stumbled upon."

"Do you know why they were here?" Dillan asked.

"Why, yes," Leslie stated. "When she arrived, all she could do was stare at that mural in the back of the room." Leslie pointed towards the mosaic art in the back wall. "She began to mutter to herself. Most of her words I couldn't make out for the life of me, but I did catch the occasional phrase belonging to the Ganderosan Prophecy."

"Sir," Nancy interrupted. "How does that have to do with where the nidoqueen is at the moment?"

"Hush, Ms. Remington," Leslie interrupted. "I was getting to that part." He cleared his throat once more and turned to Dillan. "Just then, one of her companions jumped in, talking about where they were meeting someone he referred to as 'the Master'. That nidoqueen gave me the sharpest glare in that moment, I was sure she was about to jump me. Just then, another one of her compatriots joined in, saying they had to stop at 'the island', as she put it. Before anyone could say more, the nidoqueen demanded for them all to stop speaking at once. Very strange, if you ask me. Then again, it had to mean something."

"The Island..." Dillan repeated, thinking about what that implied. He had no clue what that meant. Off the top of his head, the only islands he could think of were Jarondai and the Alkan Islands, but both of those seemed counter-productive to him, seeing as Thalia was last seen at the Alkan Islands. Jarondai felt like the least-likely place for fugitives to go, seeing as King Judah lives there. The security would be too tight for them to simply go in and out as a group. So where could they be? _I guess I'll need Hazel's map if I want to get any further..._

Just then, Dillan heard steps behind him. He looked back towards the stairs to catch a glimpse of a crimson horn descending.

"Your friend?" Nancy asked.

"Anyway," Leslie stated, completely going over Hazel's departure. "I've given you all I know. As of this moment, me and my companion can take our research and depart from this dreadful experience." The eevee swung around and began gathering up his vials, placing corks on top of each one; though that wasn't Dillan's main concern.

"Thank you for your help," Dillan said. The gabite turned around and darted down the stairs after Hazel.

* * *

"Hazel!" Dillan called as he reached the bottom. He found the charmeleon standing on the edge of the fog, staring into the abyss ahead. Dillan stopped behind her, though she didn't turn. "You heard them, right?"

"Yeah..." she said slowly. "I heard every word."

"And?" Dillan asked hopefully.

"And I think you took too big of a risk to get that information," she said flatly, still not facing him.

Dillan shook his head. "Too big of a risk? Where was the risk?"

"I saw you jump at Leslie when he pulled the knife," Hazel shouted. "You were worried he'd kill the feral, right?" The gabite said nothing. He just continued to stare at his friend, trying to wrap his head around how she wasn't as happy as he was to find something about Ryan's whereabouts. "You idiot!" she shouted.

Hazel whipped around and finally faced the gabite. Dillan was shocked to see her lip was quivering. One fist was rolled in a fist while the other was roughly gripping her flaring tail. Then, Dillan noticed her wide-eyes. Her eyebrows were lowered in a deep scowl while her pupils were dilated, as if she was frightened of something.

"What's gotten into you?" Dillan asked worriedly. "First, you agree this is a good idea: that finding Ryan is more important than helping anyone else. Now, you're mad at me for doing everything I can to find him."

"Everything should _not_ include handing over a feral to die!" Hazel roared. "You heard Leslie! ferals are regular pokemon with a mutation that affects their brain! Him and Nancy identified what it was that made them turn into monsters, which means there has to be a way to reverse the effects! That weavile could take back whatever life it owned before being in this place! You want to throw that chance away?"

"Leslie didn't kill it!" Dillan shouted.

"Well, he might have needed to, but you were willing to give that weavile away!"

"Like I knew if he was going to kill it!"

"Isn't that the issue, Dillan?" Hazel asked. Dillan didn't say a thing. He didn't understand what she was getting so angry about. "You had no idea what he would have done to that pokemon! You were willing to ignore consequences to get to Ryan!" He grimaced. _I thought about... I... I never considered it?_ "And do you want to know the funniest thing? Ryan did the same thing in Castellum Town with Bob! He didn't think about what he was doing, only what it would give him! And he almost killed the ditto when none of it was even his fault! The world around him threw the ditto into chaos, and Ryan would have ended any chance he had at getting a better life. And it was all for you! And don't you dare tell me that it was a different circumstance, because it's the same thing!"

"Hazel-" Dillan tried to say, realizing where he went wrong.

Hazel cut him off, shouting, "I don't want to hear it right now! Apologizing does no one any good, especially that weavile!"

Hazel was visibly seething with anger. She was breathing rapidly as she scowled at the gabite. Dillan felt all of her anger was justified. _I wouldn't have handed the weavile over if I knew it would die... but that doesn't excuse the fact that I should have gotten more information..._

"But why didn't you stop me?" Dillan asked.

"Because I _actually_ found out what Leslie wanted with the feral!" Hazel said sharply. "When I left, I went to make sure he wasn't going to kill it! When I found out he wasn't, I let you bring it to him so we could find out more on Ryan!"

Dillan said nothing. The two just stood there, staring at each other.

"Hazel-" Dillan began.

"No," Hazel said. "If you're just going to stand there feeling sorry for yourself, then I'm leaving." She turned around and began walking into the fog.

"Wait!" Dillan called out as he ran towards her. He slowed down next to her, matching her speed, before saying, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to Snow-Point Cave to find Ryan," she said sharply. "Come if you want or stay here." Hazel didn't face Dillan. He didn't get an angry stare, a huff of annoyance, or even a sharp glance. Somehow, it made the gabite feel even worse than before. Dillan began walking a little slower than she was and trailed her from behind, thinking.

 _I didn't realize... Why didn't I think about that?_ It seemed to him like such a simple thing to do, yet he glossed over it. Dillan internally kicked himself over and over again. _And for what? An extra lead? We already have one, but I wanted another one for back-up... How could I be so stupid!_

Dillan looked ahead at the charmeleon. She was still gripping her tail, looking at it as if it were some sort of growth. She seemed unable to take her eyes off of it, though Dillan had a guess as to why. He thought it was because of its flaring when she got angry. It was like some sort of emotional meter. _She's really mad at me... And all because I didn't think ahead...Dang it... What's wrong with me?_

As Dillan stared ahead, he found the fog surrounding him felt like his emotions. They clouded his judgement, and he knew it. _Fine... I can't take it back, but at least I have some more information on Ryan. I made a mistake, and I know that, but I can't let it go to waste. I won't let it go to waste._ Dillan took a deep breath. _Hazel, I don't know what's circling around in your head right now, but I promise you I won't compromise my morals for Ryan's sake... Never again..._

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys... Uh... Sorry about the wait... I feel pretty bad for falling behind all the time, that now it feels like some sort of self-fulfilling prophecy... Well, my internet went out on me... Again... It happened around the thirteenth (August for any future-people who are wondering), and as a result, I couldn't post it, but low and behold someone fixed it yesterday! I would have posted, but College is back in session, so I was really tired last night. Today's classes got in the way of posting until late in the after-noon, by which time I'd uploaded the chapter to fanfiction. But while I was checking the document for misspellings, THE INTERNET CRASHED AGAIN! Thankfully, it was only for my laptop. So, I got on a different PC and have completed the story! Anyways, enough excuses! Time to get to the reason I have this section!

(IMPORTANT!)

Hey dudes! I will no longer be following the 2-week-schedule. I decided to go hard-core with the college classes this semester, and have pretty much annihilated my free time... I'm not sure when I can really sit down and write... Now, don't be alarmed! I don't plan on taking month-long hiatuses just to post ONE chapter! I never liked how slow those are... Although, what this does mean is that I don't know when I'll be posting to the story. What this means (and I'm not urging you to do so) is that if you want to stay caught up, I suggest you follow the story. No pressure. In the end, it's completely your choice. Just wanted to let you know what's going on with me. I'll keep you all posted if this turns out to not be a big problem.

Shout-out to "Amoebic" and "VickyVipper12" for following the story! It makes me very glad to see you guys are liking the story! Also, I haven't done this in a while, but Shout-Out to all the unnamed guests who are also reading! We don't have over fifty followers, but we do have over fifty views to the story! So thank you guys so much for continuing to read the story!

Two more things before I end these "Author's Notes". "Shadows of Ganderosa"'s birthday is right around the corner, and I wanted to do something special for it. Anyways, I was thinking, why not write a comic for the first (maybe second) chapter to the story! I'm on the fence about this idea based on the fact that that's even more free-time taken up for is, but at the same time, I wanted to say "Thanks" to you guys in a special way, and this was all I could come up with. Anyways, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Last thing. I wanted to let you guys know that I'm beginning to post to my DeviantArt page with some of my characters! As of this moment, I have some art of Team Rapture, the cover of the story, and also a picture of the influential members in Team Armageddon! Here's a link if you want to check them out( popular-all-time/?section=&global=1&q=masterknight214)!

Anyways, that's all! Thanks for reading the chapter! I hope you guys liked it! I'll see you all in the next chapter!


	36. A Past Worth Knowing

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 36

A Past Worth Knowing

* * *

 _"Why do you persist, Wicker?"_ the voice demanded in Hazel's head. Everywhere the charmeleon looked, she saw darkness. All she could feel was the chill of whatever void she was trapped in. All she could hear were her own thoughts as well as the voice – which seemed to worry the charmeleon. She had no clue what was going on, but she knew it wasn't the first time she'd heard this voice.

And then there were the chills that continued to crawl up Hazel's spine like ants on a tree-trunk. Her entire body tingled from the ominous presence that terrified her more than anything she'd ever seen, hear, or felt in her life.

"Please, Jake!" Hazel shouted out of desperation. "I'm not who you think I am!" She slapped her paws to either side of her head in an attempt at shielding her head.

 _"You are the needle in my foot that I should have removed long ago!"_ the voice roared. _"I thought you would only be a minor issue that could be swept aside, but you have transformed into a knife in my side! Sadly, I can't kill you at the moment, but I can still drive you to insanity!"_

Hazel felt a surge of pressure in her head. The pain was indescribably awful. She began screaming for some hope of rescue from the shadows and fear that engulfed her every sense.

"Stop!" Hazel pleaded. "I-I'm not Wicker!"

 _"You share her blood!"_ Jake roared. _"You_ are _Wicker!"_

Another burst of pain rushed Hazel's mind. She gave another shriek of pain. Then, images flashed in her head: images of her father, images of that day. She saw her father's fearful gaze set upon her as he fell onto the soaked floor. She saw herself being carried away as she called out for a parent she'd never have again. She saw the dusknoir that wished her dead all those years ago. Hazel watched the ghost's single, glowing, red eye. Everything around the eye disappeared, leaving the glowing pupil. Hazel watched in horror as the eye split in half and morphed into a hate-filled pair of red, glowing eyes that stared into Hazel's fear and amplified it ten-fold.

"No!" Hazel screamed. "Please stop!"

 _"Stay out of things that do not concern you!"_ blared the voice.

* * *

Hazel bolted upright from the night-mare. Body soaked, the charmeleon took a hard gulp in an attempt to stop her panting. She looked around, seeing Dillan was sleeping on the other side of his make-shift burrow. She then looked over at the dirt walls to the burrow, then to the sloped exit.

 _Calm down, Hazel... Only another dream... Just take a deep breath and calm down..._ Hazel began breathing slowly as she tried to keep her mind off of her night mare. She closed her eyes and stared into the darkness. Then, she immediately opened them, afraid of some imaginary beast appearing from the blackness.

 _That name again... Wicker..._ Hazel pondered on that word. _Wicker... It has to mean something... Why does Jake keep calling me by that name? What does it mean?_ Hazel set her paw on the floor next to her tail. Then, her mind wandered to the flame that danced on the tip. _Dang it... It can't be true... There was no evidence that any one of them was changed to that level... Someone would have noticed something like that: told someone or written it down somewhere. I would have known about it... But maybe there's a middle-ground to it all... If that's true, then..._ Hazel shook her head quickly, trying to shake the doubts within her. _That won't happen. It can't happen. Dillan hasn't showed any signs of changing, yet... But why doesn't that reassure me?_

She sighed at her thoughts. The charmeleon grabbed her tail once more and stared at it. _Why isn't anything ever simple in this world? And why does it feel like the world it always attacking me and my friends?_

"Hey." Hazel looked up to find Dillan standing there, looking down at her worriedly. He gave a light smile towards her. "Are you alright?"

Hazel was about to answer him, but then she remembered how he had acted yesterday. Instead, she turned away from him, looking towards the wall. "What is it?" she asked coldly.

"Y-you just look worried, is all..." Dillan said, sounding ashamed, and he should. After practically giving a feral over to that dirty eevee without knowing the consequences, he should feel even worse, though Hazel didn't want it to get that far. She still had a friend in him, she just wanted him to know exactly how she felt about it all.

"I'm fine," Hazel said, still not meeting Dillan's gaze. "Let's move out. We're just about ready to hit Harrier Town, which means we're close to Snow-Point Cave."

"Hey," Dillan said. Hazel looked at him with a scowl. She noticed Dillan's guilty frown and his nervous gaze that was currently directed towards the ground. "I-I was wondering..." he stuttered with a nervous glance towards his charmeleon friend. "I need your map..."

"Why?" she asked out of curiosity. "We know exactly where we're going."

"I know that..." Dillan said. "I just wanted to... you know... look at it for a bit..."

"That's not really an answer," Hazel said.

"Uh... Well, Leslie said something about Thalia going to an island... so I wanted to look at the map to see all the islands... If you don't mind."

Hazel frowned. _Is he really that uncomfortable by how I'm treating him? Maybe..._ She mentally kicked herself. _No. As much as I hate this, I can't let it slide. It was too bad a move to be taken lightly._

Hazel reached onto the ground and grabbed the strap of her bag. Slinging the strap over her shoulder, she rummaged around for her map. She pulled out the aged, rolled-up piece of paper and handed it over to Dillan. "Just be careful with it. It's still an heirloom for my family."

Dillan gave a nervous smile as he brought his claws up, presenting them to Hazel. Hazel looked at them, realizing the problem. She felt a small bit of joy in seeing the gabite's issue: not from spite, but because this issue seemed to occur for him too often to be taken seriously. A slight smile escaped from the left side of her mouth as she set the map on the floor.

"Thanks," Dillan said sincerely. He got down on the ground and rolled out the map, looking over it.

Hazel's eyes set on the map, remembering what value it held for her. It was a special map, as she had told her team the first time it had come up: one that had the Ganderosan seal on the top, right corner. It was a war map used during the Ganderosan Civil War. Some places of today were missing, such as Lake Town in the Ferician Region, as well as Port Town in the Alkan. Some places that have long since been abandoned are still on the map, as well: places such as Poltress and Castellum Town, as well as a few others Hazel couldn't care to remember that had been decimated during the war.

She remembered when her father had given the map to her, saying it was an important treasure to their family passed down from her Great-Great-Grandfather who had died on the losing side. She had never heard any stories about him, only about her great ancestors who had explored Ganderosa. It was truly too bad, but at the same time, she didn't know if she would be able to listen to a story from her father after everything she'd been put through.

"Hey Hazel?" Dillan asked.

"Yeah?" Hazel asked, turning her focus away from her thoughts and onto Dillan.

"Where was Arlon sent after we caught him?"

"Giratina's Isle," Hazel answered. "There's a high-security prison on... the..." She stopped herself when she saw the look of fear and worry on Dillan's face. _He's afraid?_

"Thalia went to an island, right?" Dillan asked slowly.

Hazel shook her head quickly, wearing a nervous smile. "She wouldn't go there... It's suicide. Thalia would have been seen by the guards. Besides, Thalia would have been there weeks ago, meaning Garth wold have heard if Arlon had escaped. Garth would have told us something by now, right?"

"But where else would she go?" Dillan asked. "According to your map, there are only a few islands in Ganderosa: Jarondai, the Alkan Islands, and Giratina's Isle."

"I understand why she would avoid Jarondai, but why don't you think she went back to the Alkan Islands?"

"She came from there and stopped at Castellum Town," Dillan said. "Why would she double back? Giratina's Isle is the only place that makes sense. Arlon is her reason for going there."

The flame on Hazel's tail began flaring as worry filled her heart. _She couldn't have gone there! It just isn't possible... She'd be seen or something..._ "Hang on... Why are we trusting Leslie so blindly?"

The question seemed to take Dillan by surprise. He drew his head back from shock. "What?"

"Think about it," Hazel urged. "He could have told us anything he wanted, and we would have believed it because we're trying to rescue our friend, right? Why should we believe him?"

"He knew things about her that he wouldn't have unless she was actually there," Dillan stated. "He listed her friends, and he told us that Thalia was interested in the mural. She had to have been there!"

"Alright..." Hazel said as she tried to think of another reason for Leslie to have lied. "But why listen to Thalia? Wouldn't he have been too interested in his work? Why is it that he heard her and not Nancy?"

Dillan shook his head. "Why are you so sure that Thalia wouldn't break Arlon from jail?" he asked forcefully. His tail began to vibrate, and his arms began to shake. "Couldn't she have done it without anyone knowing? Couldn't she have killed everyone there? Then no one would be able to talk to the Guild! We wouldn't know if he's out! Arlon could be hurting pokemon for all we know! How can you be so sure that he's not hurting anyone?"

The air seemed to resonate Dillan's fear throughout the room. It hit Hazel hard, as if slamming her with an iron ball. She was speechless. _He's... He's terrified..._

"Are you going to say anything?" he shouted.

"You're really worried about Arlon..." Hazel said softly. She couldn't believe it, but had she truly realized the impact Arlon had had on her friend's mind? Was he truly that traumatized by the pokemon?

"Of course I am!" Dillan shouted, though he didn't look angry. The wide-eyed snarl he wore conveyed fear more than anything. "He's determined to hurt me in any way possible! He broke my ankle before anything I can remember, and he showed me my sister! On top of that, he tried to kill Bolt, and succeeded in murdering Koa! And now Thalia might have broken him out of prison! He could be hunting us right now, waiting to hurt me! Or even worse, he could kill you!"

"Dillan..." Hazel said softly.

"And you want to go on ignoring it?"

Hazel looked away from the gabite, ashamed for not realizing what Arlon had done to him: her of all pokemon. The moment she had found out King Judah may have been involved in her mother's death, she could hardly keep herself contained. Then when she thought "Armageddon" may have been set up to try to kill her, it almost tore her apart. She should have seen Dillan's feelings before he said anything: from the moment Arlon's escape became a possibility, however small.

She didn't believe he really _had_ escaped. Arlon was too sensitive of a topic at the Palando Guild for it to have gone unheard. Even if Garth had heard about the shiftree, he would have shown some sort of sign, like his signature tail-swishing. But he seemed too focused on other matters: all of which wouldn't have outweighed Arlon's escape. It just didn't seem possible that the shiftree would be away from Giratina's Isle.

"Dillan, I'm truly sorry," Hazel said softly. She then faced him. "But what do you want us to do?" Dillan's expression didn't seem to change. He didn't seem capable at the moment of anger or hate: only fear. "We're already so close to Snow-Point Cave; to another clue about Ryan's whereabouts. Giratina's Isle is in the opposite direction of where we need to go next. There's also the fact that there aren't any paths to the island by foot, which means traveling in the middle of nowhere until we come across a massive lake. From there, we swim to the island. Being exposed to water over a long period of time drains my energy. I wouldn't be able to reach the other side."

"But-" Dillan began.

"Let's say we _did_ happen to make it to the island. What then? The guards aren't suppose to let anyone in or out of the complex. We'd be stuck there, or arrested for trespassing. I'm sorry, but going there isn't an option."

"Then what are we suppose to do?" Dillan asked.

This wasn't going to end without some sort of solution, and Hazel knew it. Dillan was too afraid to let this go unanswered.

"Well..." Hazel said as she struggled to think of some answer. Then she thought of one. "Lawrence."

"Fericia's Guildmaster?" Dillan asked.

"If anyone would have heard about Arlon's escape, it's him," Hazel said. "We'll send him a letter in Harrier Town telling him about Arlon. We'll ask him what he knows. From there, We'll get a letter back telling us whether he's escaped or not."

"But how long will that take?" Dillan asked. "Days? Weeks?"

"Two days at the least," Hazel said. "But we'll make sure the letter gets to him as soon as possible: make sure they know it's urgent."

Dillan looked down at the floor, shutting his eyes. "What if he attacks us before then? What if-"

Hazel didn't let Dillan finish. She took hold of his arm and squeezed. He looked up at her. "We're a team, right?"

"Yeah..." Dillan said slowly.

"And teams trust each other, right?"

Dillan opened his mouth as if to say something, but hesitated. He then turned away from her.

Dillan whipped the tears from the corners of his eyes. "I just... don't want to see you die... Not like Grace..."

Hazel shook her head. "That won't happen. I trust you too much to think you'd let it."

"But I'm not that strong..." Dillan said.

"Yes, you are," Hazel assured. "You were the one who got us out of Poltress, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"And you were the one who got Leslie and Nancy out of the Shadowed Brush, right?"

"Well-"

"And you were the one who got me and Tom out of the Lantern Fields and away from Jake, right?"

"But-"

"Stop doubting yourself," Hazel said with a smile. "You've saved _me_ enough for me to count on you. Now it's your turn to trust me to-"

"But I do trust you," Dillan said. He looked Hazel directly in the eyes. She saw his honesty and loyalty towards her. She couldn't help but smile at the gabite.

"We'll figure it out," she assured. "And we'll find Thalia."

Dillan turned away from Hazel, thinking to himself before nodding. "Alright. We'll go through with your plan."

"Good to hear!" Hazel said enthusiastically. "Now, if that's settled, let's head out!"

"Agreed," Dillan said with a nod.

* * *

(Jarondai Territory: Castle Jarondai)

The darkness of the night sky accompanied by the massive cloud of smoke bellowing from Jarondai's volcano made it hard to see what was in front of her, though it didn't stop her. She continued to dart along the charred, dirt ground, not looking back: not at the volcano or her old home. It was too hard. How could she face him after this?

"Halt!" a voice commanded.

The girl stopped in place and turned towards the voice. She saw the Royal Guardsman standing tall and proud. His white, shaggy fur contrasting the green on his massive arms and feet. The massive, white eyebrows that rested above plum-colored eyes showed pride, as well as condescension.

The abomasnow looked down on the pokemon, eyeing her. Then, he realized exactly who he was talking to. Almost immediately, he dropped his cold gaze and replaced it with a nervous smile. "M-Ms. Arvaine!" he shouted with worry. "I didn't notice it was you!"

The little pokemon looked at the abomasnow with worry. _He doesn't know that I-... I can make this work..._

"Why do you stop me, guard?" the girl demanded.

"My apologies," the guard pleaded. "It's just that... It's dark out, and I didn't expect you to be out of bed on the grounds-"

"Is this not my home?" the girl shouted. "Am I not allowed to take a mid-night stroll?"

"Where did she go?!" a voice called out from the distance. "Where's Dianne Arvaine?!"

Dianne's spine shivered from fear. _They're coming..._

The abomasnow looked back towards the voice in the distance with curiosity. "They're looking for you?" he questioned. This was her chance.

Dianne sprung up on her back legs into the air and struck at the pokemon's chest with an uppercut to the back. The guardsman was thrown to the floor. Almost immediately after, while the pokemon was stunned by the sudden attack, Dianne felt her head become consumed with power as it became bathed in metal. She slammed her skull into the pokemon's back with an "Iron Head" attack. The abomasnow said nothing. He was simply out-cold.

 _I need to get out of here... I need to get away..._

"There she is!" a voice called out.

Dianne looked towards the voice to see a massive blast of purple light emerge. She jumped to the left, dodging the attack easily, just like her tutors had taught her. She then broke into a run once more, tearing through the courtyard to the gates.

She then felt a stinging sensation in her back. Dianne looked backwards to see a yellow pokemon with glowing, glassy, red bug-eyes was staring at her. It's arm was connected to what looked like a lance which was in the little Arvaine's back. She gave a cry as she felt the burning sensation spread across her body. Dianne whipped around, slamming her closed fist into the beedrill's face, driving it from her body. The pokemon spun in the air for a second before recovering and dashing towards her once more.

"Stay away from me!" Dianne shouted out of desperation. The beedrill dove towards her once more, this time with a glowing arm directed straight towards her. Dianne waited until the last second to move left and press her arm's scales against the lance, deflecting it away from her. She then whipped around, swinging her tail at the beedrill. The pokemon expected this, flying above her attack and jabbing once more. Dianne spun around the attack and deflected it once more, this time towards the ground. The beedrill's arm buried itself in the black, dirt of Jarondai, making an opening for Dianne. She focused on her chest where a purple light began to glow through her chest. She looked straight into the sky as she let the purple energy emerge into the air. It flew like a glowing canon ball before exploding mid-air. The explosion sent miniature orbs of energy towards the ground, pelting everything in sight.

The beedrill began pressing on the ground in an attempt at removing his lance-like arm. Futilely, he gave one final push before multiple, glowing spheres trailed by fire rained down from the sky straight onto the beedrill. It gave a shout of agony before fainting from the pain.

Dianne began panting from the energy that attack had taken from her. She felt the stinging in her back radiate pain throughout her body. _Poison... Not good..._

"Dianne, you can only run for so long," a proud voice echoed throughout the court-yard. It sounded full of contempt. "Eventually, the consequences of your actions will catch up to you."

Dianne didn't answer the pokemon. She wanted to just run up to him and feel his love for her: feel his comforting arms embrace her. Still, hat went every sense of logic and emotion she'd ever known. It was a trap. Her tutor had taught her enough to expect that much and more.

Traipsing across the castle grounds towards the gate, Dianne ignored her feelings of guilt: that this was her fault. She ignored the voice in her mind that told her, "He'd understand". It was all wrong: lying to her.

Dianne looked up at the massive walls ahead, seeing the gates. She cursed internally, seeing they were shut. _Why did you blindly hope for them to be open in the middle of the night?_

"Ms. Arvaine, stop!" a new voice demanded to her left. Dianne looked towards the voice, seeing a pokemon she wished she would never encounter tonight.

The pokemon's black stripes blended in with the night while it's white, underbelly revealed his position. Dianne looked at it's dulled-red scales which seemed to balance the black and white. The thin arms led to short, pointed nails. The plump nature of the pokemon's legs and body was enough to deceive anyone into thinking it was overweight, but Dianne knew better. All that fat was actually muscle. The black, marble-like eyes of the pokemon were surrounded by black scales, giving the pokemon a look as though it was wearing sunglasses. On top of that, the long snout of the pokemon was lined with teeth protruding onto the lower lip while it ended with flaring nostrils.

The pokemon scowled at Dianne. She knew she couldn't escape him. Maybe her father, but him? He was too big of a threat, known throughout the castle as "Commander", no matter his actual rank as the leader of the Royal Guard. No, there was no escape. It was all over.

* * *

(Alkan Territory: Snow-Point Mountain Range)

Hazel was still impressed with the view Dillan and she had been experiencing for the past few hours. Hills blanketed with grass curved up and down all around them. The sun was beginning its descent into the horizon next to the group of mountains which shot up right in front of her. Clouds bathed the tips of the mountain in clumps, forewarning the charmeleon of rain.

Most charmeleon would probably freak at the sight of the clouds. They would run for cover from the droplets of water, but not Hazel. She rather enjoyed the sound of the droplets colliding with the gravel path she walked and plant-life. She felt a cold breeze blow by as the rail descended from the sky She felt a slight prickling sensation with each drop that hit her scales, but it didn't bother her too much. Dillan, on the other hand, seemed annoyed with the situation.

"What's wrong?" Hazel asked cheerfully, forgetting all about her anger from this morning. "The cold?"

"I just don't want to get wet right now, is all..." Dillan said as he held his arms above his head, trying to shield himself with his fins. "We're close to the mountains, right? I'm not just imagining it?"

"You can see the entrance," Hazel said, pointing towards the mountain ahead. A tiny hole could be seen in the front leading deeper inside.

"Good," Dillan said with relief. He looked towards Hazel. "Wanna run?"

"Do I?" Hazel asked with enthusiasm, breaking into a sprint towards the cave. Dillan tore off after her.

As Hazel got closer to the cave's entrance, she realized something peculiar. The entrance had different colors behind in the shadows: colors of every sort. Getting even closer revealed that these colors were from crystals that were embedded in the walls of the cave. Hazel stopped at the entrance and looked inside with wonder at the splendor of all the colors.

"Amazing..." she said in awe.

Dillan tore past Hazel and into the cave. Almost immediately upon entering, he gave a sigh. "Good to be out of the rain..."

"Are you seeing this?" Hazel asked, nudging Dillan on the shoulders. She reached up onto the wall and took hold of one of the crystals. She tried to pull it out of the wall, using a bit of force. When she found it didn't come out so easily, Hazel put more muscle into it until she was using her entire body to pry the crystal from the wall to no avail. "Man they're really in there."

"I've been here..." he said slowly. Hazel looked at Dillan and saw his expression. It was one of worry.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Dillan's expression didn't change. He continued to look at the crystals littering the walls. He began to walk into the cave, no taking his eyes off of the walls.

"I don't think we should be here..." Dillan said.

"Why not?"

"My first memories are of this place..." Dillan turned towards Hazel. "This is where I met Kieth..."

"It is?" Hazel asked, worried about her friend. "Are you alright?"

"That's not why I'm worried..." Dillan said. "Garth told us Thalia was suppose to be here, right?"

Hazel clenched her jaw, thinking about what Dillan was getting at. "You don't think this is the Thalia's base, do you?"

"I don't know... But I hope it is, because that means this is where Ryan would be, right?"

"Yeah..." Hazel said worriedly. "But it also means we're walking into the heart of the bad-guys."

"That's-" Dillan stopped himself, quickly turning to face into the cave.

The two stood there in silence, Hazel waiting for Dillan to talk to her. "Dillan?" she asked.

Dillan's right fin began to glow blue and extended as he brought his arms up in a defensive stance. "Someone's coming this way," he said.

Hazel planted her feet, ready to blow a stream of fire down the cave if she needed to.

"How do you know?"

"My Miracle Sense."

That's when Hazel heard a small pitter-patter sound coming from down the cave. She focused on whatever was in the darkness.

"Get away from him!" a small, female voice called out from ahead. Hazel looked through the darkness as a small, mouse-like pokemon came racing towards them. Hazel recognized the pokemon as a mienfoo, but it looked a little smaller than the rest of its species. _Must be with the Enemy..._

Dillan dropped his guard, staring at the pokemon ahead. "Valery?"

"Feral freak!" the mienfoo shouted as she leaped into the air over Dillan. She dove straight towards Hazel. The charmeleon didn't hesitate. She felt the fire in her chest begin to swell up her throat until she shot out a stream of flames towards Valery.

"Detect!" Valery shouted. The mienfoo slapped her hands together and vanished into thin air. Hazel stopped the fire-stream out of shock. _Detect?! How is she so fast-_

A voice echoed from behind Hazel, shouting, "Fake-out!" Hazel felt the sides of her head being squished between two furry paws. Her ear-drums began to ring from the sudden pressure, and she let out a yell of pain. She then heard a muffled voice saying something along the lines of, "Fork Balm", and a burst of pressure could be felt on her back, forcing Hazel into the ground.

As the ringing stopped, Hazel got up swiftly. She looked at her opponent with frustration. _She's fast, I'll give her that... So how do I beat her?_

"Stop!" Dillan shouted. He ran past Hazel, putting himself in between the fighting.

"Get out of the way, Dillan!" Valery shouted.

"You know Dillan?" Hazel questioned.

"Of course I know him, feral!" Valery shouted. "I'm his guardian!"

"Feral?" Dillan questioned.

"Guardian?" Hazel asked.

Valery looked at Dillan, saying, "Why won't you ever let me help you?!"

"Help me from what?" Dillan asked. "My friend?"

"Friend?" the mienfoo questioned. She looked at Hazel for a few seconds, then Dillan. "She's your..." Trailing off, Valery looked at Hazel with shock. "Then... you're... you're Hazel?" The little mienfoo began to blush.

"And you're not one of the bad guys?" Hazel questioned.

"Do you see me?" Valery questioned, starting to calm down. "I'm not a feral."

"And you thought I was?" Hazel questioned.

"Well, yeah..." Valery said. She began holding her hands behind her back and moving her left foot back and forth as if nervous.

"Well, I'm not," Hazel said. She gave a sigh and turned to Dillan. "Who is she?"

"W-well," Dillan stuttered nervously. "You see... um... She's-"

"I'm Valery G," Valery announced. "The G stands for G... Gr..." Valery looked away nervously. "Gr... Gr... Gregarious!" the pokemon looked back at Hazel with a smile. "The G. stands for gregarious!"

"And how do you know Dillan?" Hazel questioned.

"W-well... um..." Valery stumbled. "I... um..."

"She saved his life," a new voice stated from the entrance of the cave.

Dillan jumped from the new voice while Hazel looked down the hall with curiosity. Valery, however, looked at the new-comer with joy.

"Trinity!" the mienfoo shouted. She tore away from Dillan and Hazel, tackling the new pokemon in a hug. Hazel was shocked to see the new-comer was someone she recognized. _Trinity Fitz..._

The hakamo-o looked at Hazel and Dillan with a neutral expression as she placed her right paw on Valery's back.

"You..." Dillan and Hazel said in unison.

"Yes, me," Fitz said.

"I missed you!" Valery shouted.

"Me too, child," Fitz said with a smile. She looked towards Dillan and said, "So they think you are the one from the prophecy. Which means..." The pokemon began to scowl at Dillan. "So you really _are_ the owner of the Sapphire Star."

"The prophecy?" Hazel asked. She turned towards Dillan, remembering what he had told her yesterday about that mural being tied to a prophecy, though the gabite never elaborated on that. She also remembered Thalia saying something about a prophecy when they had met, but she couldn't remember what about. Dillan, however, looked nervous about something.

"Right..." Dillan said. "Guess I didn't tell you about that, yet..."

"Does he want her to know?" Valery asked Fitz. The mienfoo began rubbing her left arm as if it was bothering her.

"I guess we are about to find out," Fitz said. She broke away from Valery and began walking towards Team Rapture. "'A great shadow will come and engulf the world. It will consume everything and replace it with hate and death. The world will be on the verge of collapsing. One pokemon will be the decider of the fate of everything. It will decide whether the world lives or falls. That single pokemon will form a team of four: the one who will see the future, the leader of an army, the deceiver, and the one who will bring an end to everything that exists.' That is the Ganderosan Prophecy." Fitz looked at Dillan, saying, "Someone very important thinks that _you_ are one of the four in that prophecy. Which one of the four is still uncertain."

"What?" Hazel asked. She noticed Fitz' brow-line raise at Hazel's remark.

"You know nothing about your friend's involvement?" Fitz questioned. She began to scowl at Dillan. "You involve her in your life as one in the prophecy, yet you will not share the dangers?"

"She isn't involved," Dillan said. "What do you mean by dan-"

"Are you this oblivious?" Fitz scolded, cutting Dillan's sentence short. "I cannot believe you would allow her to be your friend, yet not realize the dangers that entails. You think she is not involved in them? Take a look around. She is here with you. What if the Enemy were to come for you? Do you not think she would be in any danger?" Dillan looked absolutely horrified. His tail was twitching uncontrollably and his jaw hung in shock. Fitz scoffed. "I had higher hopes for our hero, but to find out it is someone who can hardly think of an obvious conclusion? On what universe did they think _you_ could keep track of one of the stones?"

"Trinity!" Valery protested.

Fitz looked towards Valery for a few seconds before reluctantly saying, "My apologies."

"It's kind of hard to keep track of it when a thief takes it from under your nose..." Dillan said quietly.

Fitz reared on Dillan in anger. "I am _not_ a thief!" she roared, her lower lip twitching with anger.

"Trin," Valery said as though she was warning her.

"What in Ganderosa are you talking about?" Hazel questioned, very confused about the situation. "Dillan is part of a prophecy?"

"Yeah," Fitz said with a hint of anger. "He's the-"

"Wait!" Valery and Dillan shouted in sync, both taking a step towards Trinity Fitz.

"What is it-" Fitz began, but stopped when she noticed the mienfoo cradling her arm.

"He'll hurt me, too..." Valery said worriedly.

Fitz gave a sigh and said, "I'm sorry." She turned to Dillan. "Why did you come to Snow-Point Cave?"

"We're searching for our friend," Dillan said quickly. "Thalia the nidoqueen took him."

"She's the blue one," Valery explained.

"I know Thalia," Fitz stated. "You think she's here?"

"We don't know what to think..." Hazel said halfheartedly, still wondering what exactly Dillan was involved in. "But can someone please explain to me what's happening?"

"Sorry, but no," Fitz said.

"Dillan?" Hazel pleaded.

Dillan looked at Hazel with shame. He gave a sigh and looked at Fitz and Valery. "Could you both give us a minute?"

"I cannot do that," Fitz said.

"Sure!" Valery said. She grabbed Fitz by the arm and began pulling her towards the cave's exit, though the hakamo-o didn't budge. "Come on Trinity!" Valery said, stressing each syllable. "Dillan wants some privacy, so we're gonna give it to him!"

Fitz looked down at Valery with a raised eyebrow. "But-"

"They won't do anything! I trust Dillan!"

Sighing, Fitz allowed herself to be led out of the cave, but not before saying, "Only for a minute. And do not go any deeper into the cave."

"We'll stay right here," Hazel said. Dillan waited for Fitz and Valery to leave the cave, and even then, he seemed to keep waiting. Hazel turned towards Dillan, waiting for him to say something.

"So... you know about the prophecy, now..." Dillan said.

"Yeah," Hazel said. "And?"

The cold, cave air around the charmeleon became stagnant with anticipation. Seconds felt like minutes as worries and doubts – such as whether she could completely trust Dillan while he kept something vital to himself – were about to be put to rest. She had no idea what was about to occur: what Dillan would do. Would he finally share his emotions? Would he finally trust her? Would he finally tell her what was on his mind? Would he finally be the exploration partner she wanted him to be?

The gabite gave a sigh. "I'm terrified... that you won't believe me even if I did tell you..." he said sadly.

Hazel didn't understand. _He doesn't trust me to believe him?_ "What makes you say that?"

Dillan's eyes focused on Hazel's. She saw so much through so little. It was as if Dillan was sharing his emotions through eye contact. But through all of the pain and worry, Hazel could tell one thing stood out above the others: fear.

"When you first asked me about my secret," the gabite began, "I told you I couldn't share it with you because a friend of mine would get hurt... but I don't think that's entirely true...

"The first time we came to Palando, I saw Arlon in the arena... When I told you and Ryan, you both thought he was in my head."

"Is that what this is about?" she questioned. She hadn't thought about that day in such a long time, not since it had ended. She had dismissed it for a reason she couldn't recall. Even now she was leaning more towards it being in his head, but it didn't seem like he shared her opinion on the matter. Even if she had a hart time believing it wasn't in his head, guilt began to course through her brain. _Is that why he doesn't trust me to believe him?_

"Well, you were both wrong," Dillan said. "Arlon had some winged... blue pokemon with... some sort of heart-shaped nose following me. It called itself Logan. I'm still not sure how he did it, but Logan forced me to see Arlon so I would suffer. He'd been doing it since that day, and he showed me Grace."

That made Hazel feel even worse. _It wasn't in his head..._ Her gaze fell from Dillan to the ground. A feeling of shame took hold of her heart. _I doubted him...when he was right... And here I am asking for the truth?_

"Dillan," Hazel said. "I'm so sorry..."

"The secret I've been keeping is even harder to believe than seeing Arlon without any evidence..." Hazel looked up at Dillan with shock: not from what he said but how he said it. She would have expected him to have contempt in his voice. Instead, she heard shame. "I hadn't told you yet because I assumed you wouldn't believe me..."

"You're not mad?" Hazel asked.

The gabite's eyes widened. "Mad? Why would I be..." He thought for a few seconds before stating, "No, I'm not mad. I'm more frustrated with myself."

"Why?" Hazel asked. She was starting to get confused with Dillan's attitude to the situation.

"I should have told you and Ryan," Dillan stated. "Fitz is right... I'm in the middle of something really bad, and you're right here with me. Being my friend is putting you at risk."

It felt like a dagger had been plunged into Hazel's heart. "I'm still confused," she said worriedly, hoping Dillan wasn't saying what she thought. "Do you want me to... stop being your friend?"

Dillan's lower lip twitched. "No! Not at all!" he blurted frantically. "It's just that..." He went back into a saddened state. "I think you should hear everything I have to say before you decide to keep being here for me...

"So..." The gabite gave a deep sigh. He looked Hazel directly in the eyes and said, "Hazel, I'm not a pokemon. I'm human."

"I'm sorry?" Hazel asked, even more confused than she'd ever felt before.

"I'm not a gabite," Dillan said, sounding completely sincere. It made Hazel even more confused.

"But you _obviously_ are!" Hazel said, expecting this fact to be blatantly obvious.

"Well... yeah..." Dillan said. "But at the same time, I'm not."

"You're not making any sense..." Hazel said.

"Let me explain."

* * *

Hazel stood there, listening intently for a long time. Dillan had told her about how when he got here, he'd felt as though he didn't belong: how nothing seemed familiar to him. He then went on to tell her about a dream he'd had with Jake. He'd told him that he was human and he was from somewhere else: another world entirely. There, he was a creature called a human, and so was his sister.

"I'm still not sure how," Dillan said. "But I was brought here to stop the Enemy as part of the prophecy Fitz told us. When we were in Frost-Island, Ignitus told me about the Enemy. Apparently, he was part of the Enemy's group. Ignitus said the Enemy's goal is to wipe out Ganderosa, but I'm not sure why."

"So you're not a gabite..." Hazel said slowly. Her head felt very light. She felt as though she needed to take a seat and process everything Dillan had told her, so she did.

"The Enemy is hunting me down because of what I am..." Dillan said.

"And that's the reason Thalia wanted you..." Hazel said.

"Ryan was taken because I'm human... which means your at risk, as well..."

"That's a lot to process..." She knew that was putting it lightly. Her entire perception of Dillan, a gabite she considered one of her closest friends – probably family – is a creature from another world called a "human" sent here to save Ganderosa from the Enemy. On top of it all, Dillan's role was based entirely off of some mural in Castellum Town which told of a prophecy. It was unbelievable.

"If you don't... want to b-be my friend anymore..." Hazel looked up at Dillan. She noticed tears in the corners of his eyes."If y-you think you'd be i-in too much danger, I'd understand-d." _He's serious about that?_

"Don't say that," Hazel told him. She jumped up onto her feet.

"Being my friend puts you i-in danger..." Dillan said. "I don't want to do that to you..."

"Snap out of it," Hazel said. She wrapped her arms around the gabite. "Why would I ever leave you over something like this?"

"You could d-die..."

"Dillan, before I met you and Ryan, I was dead. I had no friends to turn to: just my father and my grand-parents. I was all alone with my dying dreams and hopes. Then, I met you two, and my entire life changed. And it was for the better. Without you, I'd be alone again... And to me that's worse than dying." Hazel smiled. "Besides, you're like the brother I never had... I've lost a family once. I won't ever go through it again."

Hazel felt a prickling sensation on her arm as Dillan's breathing became unsteady. Hazel just stood there, being the emotional crutch Dillan needed, all the while thinking about what she'd just heard. _So you're not a pokemon... Come to think of it, that explains a lot of unanswered questions such as why you haven't recalled anything about Ganderosa while at the same time you've remembered things about your sister. At the same time, it's really hard to believe. But I'm going to trust you on this. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?_

* * *

The minutes that went by had felt to Dillan like hours. He felt so relieved at Hazel's words. She trusted him. All of that worry, all of that fear, and it was all for nothing. After he had gotten a hold on his emotions, Dillan broke away from Hazel and whipped his eyes with his claw.

"Thank Hazel," Dillan said. "I really needed someone I could trust."

"Of course," Hazel said.

"Alright," Fitz' voice called out from down the cavern, startling the gabite. He'd forgotten all about the hakamo-o. "Now that that is over with, I would like to get down to business."

Hazel looked annoyed at the Hakamo-o's intrusion. She looked at Fitz with a scowl, saying, "We're still talking over here."

"As heart-warming as it is, I still have a job to finish."

"That reminds me," Dillan began. "Why are you here?"

"I was getting to that, _hero_ ," Fitz said with an annoyed tone.

"And you seem to know Valery closely. How is that? I mean, you're a thief, right?"

Fitz' fist tightened into a ball at that remark. "I am _not_ a thief!"

"Then explain the Sapphire Star?" Hazel asked. She turned to Dillan as if hoping she got the name right. He nodded in acknowledgement.

"I didn't know it was so important," Fitz said. She sounded as though she was trying desperately to keep her tone on a civil level. "I thought it was just a trinket."

"That doesn't justify-"

"Can I _please_ get back to the topic?" Dillan remained silent, seeing no reason for her to stay on this road of conversation. " _Thank_ you.

"Now, you both said you were here for 'Queen Poison', right?" _Who?_

"Thalia," Valery corrected. Dillan looked behind Fitz to see the little mienfoo running down the cave to join the group.

Fitz didn't look back at the mienfoo, but continued. "What made you think she was here?"

"Our Guildleader," Dillan said. "He told us she was meeting with a group of nuzleaf on the road from here to Harrier Town, so we assumed they'd be coming here."

"Well, he was wrong," Fitz said. "There is nothing here but gems imbeded in the mountain-side."

"Nothing?" Hazel asked.

"Well, there _is_ the door!" Valery said.

"Valery," Fitz scolded.

"They won't tell anyone!" the mienfoo said defiantly. "And this is _Dillan_ for crying out loud!"

"That does not mean he is the-" Fitz stopped herself. She looked back at Dillan and Hazel. "The door is off-topic."

"What door?" Dillan questioned.

"The G-Gate, D!" Valery said with some sort of slang accent.

"Why don't you just show it to us?" Hazel asked as she smiled at Valery's comment.

"Great idea!" Valery announced. "Follow me!"

"Valery," Fitz scolded.

"What?" Valery questioned. "It won't hurt anything, Ms. 'I refuse to use contractions'. It probably won't open for them, anyways. Why not show them?"

 _Show us what? The door? And what door is she talking about?_

Fitz looked at the mienfoo for a few seconds, contemplating whether this was a good idea or not. "And you're sure your arm will not..."

"Positive," Valery said enthusiastically. She walked right passed Dillan and Hazel while waving her arm. "Come on! I'll show you."

"Alright..." Dillan said. He began walking forwards, following the mienfoo. Hazel shrugged and began walking as well. Fitz trailed behind the group.

* * *

During the time the group had been walking in the cave, Hazel had asked Valery about calling herself Dillan's Guardian.

"I just make sure he doesn't get himself killed," Valery explained.

"So Dillan," Hazel began. "How does it feel to have an eleven-year-old as a guardian?"

"She's not elev..." Dillan began, but trailed off when he noticed Valery nodding her head. "You are?!"

"I mean," Valery began with a smirk. "I know I look older, but." She motioned her hands through the air in a circular motion before resting her paws on her chest. She then looked at Hazel and said, "How did you guess?"

"I knew a guy from my hometown who was a mienfoo."

"Really? Well, where are you from?"

"Labensia Castle."

"No kidding."

Hazel tilted her head and looked at Valery with a smile. "Why do you say that? Were you from Labensia, too?"

"Cirlynd. It's on the coast of Fericia."

"The port town?"

"So that what they used the docks for."

Dillan looked backwards to see Fitz was trailing behind. She seemed to be smiling out of the corner of her mouth at Valery. Then, he started to wonder. Maybe that was what drove the gabite towards his next descicion. That had to be the only explanation. What other reason did he have?

Dillan fell back towards Fitz and walked next to her. The moment he did, Fitz started scowling, but she didn't face the gabite.

"So... Thalia isn't here?"

"We already went over this," Fitz said coldly, not turning to face the gabite.

"Well, that sucks..." Dillan said sadly. "We came here to find her hoping she'd lead us to our friend, but if she isn't here."

"I guess you have no reason to stay, do you?"

 _Wow... She's being really harsh..._ Dillan smiled at Fitz as he said, "Maybe we got off on the wrong foot."

"No, I think we have a reason for not liking each other."

"And what's your reason?"

Fitz stopped in her tracks and grabbed Dillan by the arm, forcefully stopping him. "Why are you trying to get along with me?" she asked sharply.

"I-I-" Dillan stuttered.

"You what? Spit it out!"

"I-it's just that you and Valery are friends, and she's a good pokemon... I just... assumed since me and Valery are good with each other... that we... could be, as well..."

Fitz smirked at Dillan. "Listen to me closely because I am only saying this once. I do not know you, and vice-versa. But from what I can tell, you are a stuttering coward who has been thrown into something that is beyond him. We are not friends, nor will we ever be, so just continue waking and I will leave your face intact. Are we clear?"

Dillan just stood there with a dumb-found expression. He felt as though Fitz was ready to kill him should he make the wrong move. So he said nothing. But... _Did she call me a coward?_

"This is what I am talking about," Fitz said as she shook her head. "Just leave me be and I will try not to kill you out of disgust." She let go of the gabite and walked on.

As Dillan looked at her back, he noticed a trail of blood making its way down her left arm accompanied by what looked like a scab which made its way down near her wrist, just like Valery. _But that means she's obviously working for the same pokemon Valery is. If she's on the same team, can't we get along?_

"Hey," Hazel said sharply towards Fitz. The hakamo-o turned towards her and glared. Hazel met the cold gaze with her own.

"What?" she asked. "Are you going to fight me? Is it not strange? The last time we met, was it not you who wanted to avoid a confrontation?"

"Trinity!" Valery scolded. She looked shocked by her friend's behavior. "Stop acting like an A-class jerk!"

"Well?" Fitz asked Hazel.

"If you want to fight us, then do it," Hazel said. "If you don't, then stop attacking Dillan."

Fitz exhaled sharply before saying, "You seem oddly familiar to me... I'm not sure why, but..." She shrugged and walked forwards once more. "Never mind. We are almost there."

"What did I ever do to you?" Dillan asked. Fitz stopped in her tracks. She began looking at Dillan in the corner of her eye. "Or is it even me?"

"You don't deserve to know about me, so be silent and continue walking." With that, the hakamo-o went onward, not looking back at the pokemon she left behind. "Better yet, just leave this place. You belong somewhere else."

"Trinity!" Valery called out. She gave a sigh and turned to team Rapture. "She's not like this, I promise. She's actually really nice." She turned back towards the cave and darted onward, calling, "Come on, Trin! Don't be like that!"

"Don't listen to that thief," Hazel said. "You aren't a coward."

"Yeah..." Dilan said. _Maybe not completely, but still..._ He turned to Hazel and said, "What are we doing here, Hazel?" Hazel opened her mouth as if to answer, but just stood there in silence. "We came here to find Ryan and Thalia, but they're obviously not here, so why are we following Valery?"

"They said something about a door..." Hazel said. "But I guess it doesn't truly matter, does it?"

"It isn't like it's going to tell us where Ryan is."

"Good point," Hazel said. She stood there for a few seconds before saying, "What now? We lost our lead..."

"Yeah..." Dillan began thinking about what to do next. "Well, we still have one."

"Right," Hazel nodded. "Seeing Lawrence would be a great idea!"

"Actually, why don't we head on to the Howling Plains? From there we could get the Sapphire Star, which could lead us to Ryan. If not, we still have Lawrence to send a message to Giratina's Isle."

"Great idea!" Hazel complimented. "So, wanna head out now? I mean, you said it yourself. There's no real reason to stay."

Dillan nodded. "It's a great idea." He looked back down the passageway. He felt Valery and Fitz walking out of his "Miracle Sense"'s range, after which they were gone. "And they're not stopping for us."

"Then let's go," Hazel said.

Dillan nodded. With that, they were off. He had no clue what lied ahead, but it didn't matter. Before, he would have been frightened for Hazel and his safety. But now, he felt as though a burden was lifted off of his shoulders. Not even Arlon's potential escape scared him. Why? Because he knew Team Rapture was stronger now than yesterday, and it gave him hope for the future.

* * *

(Kerroshia Region: Poltress Town)

Ryan got on all four, ready to fight the ghost-type pokemon, regardless of the potential collateral damage that encircled him. Isaac floated into the ground and out of Ryan's vision. The pachirisu grimaced. _Dang it..._

 _"I warned you about a confrontation,"_ the voice argued.

 _Well, I can't focus with you in my-_

Ryan's thoughts were cut abruptly by a set of knuckles digging into his chest that sent him spinning through the air. Ryan spread his arms and legs to get control of himself. It worked just long enough to see out of the corner of his eye as Isaac had come up from behind him with a shadowy fist pointed straight at his head. The pachirisu spun his tail and sent stars flying towards Isaac. Ryan was disturbed to see his stars pass through the dusknoir. _Uh-oh..._

 _"You're losing your touch, Mr. Simon,"_ the voice snapped.

Isaac's fist made contact, sending Ryan even further into the sky. The cold air rustled Ryan's fur as he did back-flips from the attack. He cursed internally at his rookie mistake. _Focus! Focus and kick his ghostly tail!_ Ryan's cheeks began to spark as he stretched his body out to stop his rotations. Thankfully, it worked. He had managed to stop his rotations in time to see Isaac's fist come at him again. This time, Ryan was ready. He felt the blue electricity arc out from his cheeks, making their way towards his opponent. Isaac was surrounded by the "thunder-bolt" attack, but he didn't stop. His fist once again collided with Ryan, sending him even further into the air. Ryan looked downwards and saw he was at least two stories off the ground, which was too high for someone of his size. _At this rate, I'll pancake!_ _Think of something, or it's all over!_

"This is your end!" Isaac shouted. His fist came at Ryan once more. _Only one thing to do..._ Ryan didn't make any attempt at stopping the attack. He watched through a grimacing face at the impending pain he was about to accept. A second before the fist made contact, Ryan slapped his paws onto it and held on for dear life. Unfortunately, it meant his entire body taking the force of the strike. He gave a shout of pain as the shadowy fist engulfed him. Even still, he didn't let go.

Isaac looked at Ryan with annoyance as the pachirisu sat on his fist. The dusknoir brought him his second hand and shoved it towards his opponent. Ryan saw the attack and – ignoring the dull bruise-like pain all over his body – jumped further up Isaac's arm. Isaac's attack made contact with his own fist. He gave a shout of pain as he drew his first fist back. He began shaking it, but that didn't stop the little pachirisu. He went up his arm and onto his face.

"This is _your_ end!" Ryan shouted. He rubbed his cheeks all over the dusknoir's face. Sparks emerged all over Isaac's body as he shouted in pain. His hand came up and grabbed Ryan. He tore the pachirisu from his face and looked him in the eyes.

"I won't be beaten this-" Isaac was cut off by another burst of electricity from Ryan. He shouted once more and lost some altitude. _It's working!_

 _"This fight was decided when you were forced into the sky, fool."_

Before Ryan could process what the voice told him, Isaac chucked him downwards towards the earth. The pachirisu viewed the dirt as the wind whizzed by his ears. He watched in horror as the ground below flew towards him like a freight train. If falling from two stories was bad, being thrown from one was catastrophic. All he had time for was to close his eyes and futilely brace himself for his own impending doom. That's when he felt two rough hands grab him by the back, interrupting the ground. The wind blew sideways as he came to a halt. Gasps erupted from around Ryan.

"Pathetic," a voice stated. Ryan opened his eyes and looked up, seeing himself in the blue arms of Thalia.

"Why..." Ryan stumbled in shock and fear. "Why are you..."

"I'm here because the Master doesn't trust you won't kill yourself in the attempt at solving such a menial task," Thalia said coldly. She dropped Ryan from her arms and he forcefully collided with her foot, then the sandy path.

Ryan stood up quickly and looked at a descending Isaac. The dusknoir was sparking, though he looked as though he was still able, and willing, to fight.

"Who are you?" Isaac asked with crossed arms.

"I'm giving you one way out of this alive,"Thalia stated. "I don't want to waste any more energy than I have to, but I will kill you if needed."

"Who are you to make demands of me?!" Isaac roared.

"I haven't made a demand, yet." Isaac's stomach lip twitched slightly at Thalia's comment.

"Go on," Isaac stated angrily.

"Get out of our way and let us deal with Spiritomb. If you don't, I will bury you."

"You're too pompous for my tastes, but Master Spiritomb shouldn't mind your sacrifice."

"Suit yourself," Thalia said coldly. She turned towards Ryan. "You've failed this match, so stay there and observe."

"This is my mission!" Ryan shouted.

"This became my mission when you accepted failure." Ryan wore an angry snarl as he stared at the nidoqueen. "Sit there."

Isaac's fist raced towards the back of Thalia's head. The nidoqueen quickly turned to face Isaac, her head bobbing out of the dusknoir's way. Almost immediately after he missed, Thalia's nails glowed purple. She jabbed Isaac's chest multiple times before her foot came up into his chest. Isaac doubled back from the assault. His sparking body turned a shade of purple. Thalia's horn began sparking as she jabbed her fist into his chest. Immediately after her jab, the dusknoir lit up like a Christmas tree from electricity. He gave a shout of pain as his fist came out and slammed into Thalia's side. She didn't seem fazed one bit by the attack. Instead, she raised her foot and slammed it into the earth. Ryan was shocked to feel vibrations in the ground. A house next to him collapsed, sending dust into the air. He watched as the statue in front of him split down the middle, revealing what looked like a hidden passageway. The ground began to crack from underneath the dusknoir. A massive ravine formed from right in front of Thalia. Isaac brought his arms to his chest and a force field formed.

"Protect won't save you!" Thalia shouted.

The ground split open from underneath Isaac. Thalia jabbed a fist at the shield and it dissipated. Isaac looked at Thalia with a wide eye as she slammed her wrists on his shoulders, throwing him into the hole below. Thalia brought her foot down once more and the earth shut on Isaac.

Ryan looked at the carnage caused by that singe move. "Earthquake..." he said in awe. In under a minute, Thalia had done exactly what she said she would: she buried him.

"Isaac?" a crowd member asked.

"He's dead," Thalia stated. Gasps echoed through the town.

"Liar!" someone shouted.

Thalia looked towards the crowd member with a scowl. "He was poisoned, paralyzed, and weakened from my attacks. He was too weak to shift through the ground, and he knew that. So he used protect. My attack forced his shield to go to waste, and I drove him into the ground. He's gone."

Ryan was speechless. He could only look at the small crack in the earth that use to be a ravine and think about the power Thalia had displayed.

"But he was our leader!" another ghost shouted. "How are we suppose to revive Spiritomb, now?!"

"Why do you think we're here?" Thalia stated. She turned away from the crowd and walked towards the statue. "Traitor."

That snapped Ryan out of his trance-like state. He got up and walked towards Thalia. The two pokemon reached the statue and stared down a flight of darkened, spiral stairs. The two began descending.

"You're concerned for the dusknoir?" Thalia questioned as she and Ryan were engulfed in the passageway's shadows.

"No," Ryan said flatly. "He's a murderer and a cult leader."

"But you still think he should have been left alive?"

"I never said that," Ryan snapped. "And stop interrogating me! This was _my_ mission to begin with, and I would have done everything in my power to complete it!"

"So, you're afraid of me," Thalia said.

"No-"

"Of course you are. You're afraid you'll be useless to our group. Therefore, you lose one more route towards closure."

"Stop saying that word!" Ryan shouted. His words echoed throughout the staircase. "Just say exactly what you mean!"

"Why would I do that?" Thalia questioned. "Why use a phrase when I can use a word that gives the same meaning?"

Ryan shook his head. "Fine. Whatever."

"But that's besides the point," Thalia said as she stopped on the stairs. "You're too weak to do anything other than you're original purpose. Why the Master trusted you with this mission is something I cannot understand, yet won't question. Although, I personally think that expecting you to do more is putting you at a greater risk, and we need you for the end-game."

"That's what you guys keep telling me," Ryan said sharply. "But wait! You don't really need me! There's one other person who can take my job!"

"True," Thalia said. "Although, I wouldn't worry about him for much longer. The Master's already put a plan in place to test his loyalties once and for all."

Ryan grimaced. He didn't like the sound of that one bit. _That settles it. My entire life is at risk... and it's all based on one test..._

"Think of it this way," Thalia said. "At least now your fears are justified. They're still holding you back from serving the Master, but justified."

"G-" Ryan was cut off as Thalia slammed her paw against his body and pushed on his neck as she pressed him against the wall. He couldn't breathe, but that wasn't his biggest concern. Thalia looked outraged at the pachirisu. Her curled lips formed a massive snarl as her wide-eyed hatred bled out of her through an unsteady breath and flaring nostrils.

"Don't let your tongue slip!" she roared. "The Master's name is not to be spoken for fear of spies! Speak the Master's name and he _will_ find another to fill your shoes, traitor! Do you understand?"

Ryan nodded his head as best he could what with the squishing of his throat accompanied by his oxygen-deprived lungs. Thalia drew back, letting Ryan fall on the step. Gasping for air, he looked up at Thalia with a scowl, though he felt very afraid. At this very moment, he realized more than ever that Thalia was not afraid to kill him, regardless of who's side he was on.

"Let's just... go," Ryan struggled to say. The bruise that began to form on his neck made talking difficult, let alone breathing.

"Don't forget that the Master needs you alive, but only because your usefulness outweighs your mistakes," Thalia warned. "If you force his hand with any more 'accidents' like this, I won't hesitate to end you." She gave one final glare before descending the stairs. Ryan slowly got to his feet and trailed behind. He didn't dare say anything more for fear of Thalia crushing him. At the same time, he couldn't stop worrying about being replaced. _If that happens, I'll lose everything! I can't let it... I won't let it!_

* * *

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Ryan noticed the familiar room at the end of the hallway. They entered the dimly-lit hall. Ryan looked over the empty stair-like, dirt seats across the stadium-like room that encircled the stage at the bottom. Stands with torches surrounded a stone that rested in the middle of the dirt stage. Details were hard to make out from this distance, so Ryan began descending the room with Thalia following closely behind.

When they reached the bottom, Ryan couldn't help but notice two wooden boards along the wall. He smiled at the boards remembering Hazel, Dillan, and his escape through the wall.

"Sentiments?" Thalia asked coldly.

Ryan scowled at the nidoqueen. "He saved my life that day," he stated.

"Yet now you're his enemy. Interesting."

"Focus on the mission, not me." Ryan turned away from Thalia. "And stop reading my thoughts!"

"Give me a reason to trust you won't turn," Thalia said.

Ryan ignored the comment and put his focus on the stone in front of him. "So this is Spiritomb?"

 _"Yes, Mr. Simon,"_ the voice stated from in Ryan's head.

"What do I do?"

 _"You will do nothing. Thalia has more than enough instructions on how to proceed."_

"Then why am I even here?" Ryan asked.

 _"A test, Mr. Simon. All my followers must be tested first-hand, including Thalia. You, however, have failed this test."_

"Then I'm fired?" he asked sharply.

 _"Of course not. I will find another task for you soon enough. As for now, you will be an observer to Thalia. Afterwards, she will be watching you. You work for her now. Anything she says, you follow through. Understood?"_

"Master," Thalia said with a bow. "I accept the responsibility, should it be your will."

 _"It is, Thalia."_

 _Great... Now Lizard-Lips is my commander?_

 _"Is that an issue?"_

"No..." Ryan said apprehensively. "Master..."

Thalia came up from her bow and scowled at Ryan. She then put her attention towards the stone. "Then let's begin."

She walked over to the torch and knocked it over onto the floor. Some red, glowing, hot coals spilled out onto the stage. She then walked over to the stone and began tracing her claw over the engraving. There as what looked like a crack running down the middle of the stone with two divots on either side.

"So how does this work?" Ryan questioned.

"You stand in silence and observe," Thalia stated as she turned the stone in her paws.

Ryan rolled his eyes. _Fine... Why I'm not trustworthy after nearly a month of this crap is beyond me..._

"Stop complaining about trust." Thalia said coldly. "You've done nothing yet to prove your loyalty, so stop expecting favors from me."

Ryan hated when Thalia read his mind. He had no idea how it was possible. Maybe it was through their Master. Maybe she had some sort of untapped ability. Whatever it was, he didn't care for it.

Thalia's left paw held the stone at the bottom while she stretched her right one towards the coals. Ryan was horrified to see Thalia pick a few coals out of the embers with her bare paw. She didn't grimace, but merely set two coals into both of the divots, giving the stone glowing eyes of fire. Thalia set the stone on the floor. She then set five coals around the rock and walked back to Ryan.

Thalia stood up straight and looked down at the stone. She stretched her arms out and opened her palms, allowing Ryan to see the charred scales of her hand. Thalia closed her eyes and muttered, "The Master took you from this world in a time that has long since passed. Since then, you have been deprived of heat and light. May the coals in your eyes serve as a dim beacon of hope in your time of need to guide you back to this world. Spiritomb, the Master beckons your return. Awaken from your slumber to serve the Master's purposes once more."

The stone on the floor sat there, motionless. Ryan stared at it for a few seconds, expecting something to happen at any moment. Then, it did. The red-hot coals in the stone's divots seemed to crack. Then, they shattered into one-thousand embers. The embers seemed to disperse into the stone's divots and trail themselves along the crack. The embers around the stone began to glow a brighter shade of red. Then, they turned purple. Ryan watched in amazement as the stones rose into the air above the stone. They began to spin, leaving a small, purple trail of light. The air itself became stagnant and dry.

Ryan felt a shudder run down his neck. He didn't know where this was going, but it looked very bad. He took a step back to feel safe: to remind himself that he still had the option of running. _No! Running would mean quitting, and that's not going to help me with Thalia..._ He watched as the stones spun faster and faster. They turned upright in the air, creating a ring of purple light. A gust seemed to pick up from out of nowhere, blowing Ryan around due to his lack of weight. Nevertheless, he held his ground. The second torch and its stand fell over from the wind. The flame went out and the embers stopped glowing. The only source of light left was the purple ring. Then, even that went out. It left them in complete darkness.

Ryan sat there, stationary. His rapid heart-beat was drowned out his unsteady breath. He knew that normally he felt invigorated to fight. It gave him a sense of comfort to know that he could protect himself. In this circumstance, there would be no fight. It would be a slaughter house, and he would be the animal.

"They said I was crazy to side with him," a deep, unsteady voice echoed throughout the dark chamber. Ryan turned around, trying to find the source of the voice, but it sounded as though it was on all sides. "They said I should have been afraid of him: that I should have abandoned Poltress Town when I had the chance!"

A grinding sound came from behind Ryan. He whipped around to face the source, but was blinded by the darkness.

"They said I shouldn't have trusted you, Thalia!" the voice roared.

"Hello, old friend," Thalia stated.

"Friend?!" the voice roared. "You call me friend, yet I've been wandering around in that stone for so long, I've lost track! And who's fault is that?!"

"Be calm," Thalia said.

"Calm?! You want me to be calm?!"

"Akuji, calm down," Thalia demanded. "Now."

"You can't order me around anymore!" the voice, Akuji, shouted angrily.

Ryan saw a small purple circle appear out of nowhere. The circle began to grow in diameter very rapidly in front of him. Ryan watched as the circle grew three times his size. Yellow globs surrounded in green appeared on the surface of the purple disk. Ryan watched as a green, zig-zagged mouth appeared on the disk. It smiled maliciously at Ryan. Two half-crescent, green eyes appeared. One had a twitching swirl inside of it as if that was the pokemon's pupil. It unnerved Ryan greatly to see this creature in front of him. He wanted to run. Something about this creature terrified him just as much as the Master did.

"I'll kill you first!" Akuji's voice rang out from the disk. Each word felt like a knife being dragged through Ryan's courage.

"Akuji, the Master wants you to return," Thalia announced.

The purple disk stopped growing. It stared at Ryan, eyeing him for a few seconds before turning to the left. "What the h-"

"Stop your foolishness," Thalia said.

"Foolishness?" Akuji asked. "Foolishness?!" The room grew in brightness, leaving the dimly-lit room they had been in. Thalia was scowling at the spiritomb as he drew closer to her. "I spent so many years in that stone! I don't even know what happened to the Great War! And it's all the Master's fault! You seriously think I'd consider joining that lunatic?!" He looked left and said, "Oh, what do _you_ know?! . . . Well, that's just great! Why don't _you_ come out here and tell _him_ that!" _Is he... talking to himself?_ Ryan didn't know whether to feel better about that, or freaked out.

"You seem to be forgetting who put you in that stone, Akuji," Thalia said.

Akuji stared at Thalia with utter frustration. "Team Rebirth assaulted my home and killed my citizens! How do you expect me to forget that?! I was sealed in that damned stone for years because of the very master I served!"

"And he can put you back," Thalia said flatly.

"I-" Akuji stopped himself. He turned away from Thalia and looked at the ground. "What do you want? . . . But- . . . But what if he- . . . Yes, I get that, but-"

Ryan wanted to know what they were talking about. _Thalia called him friend, but the Master said he'd been locked up in that stone since Ganderosa's Civil War. How is it possible that Thalia knew him long enough for them to be friends? She would have to be nearly one-hundred to have been born in that time period!_ He was about to speak up when he was interrupted.

 _"If you wish to know more, prove your loyalty."_

 _How am I suppose to do that with Thalia hanging over my neck? She was here today in the blink of an eye, so she was watching me the whole time!_

 _"Having Thalia as a back-up plan in case you fail is logical. You will have chances to prove yourself under Thalia's supervision."_

Ryan gave an internal groan. As much as he hated it, he had no other options. _Fine..._

"But she's a witch!" Akuji said aloud. He paused for a few seconds before cursing loudly. He turned to Thalia and said, " _They_ discussed it and say it is in my best interest to work with the Master once more!"

"And what do you say?" Thalia questioned.

"I say screw you, lady!" Akuji shouted. "But I agree with them, so let's go meet the Master!"

Thalia smiled lightly. "It isn't that easy, Akuji. First, he has a mission for you involving someone who has been in our way for some time now."

"And what about it?" Akuji asked.

"The Master wants you to complete the task."

"And that is?"

"Kill a few pokemon for him. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Hold on a minute," Ryan cut in. Akuji and Thalia faced him, both wearing annoyed expressions, but Ryan didn't care. "So you're spiritomb, correct?" he asked Akuji.

"Who's this runt?" Akuji asked. Ryan felt his anger rise in his chest. He would have retaliated if he didn't fear what Thalia may do to him.

"This is Ryan Simon, the Master's latest pet project," Thalia said with disgust.

"Orange or blue?" Akuji asked.

"What?" Ryan asked with shock at how stupid the question sounded.

"That isn't your mission," Thalia said. "You need to find and kill some pokemon, remember?"

Akuji sat there for a few seconds before saying, "Yes, I hear her! . . . It's not like that! . . . Oh, not you, too! Get a hold of yourselves! . . . I'd rather kill her, but that isn't an option! . . . Yes! Ignoring her _is_ the best choice of action, but-"

"Akuji!" Thalia snapped.

"What?" Akuji shouted. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"The Master's mission," Thalia said.

"Whatever," Akuji said. "Just tell me who I have to end, and I'll do it!"

"Team Armageddon," Thalia said.

Ryan grimaced. He hadn't heard that name since he was with the Guild. "What?!" he shouted worriedly.

Akuji looked at Ryan with a raised eyebrow. "What's wrong with him? And no, I don't think it's poke-pocks!"

"He's sentimental," Thalia said. She turned towards Akuji and said, "Just ignore him and focus."

"Fine," Akuji agreed.

Ryan felt like tearing himself apart. Here he was trying to earn trust while these two were shutting him out.

 _"Calm yourself,"_ the Master said.

"So, who's Team Armageddon?" Akuji questioned.

"A problem that has gone unsolved for far too long. The Guild managed to destroy most of them, but there are still a few stragglers."

"Just give me their names, species, and where they were last seen, and I'll be off!"

"Peterson the Plusle, Titus the Black Charizard, Molan the Greninja, and Ignitus the Infernape. Each of them must be eliminated by next week. Understood?"

"Screw you!" Akuji shouted. He faded into the floor and was gone. Thalia looked away from the spot where Akuji was and walked towards the exit of the room.

"So I'm assuming he's not with us," Ryan said.

"What did I tell you when you came back to Team Rebirth?" Thalia questioned. Ryan stood there, motionless. He moved his paw to his barren arm. He looked down at where his purple buff use to be. "I told you to cut your sentiments."

"I remember," Ryan said coldly.

"Then why are you still dwelling on what happened to your enemies?" Ryan didn't have an answer for her. "That's why you panicked at the mention of Team Armageddon, correct?" He still had no answer. He felt the anger and hatred for the nidoqueen rise in his chest. His paw began to shake, and his heart was racing at a million miles an hour. Thalia looked at him. Her lip was curled and her eyes were narrowed angrily on his body. "You're disgusting. Why you aren't just replaced is beyond me."

Ryan had no way to hold back. All the anger, all the work, all he'd given up... he recalled the hopeless feelings he'd felt when he was with his family. He remembered wanting to escape his feelings. He remembered the same feelings coming back to him right before he left Adelina the first time. They were the same feelings he'd been trying to avoid when he rejoined Team Rebirth. All his doubts and worried overwhelmed him. The only thing Ryan could think about in that moment was his brother Luke.

Ryan barreled towards the nidoqueen. He shouted in rage at Thalia. He spun on his heels, swishing his tail as stars flew forwards. After his spin, before the stars could reach Thalia, he lunged at her, teeth bared. Thalia didn't look away from the attack. She just looked straight at Ryan. Thalia moved around the stars at the last second. Her paw came out and spun. It collided with Ryan's cheek, throwing him left into the stands. He slammed into the dirt and bounced. Hitting the edge of another step, he came to a stop. Thalia looked at the stars that were still intent on attacking her. She took the full-force of the attack, unfazed by the move. Then, she walked up to Ryan.

He felt too weak to fight her. The damage he'd sustained fighting Isaac came back to haunt him in this latest fight. Ryan's vision started going dark.

Thalia knelt down next to Ryan, scowling at him. "The Master wants you alive and intact, so this is all I am allowed to do. But don't take that to mean I will not do whatever I can to make you submit to me. You're my pupil now, and you follow whatever I say. Do we have an understanding?"

Ryan shut his eyes. He didn't care what would happen to him if he didn't talk. Instead of going along with Thalia's words, he listened to her thumping feet as they grew quieter and quieter. Maybe it was exhaustion that prevented him from hearing Thalia's steps. All he knew was his consciousness was slipping away. The last thing that went through his mind was his brother Luke's face, accompanied by the feeling he'd been trying to avoid this entire time: hopelessness.

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys! MasterKnight2142 here!

I'm gonna be honest with you guys, I was (and still am) really worried about this chapter due to the massive amount of exposition. Didn't know how to cut it out or make it shorter without removing something from the chapter, so there you go!

I'm gonna start trying to keep this section brief for the sake of not wasting anyone's time, so here you go! :D

Shout-out to "Amoebic", "prof2", "X007", and "atthaphanhinrunyapuck" for favoriting/following the storY! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

Anyways, thanks for reading! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!


	37. The Keeper's Prison

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 37

A Keeper's Prison

* * *

Hey guys! Just a quick little "Author's Note" here before you get started. I'm going to shout out five names at you guys at one point of the story, and it'll be your job to remember it. "Now that sounds rough", you might say. Well, to make it easier on you, I have the names printed at the bottom of the chapter in the "Author's Notes" section and who they are in "the council" (you'll understand later). When the time comes, you can do one of the following: 1. Remember their names (not sure how you'd do this, but go nuts). 2. Jot them down on a piece of paper. 3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page at the "Author's Notes" section and read from that. 4. Take a screenshot and make that work (for laptop users, screenshots are the PrtSc (or Print Screen) button). 5. Don't even bother and move on (whatever works for you).

Why am I doing this to you? Why have so many names? Copious amounts of description and dialogue take you out of the moment. I'm not going to say "the middle-right" several times when you can just have a list (or use the one provided for you). I'll make it your choice on how to remember the names, or to even remember at all.

Thanks! On to the chapter!

* * *

As she basked in the silence of her hollow, she allowed her back to rest on the dirt floor. She lied there, relaxing for what little time she had left until someone walked into her cavern-like burrow in the ground to call on her for some random task. _Trinity Fitz... Did you consider the crystal you held a mere trinket to be sold? Or did you know what it was? Was it a test for the wielder of this burden?_

She grabbed the string around her neck and held it upwards, bringing the four-pronged, blue star into her own visibility. She knew exactly what this crystal meant to some. _A mere gemstone to be sold or held with all its splendor. A weapon of mass destruction to be weld by only the most hardened of creatures... Is that what this crystal means?_ What did this crystal mean to _her_? She pondered the question, not truly knowing an answer. _A friend to some, an enemy to others... Overall, a burden. But... what to do with it?_

"Mistress," a pokemon called through the darkness.

Lily gave a sigh to the voice. "Is it time, Lauren?" she asked.

"No, Mistress," the mid-day lycanroc responded. "Though I wish it was that simple."

Lily looked towards the Sapphire Star. _And what do you have to say, hm? Do you know if he is here?_ The crystal shone brightly, piercing the darkness and shinning blue light on the brown walls of her hollow. Lily closed her eyes and gave a smirk: not one of joy, but of anticipation. "I have been patiently awaiting his arrival."

"I have as well, Mistress. It should be a glorious day."

"Perhaps," Lily said. "Then again," She let the crystal fall onto her chest. "I guess it all depends on what is in store."

* * *

As Dillan and Hazel made their way over the last hill, they found themselves overlooking over a massive expanse of grassy plains as far as the eye could see. Dillan was happy to be back at the Howling Plains. Sure, he and Ryan almost died here, but this place was where he was first shown an ounce of kindness in Ganderosa.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Hazel asked with a grin.

Dillan continued smiling at the horizon. "It's just been so long since I've been here... It almost feels... nostalgic... and I don't really know why."

"Finally excited to see Lily, again?"

"I gave you that answer two days ago," Dillan said.

"And you haven't changed your mind since?"

He thought about the question. _Probably... But I'll let you wonder._

"I for one am excited to meet her," Hazel stated. "Getting to know the pokemon who brought me my teammates should be fun."

"I guess you're right." Dillan smiled. He recalled the last time he'd met the midnight lycanroc. He remembered the fear in his chest from when her red eyes pierced the darkness. He remembered not backing down for Ryan's sake. _My first time being brave..._ "How long has it been?"

"Good question," Hazel said. She looked to the sky as she thought about an answer. "Maybe... a month and one-half? Two months? Maybe even longer..."

"Then, too long," Dillan said. "I probably should have come sooner to thank her."

"Why didn't you?" Hazel questioned.

Dillan shrugged. "Too far north? Not enough time to come back down here?"

"Well, you're here now, and that's what counts."

"Yeah," Dillan said. "But it's different. We're here to help Ryan."

"True, but we can still mingle, right?"

Smiling, Dillan continued to look out on the horizon. He noticed something strange about the land ahead. It happened for only for a second, but he could have sworn the sky morphed and blurred ahead as if it was distorted.

"What... was that?" Dillan thought aloud.

"The Mystery Dungeon," Hazel said. "Howling Plains is _actually_ one big Mystery Dungeon."

"Guess me and Ryan must have missed it when we were here, last."

"Well, come on! We're almost there!" With that, Hazel tapped Dillan's arm and ran off. He watched Hazel for a few seconds before running after her. _Alright, Sapphire Star. I'm coming for-_

Not even ten seconds went by before Dillan felt his ankle snag on an object. He fell forwards onto his stomach and started rolling, bumping on his back-fin as if it was some sort of wedge that he couldn't help but hit. It felt as though it was bending under his weight with every pass of his body. Then, he finally hit the bottom of the hill.

He felt very dizzy, indeed. The entire world above him was spinning, and his head ached; not to mention his fin which felt like it was on fire.

"What happened?" Hazel asked dizzily. She attempted to stand, but fell over within seconds.

"It's him!" a voice stated from above the gabite. He slammed the side of his head to get control of his vision.

"How can you be sure?" another voice asked. "Last time he was with a small one."

"What does it matter?" a new voice asked. It sounded gruff and stern. "Even if he _is_ the one she speaks of, we never accepted him here! He's an intruder!"

"This again?" a feminine voice asked. "The council has spoken on this matter! The Paladin seeks to heal all wounds of our tribe through the crystal!"

Dillan's vision finally stabilized, to which he began sitting up. He looked around to find a group of pokemon were talking. They were all pokemon he recognized: lycanroc, though half of them were red while the other half were brown. _Did we trip?_

"Excuse me," Hazel called out. Dillan found the charmeleon was sitting next to him, also on the ground. The lycanroc all turned to face Hazel.

"And what of her?" the gruff voice asked. Dillan found it belonged to a midnight lycanroc who's fur was matted and face was wrinkled. "Even if the council agrees to allow the Paladin, she has no business being here."

"You're with Lily, right?" Hazel questioned cautiously.

Dillan was on-edge about this situation. _Something's wrong... They're acting weird._

"I have an idea," a midday lycanroc stated. It pounced through the air quickly straight at Hazel. Dillan watched in horror as the lycanroc slammed the stones which rested around its neck against Hazel's head. She fell to the floor, rendered unconscious. Dillan grimaced. _They're not being friendly!_

"Daniel!" a lycanroc shouted.

Dillan leaped up onto his feet and focused on his fin. It extended and began to glow blue. He charged the lycanroc, ready to fight. That's when he felt a surge of pain originating from the back of his head. It lasted seconds before subsiding, along with his vision. Dillan fell over onto his side and blacked out.

* * *

The cold air around him was stagnant and dry. Awakening, Dillan got up into a sitting position. His head ached with a dull pain, probably from the blow he had received. The gabite looked around at his surroundings.

The walls around him were all brown with dirt, and so was the ceiling and floor. _Some sort of... cave?_ He found a lone opening in the wall which led deeper into whatever hole he was in. Finding he could use his miracle sense, Dillan sensed a small passageway beyond the room which led upwards to the surface. He also sensed a quadrupedal pokemon was sitting outside of his room.

The one thing that scared him most was the fact that Hazel was nowhere to be was very confused. _Am I a prisoner? Or am I a guest? What is going on?_

"H... hello?" Dillan said hesitantly. He sensed the pokemon ahead stand on its legs and move into his sight. It was a lycanroc. Dillan scowled at the pokemon, unsure of whether this pokemon was a friend or foe.

"Hello, Mr. Gabite!" the lycanroc greeted cheerfully. "It's nice to see you again, my friend."

"Do I know you?" Dillan asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Of course!" the lycanroc stated. "I'm Kate! I helped you and your pachirisu friend travel to Fericia Castle."

"Okay..." Dillan said. He was still unsure of what to believe. "What's going on? Where am I? Where's my friend?"

"You're safe," Kate assured. "Although, that is all I'm allowed to share."

"You can't tell me where I am?" he asked.

"You're in my tribe's home," a rough voice stated.

Dillan looked passed Kate and found a midnight lycanroc walking towards him. He couldn't tell by looks alone, but the voice sounded oddly familiar. The defining factor was a gemstone which rested below the lycanroc's neck.

His heart seemed to stop with time itself. Dillan's eyes continued to rest on the Sapphire Star. He felt some primal urge within him to run up towards Lily and take the crystal. Seeing it made him wish to run his claw over the top. He wished to feel its weight around his neck. He wanted- _No!_ Dillan scolded internally. _You're letting your mind wander. You need to focus on what's going on._ Even when he told himself this, a sort of drive continued to linger in his mind: a drive to own the Sapphire Star once more.

Lily scowled at Dillan. "Hello, gabite," she said, though it shocked Dillan to find she sounded cold towards him. "I would say it's good to see you, but I'm honestly unsure."

"Where's my friend?" he asked.

"The charmeleon?" Lily questioned. Dillan nodded. "She is safe, I assure you. Currently, she is being interrogated as a spy."

"Spy?" Dillan questioned. "What are you talking about? She's my friend!"

"As much as I'd like to believe you, I find myself in a difficult position you've put me in."

Dillan was even more confused than before. "What position?"

Lily stood there for a few seconds, scowling at the gabite. He had no idea why she seemed resentful towards him. What did he do? Why was he attacked?

"Lily," Dillan urged. "What's going on? What's this about?"

"Kate," Lily said with an authoritative tone. "You are no longer needed."

The mid-day lycanroc looked at Lily with shock. "But Mistress-" she began.

"I will be taking up the gabite's supervision. Understood?"

Kate quickly bowed and said, "If that is truly your wish." The lycanroc then turned away and exited the burrow.

Lily looked Dillan in the eyes. "Who do you think I am?"

Dillan tilted his head. "What?"

"Do you think I am a fool?" she asked. "Do you think I am a tool?"

Dillan was taken aback by the questions. "N-no!" he stuttered. "That's not it!"

"Then who am I?"

Dillan had no clue how to answer the question. There were some answers that popped into his head, such as "A friend", but that was insincere. He didn't truly feel that way about her.

"So, you don't know?" Lily questioned. Dillan shook his head. The lycanroc out-stretched her hand towards the gabite. "Would you like to learn?"

"Will it tell me why I'm here?"

"My hope is that you will learn that for yourself," Lily said. She motioned her head down towards her paw.

Dillan thought about his options. _Hazel's being interrogated for some reason, and I'm here in this burrow. Kate was obviously suppose to watch me, which means they don't trust me... but I'm not a captive... If I refuse Lily,'s offer, I'll probably be stuck down here. If I accept... I'll find out more about what's going on._

There was no question in Dillan's mind. He nodded and set his claw in Lily's hand. She lost her hardened gaze and grasped Dillan's claw.

"I warned you before, and I'll do so again. My tribe does not appreciate outsiders, so stay close. And under no circumstances are you allowed to speak with anyone other than me, understood?" Dillan recalled his first encounter with Lily. _She's right... The first time we met, she told Ryan and I about her tribe hating outsiders..._ Dillan mentally slapped himself. _How could I have forgotten that?_

"Is that what this is about?" he asked. "Were we not suppose to be here?"

"It is more complicated than that," Lily stated. "But it is a contributor. Come." She let go of Dillan's claw and began walking away. Dillan followed the lycanroc down the dirt hall and out through the exit.

* * *

The light hit Dillan's eyes like a club, forcing him to squint. When his eyes were finished, he looked ahead at a place he hadn't expected.

He and Lily had just exited from a literal hole in the side of a hill. Dillan looked out at a dirt road that stretched between hills and towards more holes in the hill-sides. Flowers of different colors, shapes, and sizes littered the hills like blankets of colors. Groups of lycanroc were all over the place: some on top of the hills conversing while others were walking down the path. Groups of small, vanilla, quadrupedal pokemon were racing along the path, barking at each other playfully.

"Woah..." Dillan said in amazement.

"You were expecting tents?" Lily questioned.

"I'm honestly not sure what I was expecting..." Dillan admitted, still staring in wonder at the small town. "And it's just you lycanrocs?"

"We live in the center of the mystery dungeon," Lily stated. "It makes it easy to remain isolated."

Dillan looked to his left at a group of midnight lycanroc. He found they were currently whispering among themselves as they stared at Lily and him. He wondered what they were talking about. _What kind of topics would an isolated tribe have to talk about?_ The lycanroc began scowling at Dillan. _Wow... They must really hate outsiders..._

"Come," Lily commanded. She began walking forwards down the path. Dillan began following.

"Why don't you like other pokemon?" Dillan questioned.

A sigh came from the lycanroc. "It is a... philosophy... of my tribe..." Lily stated. Dillan couldn't help but notice a sort of sadness in her tone. "It is one I don't care for, although it _has_ protected us from attacks."

"How so?"

"Isolation is the very reason we live in the Howling Plains," Lily stated. "The mystery dungeon acts as a deterrent for thieves and brutal forces. The Turned make it so our enemies think twice about invading. At the same time, the mystery dungeon hides us from the uneducated."

"Wait," Dillan said. "'Turned'?"

"Yes," Lily said as she waved to a group of midday lycanroc to her left. "They are the pokemon who live in Howling Plains' mystery dungeon. They attack anyone and everyone that they see."

"So feral pokemon?" Dillan asked.

Lily held her paws behind her back and hummed. "Is that how outsiders refer to them?"

"Raksha! A voice demanded from behind Dillan.

Upon hearing the voice, Lily stopped in her tracks. She gave a long drawn-out sigh, not turning to face the voice. Dillan stopped as well, asking, "What is it?"

"Raksha, I'm speaking to you!" the voice shouted once more. Dillan turned around to face the voice.

He found himself looking at a midnight lycanroc who wore a necklace that fanned out at the bottom into a beaded piece of cloth. The cloth had a set of beads white swirling towards the center of a black circle, but stopped near the center where a blue circle sat. The lycanroc had what looked like a massive scar touching the top of its left eyebrow and trailing all the way down its face where it stopped at the bottom of the jaw. The lycanroc was storming, followed by two midday lycanrocs, all of which snarled towards Dillan and Lily.

"You shouldn't be so bold as to stop me, Amarey," Lily stated calmly. "At this moment, I'm on an important assign-"

"Hold your tongue, coward!" the lycanroc, Amarey, snarled. "Stop acting so high and mighty!"

"I would watch your next words carefully," Lily warned, her tone becoming tinged with fury. "They could be your last."

Almost immediately after Lily's words, the two lycanroc accompanying Amarey began growling at Lily. Dillan looked at her with shock. _Whoa... She must be ticked..._

"Your empty threats mean nothing," Amarey said. "For how can you follow through on that if you couldn't even fulfill your purpose in this world?" Amarey's eyes wandered from Lily's back towards the gabite standing next to her. "And I'm assuming this is _your_ paladin?"

"He is," Lily stated coldly, looking at the gabite through the corner of her eye.

Amarey glowered at Dillan for a few seconds before huffing. "What arrogance: entrusting this being with the Sapphire Star. How could you be so blind? Is it not obvious to you how pathetic he is? His weakness should stand out to you the second you met-"

Lily whipped around and slashed at Amarey's face, her claws cutting through the air inches away from his nose. Her paw came to rest in front of the lycanroc's face, missing her target. The lycanroc on either side got down as if to pounce, but Amarey held his paw up, signaling them to hold.

"That was a warning," Lily stated with a scowl. "Don't mistaken me for a coward who will play dead. I _will_ hurt you if you dishonor me again. Do you understand?"

Amarey stared at Lily's claws for a second before giving a huff of disapproval. "The council _will_ hear about this."

"I bet they will," Lily stated.

With a cold smile towards Dillan, Amarey said, "We're done here."

With that, Amarey turned away from Lily and walked off, accompanied by his companions. Lily began walking in the opposite direction. "Come gabite," she stated.

"Lily," Dillan said, walking behind her. "They called me 'paladin'. What does that mean?"

Lily paused, presumably thinking about how to answer the gabite's question. "A single word," she said. "Two ambassadors who sit at the same table to discuss peace can go to war with a single word. Lives of pokemon can rise from despair or be plunged into darkness at the mere whisper of a single word. The word 'Paladin' is one of those words for my tribe. To ask what a word such as this means is not only hard question to answer, but even harder to explain. Although, I guess an explanation is in order, considering.

"My entire tribe is based around one single object of unimaginable power."

"The Sapphire Star," Dillan said.

Lily nodded. "As I told you before, we live in the Howling Plains for isolation from the rest of the world. The reason for this isolation is to keep malicious claws away from the Sapphire Star." Lily's paw began to move up her chest and began resting upon the Sapphire Star, to which Dillan's heart skipped a beat. "An entire society based on one crystal... that is my tribe.

"It all began more than three-hundred years ago. Back then, my tribe was a nomadic group, traveling from place to place with no purpose to life. My ancestors began wondering about their purpose in this world. That's when a being of immense power came. That being gave them the Sapphire, stating it was an object that was to be kept away from all. That being became our purpose: our reason for living. He directed us towards the plains, telling us to find refuge in the dungeon so no one could ever find us. From Howling Plains, we lived on as a group of unknowns to the world. The world around us ceased to exist, leaving only us. Not even the being was with us anymore. It vanished into the night like a star in the night sky: always around us, but lost in the vast expanse.

"Nearly one hundred and fifty years passed with no new objective other than to live and keep the Sapphire Star safe. One day rolled around, marking the final time my tribe would ever see the being. It came in a flash of blue light. The being communicated with us, giving us a new purpose. It stated an evil would rise and seek the Sapphire Star, one of the likes the world should never have to experience again. That evil would come for the Sapphire Star. When that day comes, a new being would be sent to us, and a sign of its loyalty would be shown to us through the crystal. We were to give the Sapphire Star to that being so he may strike down and end the evils of this world for good. That being would be known in my tribe as the Paladin."

"Paladin..." Dillan repeated. "So your tribe thinks I'm-"

"It's more complicated than that," Lily interrupted. "When we received our new mission, a family emerged to bear responsibility for the Sapphire Star: to make sure it would be given to the Paladin once the time came. That family was known as the Keepers: my family. My father, and his father before him, and his father before him up until the first encounter with the being were all keepers. As a result, my family has a massive responsibility to our tribe.

"As the keeper, the Sapphire Star calls out to me... in a way I can't explain..." Lily stopped, thinking about how best to explain, though Dillan didn't need it.

"It was like it was leading you, wasn't it?" Dillan asked. Lily looked at Dillan with shock. "Like... a weight was pulling your heart... in a specific way... Like it's calling to you..."

"Yes..." Lily stated with wide-eyed shock. "How did you know?"

"Because..." Dillan began slowly. "It's been happening since I saw the Sapphire Star down in the burrow..."

Lily scowled at the statement, directing her attention back to the road ahead. It shocked Dillan. _Did I say something...?_

"The Sapphire Star 'called' to me, as you put it. When we first met, this calling led me to give you the crystal. When I handed it to you, I felt as though a weight I'd been carrying ever since I was make keeper had been lifted. What I didn't realize at the time was a simple fact."

Lily gave a sigh and stated, "Do you know what happens when an object an entire society is based around is... removed without warning?" Dillan shook his head slowly. "Chaos.

"Because of my sole decision to give you the crystal, my entire tribe has been divided. Some agree with my decision and are relieved that the burden of safe-guarding the Sapphire Star is no longer upon us, others are so reliant upon the Sapphire Star being our purpose that they don't know what to do with themselves now that it's gone. There are those of us who are so blinded by their lack of purpose that they trick themselves into believing that the Paladin is still out there, and you aren't him. They believe I've made a mistake in trusting you with the Sapphire Star.

"You have no idea what position I placed my tribe in. We were on the verge of a civil war over this accursed object." Lily gripped the star in her claws. Dillan noticed the bulging veins in her arm. "So in order to keep my tribe safe, I left the Howling Plains and ventured into the world, attempting to find the Sapphire Star so I could put my tribe at ease once again. I know it is impossible to keep the peace. Conflict was inevitable, but I had to try." Lily gave a huff as she finished talking.

Dillan couldn't help but feel bad. _That's why that lycanroc called me_ your _Paladin... He's one of the ones in conflict with me being... Paladin..._

"Lily..." Dillan began. "I'm-"

"Save your apologies, Gabite," Lily stated coldly. "Even now, there is conflict within my tribe. All is not well, nor will it ever be until my leaders are finished with you."

"F-finished?" Dillan asked worriedly. _That doesn't sound pleasant..._

"They wish to find out if you are truly the Paladin: the one who will lead the world out of the shadows. As a result, they wish to examine you for themselves."

"Examine how?" Dillan questioned.

"That is for them to decide," Lily stated.

"What happens if I _am_ decided as Paladin..." Dillan asked.

Lily stopped in her tracks and faced Dillan. "The Council will tell you that." She looked ahead and stated, "Besides, I'm out of time to explain. We're here."

Dillan looked onward at what appeared to be a big hill with a hole carved into the side. Roots from the hill's grassy blanket could be seen hanging from the dirt ceiling. Lily stepped into the burrow and motioned her arm for Dillan to enter ahead of her. Dillan took a hard gulp, worried about what lied ahead for him, and entered the burrow.

* * *

The inside of the burrow was pitch black, lit by absolutely nothing. A sort of veil was used to obscure the inside of any light, though when he pulled it aside, he caught a look of the room.

It wasn't too big, nor too small. There was a dirt floor about ten feet in diameter with a stage-like pedestal at the back. Dillan looked ahead towards the pedestal and saw a group of five lycanroc sitting in a row: the far right one being a midnight, then another midnight, then a midday, some sort of orange lycanroc that looked similar to the midday, and another midday. They looked toward Dillan who walked into the center of the room. Their gazes seemed to penetrate whatever confidence Dillan had, leaving behind the scared, worried gabite in this new place.

Dillan walked away from the veil, letting it drift shut, bathing the room once again in darkness. He relied on his miracle sense to see anything in this cave as he walked in front of the pedestal.

"Keeper Raksha," the far right midnight lycanroc said. "Enter."

Lily walked into the room, stopping next to Dillan where she bowed before the five. "Council members," she addressed.

"Keeper Raksha," they addressed back in unison.

"H-hi..." Dillan stuttered, following Lily's example and bowing before the council.

"So you are the Paladin, are you not?" The orange lycanroc stated.

"He is," Lily said.

"Keeper Raksha," the middle-right midnight lycanroc stated. "You will only speak when addressed. Do we make ourselves clear?"

"Yes Councilman Biopelo," Lily said with a bow, keeping a calm and straight face.

"Once again," the orange lycanroc repeated. "Are you – or are you not – the Paladin?"

"I am," Dillan said nervously.

"You don't sound like you're sure," the middle-left midday said.

"Councilman Shaka," the second midday said. "Let's give him a chance. After all, he was abducted and held against his will by our tribe. He probably doesn't even know what the Paladin is."

"Imari," Biopelo said. "I'm sure Keeper Raksha has explained that much to the gabite, have you not?"

"I have," Lily stated.

"What exactly have you informed him of?" Shaka asked.

"Everything from the beginning of our tribe to today," Lily stated.

"You shared this much with an outsider?" Biopelo bellowed. "How dare you!"

"You expect him to come in here blind?" Lily asked. "Should he not know everything that being Paladin entails?"

"As the Paladin, he should already know!"

"Biopelo," the orange lycanroc warned. "This is a council, not a child's hill."

Biopelo looked towards his fellow council member and said through gritted teeth, "You are correct, Councilwoman Zoya. My apologies."

"Though Councilman Biopelo _does_ propose an interesting point," Shaka stated. He looked towards Dillan. "If you truly are Paladin, why do you not already know these facts?"

"W-well..." Dillan said. _There's no way I could have known this... Should I lie? Or would they see through it? Dang it... I have to think of something, and fast!_ He looked over at Lily for some sort of sign, but she just stared at him, waiting for his own answer. _She can't help me... The moment she speaks up, she'll get jumped by this council, so what do I do? Grace would have been good at this stuff: the way she tricked that bully into leaving her alone... If I could only remember-_ Dillan stopped himself, realizing his way out of this first question.

"I have amnesia," he said.

"Amnesia?" Zoya questioned.

"A likely story," Biopelo stated.

"I do," Dillan said. "I can't remember anything beyond waking up in some sort of cave. Everything else is... a blur."

"Come up with a ore compelling lie next t-"

"Of course _you_ would need more convincing," the last council member stated. "You wouldn't believe he's the Paladin if the evidence hit you in the skull."

"Dage, test my patience again and-"

"Enough!" Zoya shouted. "The next incident will end your representation of the tribe in this trial. Agreed?"

Shaka and Imari both said, "Agreed" in unison, as if it was some sort of mini-vote.

"Motion passed," Zoya stated.

Both Biopelo and Dage turned away from each other and set their attention on Dillan. _Weird... but ok..._

"Even if he doesn't know whether he is the Paladin," Shaka began. "How does it make him unqualified?"

Biopelo opened his mouth to say something, yet the only thing to come from his mouth was air.

"Enough about what he knows and does not," Imari stated. "It's time to get back on the topic at hand." He looked towards Dillan and stated, "The test must begin before we progress any further."

"The test will not prove his loyalty towards Howling Plains! And it won't excuse his compatriot!"

"Biopelo," Zoya stated. "A test to prove he is the Paladin. Who he travels with is of no interest to me, as it should be to the rest of the council."

"Agreed," Dage, Shaka, and Imari said in unison.

"Motion passed," Zoya stated.

"Now then," Dage began. He turned towards the gabite. "Keeper, step forwards."

Lily stepped up closer to the council. She bowed her head and said, "Yes, Councilwoman."

"You will do battle with _your_ Paladin," Biopelo stated with a curl in his lip.

"W-what?!" Dillan blurted worriedly. "M-me?! And Lily?!"

"The Paladin is one of high esteem to the pokemon of Howling Plains," Zoya said. "The Paladin should have no trouble defeating the Keeper. If the Paladin were to win, he would gain the rights to the Sapphire Star, no?"

Lily stood up straight and nodded to the Council. "If that is your wish." She turned towards Dillan and glowered, though something was off. Dilan couldn't tell what, but something was wrong with the lycanroc. _Why are you worried about her?! She'll kill you!_

"Th-this is crazy!" Dillan said. "You can't seriously expect me to follow through with this!"

"We can and do," Shaka stated. "If you truly _are_ the Paladin, than your strength – physical and mental – should be unrivaled."

"This is our only option," Dage stated.

"If you lose, you will be seen as an intruder on our lands and prosecuted as such," Imari said. "Lily-... I mean, Keeper Raksha will continue on as Howling Plains' keeper."

"Although," Zoya began. "If you were to succeed, you would be crowned Paladin, Guardian of the Sapphire Star. You would be gifted the Sapphire Star and a place in Howling Plains' society as a hero." Zoya looked towards Lily. "Keeper Raksha would then lose her job and be executed for venturing into the outside world without Council consent."

"E-executed?!" Dillan said with shock.

"No one is allowed to leave Howling Plains," Biopelo explained. "Let alone come back after doing so. It allows spies to follow and be led through the Mystery Dungeon to our home. Exile would defeat the purpose of not allowing anyone to leave. Execution is the only option left."

"Agreed," Zoya, Shaka, and Imari said.

"Motion passed," Zoya stated.

"She would have been executed sooner if it wasn't for her status as Keeper. But if you were to win, she would lose the status – hence execution opens up."

"You can't expect me to fight now!" Dillan said. "I won't help you kill Lily!"

"Then this is where you die," Lily shouted pridefully.

Dillan looked towards the midnight lycanroc with shock. "W-what are you talking about?" he asked.

"This is my home," Lily stated. "I will not tarnish its laws because a gabite wished to spare my life. And if you _are_ the Paladin, my job in this world comes to a close. There would be no purpose for my continued survival after what I have done."

"But you didn't do anything wrong!" Dillan shouted. "You were trying to save your tribe from killing themselves!"

"It doesn't matter whether it was the right decision or the wrong one. What matters is the simple fact that I broke one of our most sacred laws. The only way I can regain my purpose is by proving to my tribe that I am still needed. Anything less warrants death.

"Now fight me gabite. Let me reclaim my purpose."

"I won't fight you," Dillan said.

"Then die where you stand."

Lily looked towards the ceiling and howled. The second she did, the Sapphire Star began glowing a bright blue, illuminating the surrounding area. Dillan looked away, bringing his fins up to block the light from hitting his eyes. Using his miracle sense, he felt Lily charging towards him. Dillan jumped left, avoiding the attack – or so he thought. Almost immediately after side-stepping, Dillan felt Lily's feet plant as she changed direction. Her claws grew in size as they slashed at Dillan. He put his arms up in defense, focusing on his fins. His fins extended into a "Dragon Claw" attack and blocked Lily's claws. Even so, Dillan felt a surge of pain in his arms. He gave a cry of pain as he stumbled backwards.

"Fight me!" Lily shouted. Dillan had just enough time to look upwards to see a fist encased in rock flying towards him at an unimaginable speed. He side-stepped again, determined not to fight the lycanroc, narrowly avoiding the attack. Suddenly, he felt a dull pain in his chest. All the wind was knocked out of him, and he felt as though he had been clobbered with a brick. Dillan fell to his knees, gasping for air.

"What did you... just do?" Dillan asked through shallow breaths.

"My ability is one called No Guard," Lily stated. "It makes sure my attacks always his their target, regardless of whether I miss." _If that's true, this is really bad!_

A shockwave could be felt in the earth as Lily dropped on all-fours. A massive beam of light emerged from her tail, straining Dillan's eyes. He could barely look through the light at first, but after a few seconds the light died down, showing a long, metallic tail where Lily's stubby one use to be. He'd seen that move before, but it didn't make that much light when he'd first witnessed Garth use it. _Iron Tail!_

"Now fight me or die!" Lily roared. She leaped into the air and somersaulted. Her tail began spinning with her, creating what looked like some sort of blade.

Dillan had a second to react before the attack made its mark. He planted his feet quickly, feeling for the fire in his chest. When he found it, Dillan let out a massive stream of fire at Lily. She became bathed in the flames, disappearing in its yellows and oranges. Then, Dillan felt a solid force come into contact with his skull. It was massively painful, forcing Dillan onto his back-fin.

He sat there, feeling as though his skull had cracked. He slowly got onto his knees, looking for Lily. The lycanroc was standing on two feet, glowering at the gabite from above. She was currently clutching the glowing crystal around her neck, her claws dragging themselves against its surface. Dillan felt his heart become unsteady, as if he was worried it would break.

 _Stop it, and focus! There's no way out of this... Even if she misses, she still hits me... At this rate, she'll kill me if I lose. If I win, she'll die... There's no way out of this! If I win, would that mean I killed her? And if I don't fight, is it suicide? But I can't die... Too many pokemon are relying on me..._

A tension began to pull in Dillan's chest. _What... What's going on?_ The pull reminded him of the Sapphire Star. It seemed to pull him towards Lily. _It want me to fight..._

"You've chosen your fate," Lily stated. _As much as I hate it..._ "You must die." She brought her fist up above her head, ready to deal the final blow. _If fighting is what you want me to do..._

Dillan focused on his fins. _Then I'll trust you..._ He slashed at Lily's ankle. The lycanroc dropped to one knee from the pain. That's when Dillan slammed his claw into the ground, sending a stone flying upwards into Lily's face. She flew backwards from the shock and onto her back. Dillan then proceeded to leap into the air, focusing on both fins. He dropped downwards towards Lily. The lycanroc looked upwards at Dillan as he drove his "Dragon Claw" attack towards her. She gave another howl into the air before jumping onto her feet. She side-stepped Dillan and grabbed him by the arm, spinning around with him before throwing him away towards the wall.

Dillan looked back as he flew through the air. Lily grimaced when she let go. Dillan noticed two divots in Lily's fur. That was the last thing he saw before his head slammed into the back wall. He felt all his energy start to leave his body. As his head spun, he attempted to stand on his feet. When he did, he fell over onto his left side.

Lily walked over to him, scowling at her opponent. "I thought you were the Paladin," she said. "And maybe you were. Maybe that's why this is so hard for me to give this fight my all. I could blame the pendant that's constantly pulling at my chest... but would that be entirely honest?"

A paw came down around Dillan's neck. It gripped around his scales, hoisting him upwards. She then pressed him against the wall. Dillan looked at Lily through his grimacing face. He began slamming his arms down on the lycanroc's arms in an attempt at forcing her grip to loosen, but that didn't work. His fin extended and slashed the top of her wrist. Lily's balled-up fist drove itself into Dillan's chest. He coughed up what little air he had left in his lungs, proceeding to gasp for air.

"No, it wouldn't be true," Lily said. "I've held back for a specific reason, one I don't care to admit in front of the Council, but then again, what more can they do?" She let Dillan go and slide tot eh floor, gasping for air. "You obviously aren't strong enough to become Paladin. So, in that case, I'll remain Keeper. And I'll share a secret with you." Lily got down next to Dillan's ear and whispered, "I wanted you to take the Sapphire Star from me so I would be free."

Dillan was shocked. He looked upwards, still breathing unsteadily. "You..." he began.

"Tell me, Gabite," Lily began aloud. "What is the Sapphire Star to you? Treasure? Power? Responsibility?"

"A way... to my friend..." Dillan said. He began standing once more, struggling to get to his feet.

"Do you know what it is to me?" she asked. Lily's stubby tail began glowing again as an "Iron Tail" attack formed. "It's the Keeper's Prison." Lily swung her tail around behind her, completely missing the gabite. Dillan then felt a surge of pain in his chest like a beam being forced through him. He collapsed onto his chest as the world began to disappear around him.

"Well done, Keeper Raksha," Biopelo bellowed. The world around him went black, leaving only the voices left.

"All in favor of this gabite being Paladin?" Zoya asked. No one answered. "Motion passed. Henceforth, the gabite will be imprisoned here for life as a trespasser."

"Agreed," everyone stated.

"Motion passed."

* * *

(Jarondai Territory: Castle Jarondai)

Judah walked along the black halls of Jarondai Castle, observing the walls: all of which were littered with the Ganderosan Symbol. He strode across the red, velvet carpet as his purple cape flowed behind him. His eyes drifted towards a banner with a scorch mark on it. The king scowled at the burn. _Nearly two years, and they still haven't redone that banner. Is it truly that difficult?_

"Your Majesty," a mienshao stated, bowing to Kind Judah before scuffling off.

Judah watched the mienshao, wanting to call after it to bring a servant in to remove the banner from his sight. As the mienshao grew further away, so did his wants for a new banner. _I am too busy to focus on that night at the moment... I need to focus on the task laid out before me._

Judah continued on his way, not bothering a second's glance at anything that passed. That's when he felt a tug on his cape. He looked backwards, noticing a raichu which sported a set of purple robes standing at his feet.

"Your Majesty," the raichu stated with a bow.

"Ah, Reginald," Judah said with a slight smile. "I assume by your sudden appearance, you have something to report?"

"Indeed, my liege. Your message has been sent to the three remaining Guildmasters, and they all have agreed to follow through with the plan."

"Excellent," Judah said with a wide smile, directing his eyes to the world ahead. _Everything is going according to my plan..._

"Although," Reginald said calmly. "I'm afraid I must report that the gabite and his fried have gone missing."

Whipping around, Judah faced Reginald with a heavy scowl of disapproval. "What did you say?!" he snarled. "He is missing?!"

"Yes, Majesty." Reginald sounded completely calm, and why should he be anything less? He'd seen King Judah on far worse days, and he knew he wouldn't be receiving any sort of punishment for simply delivering news.

"When did this occur?!"

"I've just received word by pigeot," Reginald stated as he held up his paw. A letter rested in his paw, waiting for the King to take it from its current holder. Judah did just that, completely horrified by the recent news. He tore open the letter, nearly splitting it in half due to pure strength. Nevertheless, he began reading to himself.

 _Your Majesty_

 _I hope this letter finds you in good health,_

 _I would like to personally inform you of Team Rapture's sudden disappearance from the Palando Guild. My theory is that they will be traveling to Snow-Point Peak in search of their old teammate, Ryan Simon; though I do not know what they will find there. If my sources are to be believed, Team Rapture will most certainly stumble upon the ones you spoke of before we met: the ones who threaten Ganderosa's very existence. Once there, they will either have either fallen victim to these enemies of the throne, or found nothing of interest. If the latter, I have no idea where they would be heading to next._

 _Seeing as you just appointed me to observe Dillan from a distance, I regretfully inform you of my failure. However, by tomorrow, a search party made up of Palando Guildmembers will be-_

Judah disregarded the rest of the letter, going down to the date it was sent. Upon reading the end of the letter, He snarled. _Missing for four days, now?!_

"Why did I appoint that buffoon as Guildmaster!"

"Because of his triumph over Team Armageddon, Your Majesty," Ronald stated.

"Yet Team Rapture failed to accomplish their true objective!"

"If you are referring to the capture of Ignitus Blaine-"

"What else would I be referring to?" Judah snarled. _That damned ape could ruin everything! Capturing him is the difference between Ganderosa being saved or destroyed!_ "To top it all off, the gabite _must_ come to this castle in little over a week's time! And Garth Amoux has lost him! He cannot be allowed to be used by our enemies against the crown! Dillan is too important to be..." Judah felt a surge of pain in his chest. He doubled back and fell onto his hands knees, his left paw clutching the skin over his skull.

"Your Majesty!" Ronald shouted frantically. He took a quick step forwards before Judah held up his paw.

"I am fine..." Judah assured. The pain began subsiding in his head. "I'm fine." _It's finally happening... All these years, and it has to happen now. Why now? Why when I'm so close to achieving the impossible?_

"You need to see the royal doctor," Ronald began.

"What did I just say?!" Judah snarled. "They would tell me the same thing they told all the rulers of Ganderosa, would they not?"

Ronald grimaced. "B-but you would be giving up to this disease if-"

Judah tuned the little servant out. He had no use of excuses. _My body is dying... which means my reign is coming to an end..._ His eyes drifted to the banner along the wall. _Dianne..._

* * *

(Five Years Ago: Jarondai Territory: Castle Jarondai)

"Dianne, you can only run for so long," Judah called out into the darkness. He walked with his head held high onto the ash-filled grounds, searching for his daughter. He found a Guardsman laying on the floor, beaten to a pulp. The abomadsnow moved his arm futilely towards King Judah.

"She... caught me... off guard..." the pokemon stated quietly.

"And who's fault was that?" Judah stated coldly. He continued walking onward towards the front gates of the castle.

"Dianne, I only wish to talk," Judah called out. "I do not want to hurt you. You have something that does not belong to you. I only wish to have it. After that, we can pretend this excursion never happened."

Judah stared through the ash-filled air. He saw the gates lying up ahead, as well as two forms. The first was short and skinny, while the other was massive and bulbous. _Nowhere left to run._

"Your Majesty," a proud, rough voice called out through the ash. "She's here."

"Good work, Captain," Judah stated. He walked forwards, setting his eyes on his daughter. She looked back at him with a fearful scowl. "Now then: where is it?

"I do not know what you are referring to," Dianne stated.

"You have no clue how important it is."

"Maybe not," Dianne stated. She turned towards the Captain. "But I know what you did to get it."

"Dianne," Judah said. "There is no point in resisting me. I am your father, and-"

"Stop lying," Dianne snapped. "We both know you are not really my..." Tears began filling the little Arvaine's eyes. "You are not my real father..."

Judah gave a huff. "This is your final warning, girl. Hand me the amulet."

"Kill me for it!" Dianne shouted. "You did it before when you took it from that lady: when you decimated her tribe!"

Judah grimaced at Dianne. "You little thief," he scolded. "Hand me the amulet this instant!"

Dianne looked towards the ground below. "I am no thief..." she whispered defiantly.

"Your Majesty," the Captain said. "I know the location of this amulet you talked about."

Judah's head perked up. "Captain?"

"It's hiding in the Princess' room, under a floor board in the center of the room."

Dianne looked at the Captain with shock. He didn't face her, but continued to look at the King.

"Excellent work, Captain!" Judah complimented. "You have served the Arvaine family well. Now if you will excuse us, me and my daughter have some things to talk about." Judah grasped Dianne's arm roughly and began leading her back to the castle.

"Captain!" Dianne pleaded. "Please!"

Judah felt a hand grasp his own arm, holding him in place. He turned around in shock to see the Captain was holding him in place.

"Your Majesty," the Captain stated. He wore a defiant scowl pointed straight towards Judah.

"Tell me," Judah stated. "How many of your men have you locked away for treason?"

"I lost count," the Captain stated. "Which leads me to wonder why there are so many pokemon who oppose you."

"My ideals are beyond the comprehension of small-minded individuals," Judah stated. "It leads to confusion, and sometimes treason. So tell me, Captain: how small-minded are you?"

"It depends, Your Majesty."

The two pokemon glared at each other, both of them knowing what was to occur the moment the Captain set his claws on Royal skin.

"Treasonous snake!" Judah roared as he let go of Dianne and immediately slammed his arm into the Captain's chest. The Captain didn't make any attempt at avoiding Judah's strike. Instead, he took it head-on. Almost immediately after the strike against him, the Captain pulled Judah in close and bit down on his shoulder. Judah didn't even flinch from the attack. Instead, he roared into the sky. His body began glowing as a sort of red fire consumed the Arvaine. He slammed his face into the Captain, who doubled back from the brutality.

"Captain!" Dianne called out.

"Leave, Ms. Arvaine!" the Captain called out. "I won't be able to hold His Majesty for ever, so leave!"

"What about you?"

"Wait for me at the walls!"

Dianne stood there for a few seconds, unsure of what to do. Then, she darted off towards the gates.

"Dianne!" Judah roared. "Do not walk away from this!"

"Your Majesty!" the Captain shouted. He began charging at Judah.

The Arvaine focused on his fists as they became bathed in water. The Captain leaped through the air and roared. Out of nowhere, little dots appeared and grew into large boulders that fell from the sky onto Judah, but he didn't let that stop him. Judah shouted in rage as he slammed his fists together. A massive burst of water formed in front of him, leading straight to the Captain. He barreled through the rocks, not even bothering to dodge. It didn't matter. His ability was too strong to not be taken advantage of.

Judah shouted in anger as he slammed right into the Captain with a burst of water. The Captain spun through the air, landing on the black soil. Judah began flying in the air as he descended towards the Captain.

"You foolish krookodile!" Judah roared. "You lying traitor!

"I never lied to you," the Captain said as he got to his feet. "The amulet _is_ in the Princess' room."

"And you thought telling me this would redeem you?"

"No, Majesty. I only wanted you to know that I am not a traitor to the throne."

"Defying me _is_ treason!"

The Captain laughed. "The true ruler of this country is currently making her escape. _You_ are not my ruler."

"I'll kill you!" Judah roared.

"Not today," the Captain shouted. He lunged at the ground and burrowed into the dirt. Judah looked on in horror. Looking towards the gates, Judah saw Dianne staring in his direction with worry. In a split second, she sunk into the ground. _Captain..._

"Your Majesty," a pokemon called from behind. Judah whipped around and faced the braviary Guardsman with a hate-filled gaze.

"Get over that wall and find my daughter!" Judah roared. "And kill the Captain!"

"Th-the Captain?!" the braviary questioned.

"He's a traitor along with my thieving daughter!" Judah roared. "I want you to find them, now!"

"Yes, Your Majesty." With that, the braviary flew off, leaving Judah alone.

"Damn it..." he said to himself. He felt his anger bubble in his chest. "Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!" He felt his anger spill out through his throat and threw his mouth. Judah let loose a massive beam of purple energy back towards the castle walls. One of the Ganderosan banners along the wall was scorched from the blast, though it didn't ignite, leaving a black hole though the center.

 _Curse this infernal body! And curse Dianne Arvaine!_

"Dianne!"

* * *

Judah came out of his memory, scowling at the whole situation. He scowled at the banner: his reminder of his daughter's escape.

"Where is Dianne?" Judah questioned.

Ronald stared at Judah for a few seconds, wearing a worried gaze. He then shook his head and stated, "We still don't know. She's very good at remaining hidden, my liege."

"After three years, you still haven't found my daughter?!"

"You have to understand that she has help from-"

"I'm tired of hearing your excuses!" Judah walked straight up to Ronald and loomed above him. The shadows crept across Judah's scrunched face revealing the utmost anger. "It's been nearly five years since she escaped! That's five years you've had to bring Dianne back home! Are you telling me that after all this time, you still have no idea where she is?!"

"W-we've been dumping our resources i-into securing the relics and maintaining G-Ganderosa, sire!" Ronald stuttered. Hid wide-eyed fear was not what Judah wanted at this moment.

"Let me make this simple," Judah stated. His brow-line was twitching with malice. "I no longer any more time to wait for you to bring Ganderosa's heir to Castle Jarondai! She must go through with the ritual before I die, or she will have lost the right to be Queen! It is in _your_ best interests to bring Dianne Arvaine back to Jarondai! I am giving you three weeks to bring her here _without_ interfering with my other affairs! If you fail to bring her back alive and intact, _you_ will not be leaving this castle at all! And if you attempt to run, every one of my top-ranked soldiers will hunt you down and end whatever pathetic life you managed to scrounge up without this castle's support. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-yes, Your Majesty!" Almost immediately, Ronald turned away from Judah and scampered off.

Judah stood there, infuriated. He turned to the burned banner lining the wall, recalling the circumstances that led to it's burned hole. _Curse it all..._ He grabbed the banner and was about to yank it from the wall, but stopped. He stared at it's scorched center. _No..._ He pulled it off of the wall and to the floor. _It's time to stop ignoring this problem. It's time to stop making this the least of my concerns. The time has come for me to focus on the future... and it all starts with Dianne Arvaine._

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Looking for the names? Go to the bottom! If not, then

Hey guys! I'll make this quick.

Happy Birthday to Ganderosa! As of 10/3/2018, the story is one year old! I honestly didn't think I would keep writing after all this time. I thought I'd move on to something else like art or robots... Something. Instead, here we are! If you are one of those people, thank you so much for reading! I want to dedicate this chapter to the people who helped drive me to continue writing so that we'd get to this point today! So, whether you're reading this or not, thank you!

Shout-out to "SomethingDictionaryRelated", "The Unimaginitive One", "avidreader-everafter", "KALIFEO", "jakeroo123", "Leugim2002", "Azalmega", and "eevee3960" for following/favoriting the story one year ago! Again, thanks from the bottom of my heart for keeping me going, and helping me to grow as a writer!

Shout-out to "X007", "d. .com" (if this is to advertise, genius XD) and "randomguy3467" for following/favoriting the story! Thanks for helping this story to grow since day one!

That's all! Hope you guys enjoyed the read! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!

* * *

(Lycanroc names and Positions)

First Midnight- Dage

Second Midnight- Biopelo

First Midday- Shaka

Dusk Lycanroc- Zoya

Second Midday- Imari


	38. The Howls of Despair

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 38

The Howls of Despair

* * *

(Harrier Town: Fericia Region)

Leaning forward over the balcony railing whilst sitting in a chair, Fitz listened to a cheery tune played below by harps and other bowed instruments. Many pokemon were clapping together and stamping their feet on the wooden floorboards whilst others danced around cheerfully, filling the air with a sort of playful wonder that made most smile. Fitz couldn't help but smirk: not from happiness, but for envy of their obliviousness. _They have no idea of the dangers that constantly swirl around them. They are perfectly content to dance around and laugh like the fool._

Her eyes drifted towards the door to the pub where she laid in wait. _Not here, yet... You, my devious friend, are late._ She gave a sigh. _Then again, what did I expect from one such as he? An honest mon?_

"Ms. Hakamo-o," a pokemon stated from behind. Fitz waved her hand and heard the sound of metal colliding on wood as well as the slosh of some sort of liquid. "Ms. Mienfoo."

"I said I'm fine..." Valery said from her own seat whilst pouting.

"If that is your wish," the pokemon stated before the sound of feet grew distant. Fitz watched below as a heatmor who dressed in black and white – holding a platter – came into view. _Thank you, waiter._

"Trin," Valery complained. "You're better than this..."

"I am not doing anything wrong," Fitz stated.

"You've been 'confiscating' things all day..." Valery chose her words very carefully. She knew how much Fitz hated being called a thief. "And from good pokemon, too."

"Rich pokemon," Fitz stated. "Pokemon who did not need something as simple as a gold necklace."

"And that makes it alright?"

"What makes it alright is the fact that we have no money for food. Think of it this way: the simple state of this country is pathetic enough with poverty running rampant in every town through the Red Strips without more fortunate pokemon spending so much on themselves. And to what end do they blow off a day's work, hm? Looks. Friends. Power. They can live without any of it, so I confiscate their objects for the less fortunate."

"All the money you get, you spend on us..."

"And are we not part of Ganderosa's poverty?"

"Fine..." Valery said gloomily.

"Valery," Fitz began. She turned from the balcony and faced the mienfoo. Valery's head was rested on the table as if she was bored. "What has gotten into you? You have been in a mood ever since that gabite and his friend left us in Snow-Point Cave."

"It sucks..." Valery stated. "They just left us... And without saying goodbye, too..."

Fitz shook her head sadly. "What did you expect? The gabite's a coward, and the charmeleon is his friend. I honestly expected less-"

"You're a real jerk, you know that?" Valery snapped. "And the only reason they left is because you were being mean to Dillan! He was trying to be your friend, and you just shut him out! How do you think it made him feel?"

"I never cared for how _he_ felt," Fitz said defensively. "He was the reason my entire life was turned upside-down."

"Then it's my fault, too!" Tears began streaming down Valery's face as she shouted at Fitz. Fitz' face showed a slight bit of shock. "I'm the whole reason he's here, right? So why are you even friends with me!"

Valery jumped from the table and darted to the back of the room, past a door, and to the corner of the room where she descended a flight of stairs. Fitz didn't stop her. Instead, she stared down Valery's empty seat. She began grimacing from anger. _Why is she acting like she is the one my anger is directed towards? She knows I do not blame her for what occurred..._ Fitz gave a shot of anger before pounding her fist on the table before her. She whipped around and looked below at the ground floor. She looked just in time to catch Valery storm out of the bar. _Why is she making this difficult on me?_ Fitz gave a groan and leaned over the railing, allowing her arms to drift over the side.

"Problems with your friend?" a voice called from behind.

Fitz looked around and faced the voice, seeing it was a quadrupedal, vanilla pokemon with green, leaf-like appendages replacing the ears and tail. Fitz took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"Mr. Lee?" she asked. The leafeon bowed in acknowledgment. In turn, Fitz gave an even brighter smile. _Going after Valery is superseded by our need of money. Therefore, going after her is my second priority._ "Good to meet you, sir." _She'll be fine._

"The pleasure is all mine," Lee stated. "Although, your body-guard downstairs is unsettling."

"Not to worry about him," Fitz assured. "He is only a deterrent for those who do not belong." She gestured her paw towards the door at the back of the room. "Shall we proceed?"

* * *

It had been ten minutes since Fitz left the bar with a bag of pokes jingling at her side from the successful trade she'd conducted. Normally, the success would make her joyful, but not now. She had other concerns. _Valery must have been really angry with me. The only other time she ran off like this was in the Alkan Islands to help that coward. That was a dire circumstance. To leave now... Was she that hurt? Was she that worried? Was she that attached to-_

A shine caught Valery's eye and her attention: one of a golden shine. She looked to her left, seeing a floating pokemon which looked like some sort of ring. On the ring, a set of keys sat along with a golden locket. _"She's a thief..."_ the voice echoed in her head. Valery grimaced and shook her head. _You are getting too distracted... You need to focus on the mission at hand; finding Valery._

"Excuse me, Ms!" a voice frantically called. Valery felt a metallic glove on her shoulder. She whipped around and grabbed the pokemon's arm. She was about to Circle-throw it when she stopped herself, only managing to grip the pokemon's arm. _Dang civilian..._

"Touching random pokemon is a good way to be injured," Valery stated coldly.

"I'm sorry for sneaking up on you," the pokemon stated. "But I was wondering whether you knew where the guild is? I need someone to help me immediately!"

"That is not my concern," Fitz said. She let go of the bisharp and turned away. "Find someone else to assist you."

"But it's a little girl! She's in danger!"

Fitz immediately stopped in her tracks. She looked around at the bisharp and asked, "What species is the girl?"

"She's a mienfoo, and she's being att-" Fitz cut the pokemon off by whipping around and grabbing his arms forcefully.

"Where did you say she was?" Fitz demanded.

"S-she's down the left a-alleyway behind m-me!" the bisharp said worriedly. Fitz let the pokemon go and tore down the path. Looking at the houses on her left, she traced each building as she searched for a crack large enough to walk through, yet small and dark enough to be considered dangerous.

 _Valery..._ Fitz thought as she tore through the crowd. She bumped into multiple pokemon, but didn't care. _What kind of trouble did you get yourself into?_

After one final bump, Fitz found the kind of passage she'd been looking for. She immediately tore down the path. The moment she stepped between the buildings, the world around her was darkened by the shadows. No sound could be heard from in front, only from the chattering pokemon behind.

"Valery?" Fitz called. Her only response was her own echo calling Valery's name. Fitz began walking deeper into the alley. "Val-" She was interrupted by a blue paw coming out of the shadows on her right. It caught Fitz off guard, as well as by the chest. The paw yanked Fitz and threw her deeper into the alley. She bounced off of the concrete and slammed into a brick wall.

"You weren't that difficult to find," a proud voice said. Fitz got up onto her feet and looked back at the shadows. There, standing before her, was a blue, bipedal lizard with a tan underbelly. "I knew you'd come if your friend's safety was on the line," Thalia said coldly.

"Where's Valery?" Fitz shouted.

"Right there," Thalia stated. She motioned towards Fitz' left. She looked around and noticed a white, bipedal squirrel who was standing next to Valery's unconscious body.

Fitz looked at Ryan for a few seconds, seeing a shocked expression on his face. "You..." Fitz stated. She smiled. "So you're the deceiver from the prophecy. And to think your gabite friend thinks you've been captured."

Ryan turned to Thalia and said, "That's not her!"

"Calm yourself," Thalia stated. "It's her."

"You can't possibly know that!" Ryan shouted.

"Are you stating that out of pure fact, or is it because she knows who _you_ are?"

Ryan said nothing. Instead, he just shook his head.

"You guys were looking for me?" Fitz asked.

"Yes," Thalia stated.

"And you caught Valery to get me here?" Fitz nodded. "Great plan. Although, you have one issue. What exactly makes you think you'll be able to take me on?"

"I would suggest you make this simple on everyone and come with us quietly."

 _"Us" removes any and all doubts of the pachirisu's loyalty. He is the deceiver... Which means I'll take him out, as well._ Fitz looked towards Valery and grimaced. _No... Attacking is not an option: not while the pachirisu has Valery... Maybe..._

"I mean, you _could_ always leave me and Valery be," Fitz said. "I am not truly your enemy, only a survivor."

"Our Master wants you," Thalia stated. "So regardless of your loyalties, you _will_ be coming with us."

 _That accomplished nothing... Think!_

"Stop stalling," Thalia ordered. "I expect an answer within the next ten seconds."

"Alright!" Fitz said. "I shall accompany you on one condition."

"And what's that?" Ryan asked.

"Leave the mienfoo behind."

Ryan looked towards Thalia for an answer. "Out of the question," Thalia stated.

"That is _my_ price," Valery stated. "If you refuse to leave her out of this, then-"

"Let me make this simple," Thalia interrupted loudly. "Traitor, kill the mienfoo."

Fitz' heart seemed to stop. _Not good..._

"Why?" Ryan asked. "We can use her! We could take her with us, and force Fitz to-"

"Ms. Fitz already knows that if the mienfoo accompanies us, our Master will order its execution once we arrive. Co-operating with us is a waste of energy. Therefore, using the mienfoo as a hostage is pointless. Leaving her alive may cause future issues for us. Kill her, now."

Ryan grimaced at the order. He was about to say something, but Fitz shouted, "Wait!"

"This is tiresome, Ms. Fitz," Thalia stated.

"I know what you guys are after, and I know where you can find it!" she blurted out frantically, not giving the pachirisu any opportunity to comply with the command.

Thalia looked towards Fitz with intrigue. "Are you attempting to bargain?" she asked.

"You want the Sapphire Star, right?" Fitz asked. "Let Valery go, and I can tell you where it is."

"And how do you know where it is?" Thalia questioned.

"I sold it to a pokemon," Fitz stated.

"Why am I to believe you?" Thalia said.

Fitz looked towards Ryan. "He knows I did."

Thalia slowly turned towards Ryan with a twitching upper lip. "Why wasn't this addressed before now?" Thalia asked sharply.

"I-I didn't think she was telling the truth!" Ryan said nervously.

"Fine," Thalia snapped. "We'll deal with your _oversight_ later. For now:" Thalia looked towards Fitz. "Where is it?"

"Let Valery go, first," Fitz said.

"I am a nidoqueen of my word," Thalia said maliciously. "But do not test me, or I _will_ make your friend suffer for it." She walked towards Valery and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck.

"I will give you half of the information now, and you can have the other half once Valery is away."

"Half of a puzzle does me nothing!"

"But a name will. If you have a name, you could find out who has the Sapphire Star."

"But solely giving a name means combing through countless records until I find the correct one," Thalia said. "And since talking to you would be far more efficient, it is in my best interest to keep my word."

"Exactly," Fitz finished. Her eyes darted between Valery's body and Thalia's malicious gaze. The nidoqueen had all the power, and Fitz knew it. All she could do is hope her desperate attempt at a bargaining chip would be good enough for Valery's life.

"Give me the name," Thalia stated.

"Raksha," Fitz stated. "Now let Valery go."

Thalia looked at the pokemon in her paw with a scowl. Then, she loosened her grasp, allowing Valery to fall onto the floor. "Thank you for your co-operation."

"First we leave Harrier Town," Fitz stated. "Then I'll give you the information."

Thalia brought her arm up and swung it towards Fitz. A small, purple spike flew from the tip of Thalia's finger, embedding itself in Fitz' chest. A small stinging pain could be felt, then absolutely nothing. Fitz' entire body went numb, and she fell onto her side. _Poisoned..._ "Thank you for the name," Thalia said. "Now sleep."

Fitz' mind went blank. Her vision went black, and she was out cold.

Ryan looked towards Thalia with shock. "She didn't give you the rest of the information," he said. "Why did you knock her out?

"Because the name Raksha belongs to a head family. That family resides in a town at the Mystery Pocket in Howling Plains. She gave us all the information we needed."

"What now?" Ryan asked. "I'm assuming the Master wants the Sapphire Star more than Fitz."

"His wishes are to retrieve the girl, first," Thalia stated. "The Sapphire Star isn't going anywhere."

"Alright," Ryan said.

"As for the mienfoo," Thalia began. "Do exactly as I tell you. With this new mistake, you're treading on thin ice. Do not hesitate, or there _will_ be consequences. Do you understand?"

"What do you want me to do?"

* * *

(Howling Plains: Fericia Territory)

Dillan sat in his isolation, pacing the room. He had no clue what time it was. Could be day, could be night. He couldn't say either way. His eyes drifted across the metal walls of his cell.

At first, he was terrified. Waking up alone in the cell was awful. What made it even worse was the small fact that his miracle sense was seemingly useless outside of the smooth, metal walls that encompassed him. He could only sit in the darkness and wait for the clanking of a metal lock when Lily came to visit him.

So many questions flooded Dillan's mind the first time Lily had visited him. Where was he now? Why he was here? When could he leave? The answer to these questions were too much to handle. He recalled Lily's words hitting him like a pound of bricks, much like the truth does when you don't want to hear it.

"You're in an underground cell," Lily's words echoed in Dillan's head. "Since it was decided that you are not our Paladin, you are seen as a trespasser. Normally, the council would kill you. But because you are seen to some of Howling Plains as the true Paladin, they knew killing you would incite riots. The middle-ground is imprisoning you indefinitely."

Dillan walked over to the east wall, running his claws across its surface. He felt the indentations he had made with his "Dragon Claw" attack to mark the days he'd been here. _Six days... Six days I've been stuck down here like a criminal... like Arlon... And Ryan's out there, needing help... On top of it all, I still don't know what happened to Hazel..._ Dillan slammed his foot on the iron ground in frustration. He felt so useless just sitting here. He slammed his foot on the ground once again.

"Lily!" Dillan shouted. "Let me out! Please! Lily!"

The iron door gave a creak, and Dillan whipped around to face it. The midnight lycanroc stepped inside, eyes set on Dillan and claws wrapped around the Sapphire Star. She stood there for a few seconds before closing the door behind her. Dillan couldn't help but notice the bandages wrapped around her left arm and chest.

"You know I can't allow you to leave. It's against my tribe's rules."

"I can't stay here!" Dillan shouted.

"I recall your same statement the last time I came to visit," Lily stated. "And the time before that. And the time before that."

"My friend's in danger!" Dillan shouted. "He's being held against his will, and it's because of me!"

"I recall you stating that, as well."

"Then why won't you help me? Wouldn't you expect the same thing from me if you were in my place?"

"I would expect you to do what is needed to help your friends, as I am doing now."

Dillan shook his head. _Why doesn't she understand? Why won't she try and understand what I'm going through here?_ He gave a shout as he kicked the iron wall. Immediately, he regretted his decision as a dull pain shot itself up his foot. "Gah!" he shouted, dropping to his back-side as he ran the base of his claws around the outside of his foot.

"Don't be violent with me, lest you want a repeat of the last time you tried to escape."

"Why are you here?" Dillan asked through the pain. "To gloat? To remind me I'm just a prisoner? Or is it you want me to remember how useless I am?"

"I came to inform you of your charmeleon friend," Lily said.

Hearing the name of Hazel's species was enough to numb Dillan's pain. He looked at Lily in wide-eyed anticipation. "Is she alright?"

"She is... for now," Lily stated slowly.

"For now?" Dillan repeated worriedly. _What does she mean by, "For now"?_

Lily's eyes trailed off of Dillan and towards the left wall. She gave a sigh before stating, "When was the first time you noticed something... strange about your friend?"

"Strange?" Dillan asked.

"Let me rephrase," Lily said. "When was the first time you noticed she was abnormal?"

"You aren't making any sense," Dillan said, shaking his head. "What would be abnormal about Hazel?"

"Think about the question. Don't just answer without putting any thought into it."

"Why do you think I'd give you a thoughtful answer," Dillan asked. "I'm your prisoner, remember?"

Lily gave a huff. "I'm trying to help you _and_ your friend. Co-operating is in your best interest."

"And why's that?" Dillan questioned.

"There is something unnatural about your friend, and the council wants to kill her as a result."

Lily stopped there to let her words sink in, and it worked. Silence filled the air. Dillan felt sweat star to grow on his back. He was speechless. _They want to kill Hazel? But... why?_

"I know you don't understand or trust me," Lily continued. "But I'm trying to keep your friend alive. Even with my best efforts, at this rate, she may be killed."

"Why would they kill her?!" Dillan shouted frantically.

Lily was silent for a few seconds before stating, "Due to circumstantial evidence, the Council believes Hazel is allied with the evil forces of Ganderosa."

"But she isn't!" Dillan shouted in a vain attempt at convincing Lily. "She's been my friend from the beginning! We've been with each other through too much! If she was with the Enemy... Something would have stood out!"

"I realize that," Lily stated calmly. "That's why I'm here talking to you. Your friend hasn't been very forthcoming, even after learning about the possibility of death. I'm sorry to put this on you, but I need you to tell me what you know."

"I don't know anything about what you're talking about! But whatever evidence you have against her is wrong!"

"I highly doubt that," Lily stated. "Even so, I need whatever information you can give to me. I need you to tell me about anything – and I mean anything – abnormal about _-_ "

Lily was interrupted by the metal door scraping against the ground as it opened wide. A midnight lycanroc's head appeared from the crack. It wore a worried expression on its face. "Keeper Raksha," a pokemon announced from the door.

Lily glared at the lycanroc. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of an important discussion?" she said angrily.

"There's someone who wishes to speak with you immediately."

"Tell them to wait," Lily stated flatly as she turned back towards Dillan.

"It's an Outsider," the lycanroc stated. Lily's eyes widened at the word, and so did Dillan's. _An Outsider?_

Silence once again filled the room. Lily wore a face of shock and intrigue."I'm sorry, Mr. Gabite," Lily stated. To Dillan's surprise, she sounded worried. "But this is too urgent to postpone. This is where our conversation comes to an end."

"But Hazel-" Dillan began.

"My tribe's safety comes first." With that, Lily stood up and walked through the door. It shut behind her with a "clank" and Lily was gone, leaving Dillan in darkness.

Dillan felt like shouting, but that would get him nowhere. Besides, he had too much on his mind. _Coming here was the biggest mistake I've ever made... I'm stuck here in this box for the rest of my life, and Hazel's going to be killed for..._ Dillan's mind flashed back to Lily's question. _Something abnormal..._ He finally realized what it was she was referring to. _Hazel's flame... Back on Tom's ship it turned blue... Is that what Lily was talking about?_

Dillan stood up and walked to the door. _That must be it. I need Lily back in here before something bad happens to Hazel._ He was about to pound on the metal when... _Hazel... She must have not have told Lily about her flame... She probably would have known instantly, but didn't say anything... That's why Lily was here asking me. Hazel doesn't want Lily to know._ He mentally slapped himself. _And I was going to tell Lily. Why would you give that away? Hazel must have had a reason for not letting Lily know, so you can't say anything. But still... If Hazel's in trouble, then I need to do something... I need to get out and find her... I have to._

"Hey!" Dillan shouted. He slapped his fin on the door three times. "I-" Dillan stopped himself. The door to the cage slid open, revealing a dirt passageway. _They didn't lock the door... They forgot..._ Dillan was very confused. _Were they that worried about the outsider?_ He shook his head. _It doesn't matter. All that matters is finding Hazel and getting out of this crazy place._

Dillan closed his eyes and focused on the environment around him. His 'Miracle Sense' kicked in, revealing the long passageway sloping up a few feet ahead and ending at, what he could only guess was, the exit. There was something else. Two sets of feet were stationed outside the exit: both of them were quadrupeds.

Slowly walking forwards, Dillan was careful as to not make a single sound. When he got to the exit, his eyes were strained from the exposure to the light. He stood there for a few seconds, waiting for them to adjust. When they did, Dillan saw Howling Plains' hilly village outside his hole, along with two midday lycanroc standing side-by-side at Dillan's exit. _Guards..._

The lycanroc didn't seem to notice him, staring ahead at the hillside. None of them talked or even moved. They seemed content with just standing there. _If I'm getting out, I need to get past them... Ryan would probably attack from behind, getting the jump on one. After the first was down, he'd attack the second I the confusion. Alright... Plan A._

Dillan focused on both his fins. They extended into blue, glowing "Dragon Claw" attacks. Dillan gave a shout as he jumped at the guard. It didn't even have time to register Dillan's shout. He slashed at its back, leaving a big mark in its fur. The lycanroc gave a howl before tipping over onto its side. The other lycanroc – with a look of surprise – whipped around to face Dillan. Dillan immediately slammed his foot into the ground, a stone coming up and colliding with the pokemon's jaw. It gave a squeal as it flipped onto its back from the force. Dillan then slammed the floating stone with his claw, throwing the object at the lycanroc. It landed on top of its chest, and the pokemon was out cold.

Dillan couldn't help but brightly smile at his effectiveness. _It worked!_ He shouted internally. He couldn't believe it actually happened, but it did. _No. Focus. You'll have time to be impressed later. For now, you need to find Hazel._ He looked back at the hole he'd just emerged from. _If my hole had two guards, then Hazel's will probably have the same thing. So I'm looking for a hole with two guards posted next to it._

He gave a nod to his own plan before slowly making his way forward, being careful as to not be spotted.

* * *

After a minute or so of walking, Dillan was confused. Even after a minute, he expected to see someone. Instead, he found empty hills of grass and flowers. He started to relax, but also wonder where everyone was.

"I told you to leave this place!" a scratchy voice roared in the distance. _Lily?_ It sounded like her. At the same time, Lily didn't seem to ever shout. Hearing the lycanroc's voice bellow was unnerving. Dillan's curiosity began to take off. He began walking towards the voice, not only out of curiosity, but because it was in the same direction he was going, anyways.

He began climbing up a hill, staying as close to the ground as he could without crawling, and peaked his head up over the hill. From there, he saw everything.

At the bottom of the hill was a circular, leveled area that almost looked like a town center. A group of lycanroc were encircling two pokemon. Some lycanroc were sprawled out on the dirt, panting from pain, while most were on all-fours growling at the two center pokemon. Dillan recognized Lily as one of the pokemon. The other was a bipedal pokemon with blue scales and a lone horn...

After all this time. After all the hours spent searching for a lead. After all the days wondering if Dillan would ever find his friend again. It all fell on top of Dillan's chest like a million bricks.

Dillan's adrenaline took off. His heart began to beat at his chest. The back of his neck grew hot with worry, while his chest became filled with anger. He seemed unable to breath. It couldn't be possible. It couldn't be this simple: not after everything he'd been through.

Yet there she was. Standing in front of Lily was the bipedal lizard he'd been searching for. _Thalia..._ He felt like leaping over the side of the hill and confronting the nidoqueen. _It isn't possible... Even if I did manage to fight her... Beating her on my own would be next to impossible... And then I'd be taken by the lycanroc. There's no way out of that... But I can't let her get away!_ There was only one option in Dillan's head. _Wait for things to play out... If she gets into a fight with the lycanroc, I'm positive they'll weaken her. Then, she'll probably run. That'll be my chance to catch her off guard without the Lycanroc Tribe around to capture me._ It was a long shot, but he had to hope.

"I don't want a confrontation," Thalia stated. "All I want is the Sapphire Star."

"My tribe has protected this crystal for generations," Lily announced. She sounded absolutely infuriated. "Did you honestly think that you could simply walk into my town and simply steal it from us?"

"Stealing implies it wasn't my Master's to begin with," Thalia said calmly.

"You Master only wishes for destruction!"

"Believe what you will. It doesn't change the simple fact that I'm going to have the crystal."

"If a single pokemon truly wishes to fight for this crystal, then we will fight no matter what the cost."

Thalia stood there for a few seconds before scoffing. "You're making this more difficult than it has to be."

"Get out of Howling Plains before I end you myself-"

"Don't deceive yourself into believing that you can win, no matter how abnormal your ability is."

"Abnormal?" Dillan asked himself quietly. He recalled the major butt-kicking he'd received. He also remembered Lily not even touching him, yet she still managed to hurt him. _Yeah... I guess it was pretty abnormal. She didn't even have to touch me... But is it really abnormal? Isn't it just her ability?_

Lily grimaced, saying nothing. She only stared at Thalia, waiting. Thalia looked Lily directly in the eyes. "Why are you surprised?" Thalia asked. "You do know where that power comes from, don't you? Or have you lied to yourself enough to believe your god gave it to you?"

"Leave," Lily snarled. "Now."

The air became stagnant. Neither side knew what the other was going to do. Would the lycanroc jump Thalia or vice-versa?

"Raksha, was it?" Thalia asked. Lily said nothing. She didn't move, let alone breathe. "I warned you not to push me." Thalia's head turned towards the other lycanroc. "All the blood that will be spilled – all the lives that will be lost in Howling Plains for the future of Ganderosa – they are on your paws, and yours alone."

Thalia turned away from lily and began walking away. Lily made no attempt at stopping her, nor did the other lycanroc. The circle parted from Thalia, and she walked through them. _She can't get away!_

"Thalia!" Dillan shouted from the top of the hill. He jumped onto his feet and began darting down the hill-side. All the lycanroc's eyes turned from Thalia and went to Dillan, followed by gasps throughout the crowd. Thalia stopped in her tracks and turned towards the hill. As her eyes set on the gabite, a smile crept up from the corner of her mouth.

Dillan reached the bottom of the hill and made his way around the lycanroc. He stopped right in front of Thalia. The nidoqueen stood above him by a few feet, but it didn't matter to Dillan. The fear in his chest didn't matter either. All that mattered was this moment.

"The Paladin!" a lycanroc shouted. Some of the lycanroc amidst the crowd began cheering for Dillan, while most remained silent.

"Human," Thalia regarded.

Dillan looked at Thalia with a deep scowl. "Where's Ryan?" he asked sharply.

An even bigger smile swept across Thalia's face. It was unnerving, but not enough so to make Dillan back off. "Why would you want that pathetic ball of fur?" she asked.

"Where is he?!" Dillan demanded.

"You shouldn't shout at your opponents, human," Thalia said coldly. "It's unbecoming of a Guardian."

"You're going to tell me right now!" Dillan's fins extended into a blue light.

Thalia's face changed back into her usual, serious scowl, though Dillan could tell she was enjoying this. It frustrated him beyond belief. "I'm not here for you, gabite. If you wish to stay alive, I suggest you stand aside and allow me to take care of my Master's biggest concern."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what I want to know!"

Thalia stared at Dillan for a few seconds. He could feel her eyes as they moved over his body and came to rest upon his "Dragon Claw" attack. "I see you've gained some spine since the Alkan Islands. Intriguing."

"Gabite," Lily said from behind him. "This fight does not concern you."

Dillan said nothing. He waited for Thalia to make her move. Thalia's paw came out to her side, then above her head. "I will not hesitate to go out of my way and kill you," she warned. "I'm giving you one last chance to leave this place before I burn it to the ground."

"You'll do no such thing!" Lily called.

"And I'm giving you one last chance to tell me where you took my friend!" Dillan said.

"Then you've chosen your fate," Thalia stated. With one motion, Thalia lowered her paw, setting it in front of her. As soon as her arm dropped, silence. Other than hearts beating against eardrums, breaths were the only thing heard. It all changed in seconds.

From nearly every direction, Dillan heard shouts like battle cries. He whipped around to face the cries, which was his first mistake. The moment he turned, Thalia grabbed him by the neck and threw him deep into the lycanroc circle. He collided with multiple stones protruding from the creatures, and his head spun.

"I warned you, human," Thalia said from the distance. "Now you can fight for your life."

Dillan struggled to get onto his feet: mainly because of how dizzy he felt. When he managed to stand, he heard chants from all around, as well as growls. Looking around, Dillan found himself encircled in lycanrocs who were all on all-fours, creating a perfect line of sight for the real threat.

No matter which way Dillan turned, he found himself facing a circle of nuzleaf. They were the source of the chants. Each one wore either an expression of anticipation or anger, but each one seemed ready to attack. Dillan felt his heart sink. _We're surrounded._

"Just like that..." Lily said with shock. Dillan found the lycanroc was right next to him, on the inside of the circle. "They were everywhere... How did we not see them until now..."

"The Mystery Dungeons hide anything my Master wishes," Thalia stated from behind the nuzleaf. "Thinking you were ever safe in his domain was foolish."

"Well, Paladin," Lily said. "Whether you were chosen or not no longer matters. You're in this with us either way."

Dillan's eyes were set on Thalia, who stood above all the nuzleaf. He watched as she turned away from the fight and began walking away. _No! She can't get away now! Not now!_

"Thalia!" Dillan shouted frantically.

"Kill them," Thalia stated.

"Thalia!"

All that happened next was too much to process for the gabite. The nuzleaf gave a massive shout in unison as they all charged at the lycanroc. At the same time, the lycanroc howled into the air and pounced. Rocks were thrown about the entire courtyard, accompanied by leaves and dirt from uncontrolled attacks. Time itself seemed to slow down as chaos erupted.

But none of it mattered.

Dillan tore across the court-yard towards his target: Thalia. A tornado of leaves appeared out of nowhere, spinning next to him. Dillan leaped to the side and out of the tornado's range. The only problem was he landed on top of a nuzleaf. The pokemon glared at the gabite who sat on top of it. Dillan slashed at the nuzleaf with his fin. As it shouted from the pain, Dillan felt what seemed like a knife scrape against his back-fin. He whipped around and found a new nuzleaf wielding a blade of grass, just like the one Arlon had, except this sword had its own handle, and the nuzleaf seemed to wield it like a mace. It spun around, swinging the sword with it. Dillan slashed at the sword with his fins, deflecting it away from him so he could slash once more at the nuzleaf. It gave a shout but wasn't down for the count.

A new pain originating from Dillan's ankle erupted. Dillan shouted as he fell on his knee. He looked back. The previous nuzleaf was back, and it was swinging its head-leaf back and forth. Which each pass of its leaf, miniature leaves seemed to appear out of thin air, making their way towards Dillan. The gabite lunged at the ground, shoveling dirt as he moved. Within a second, he was deep enough to avoid the "Razor Leaf" attack. He immediately turned around and emerged underneath the second nuzleaf, launching it into the air. It gave a final shout before it was out. _One down..._

Dillan landed on the ground and faced the first nuzleaf. It gave a shout as it lunged at Dillan. Dillan's fins extended, ready to defend himself, but he didn't get the chance. Out of nowhere, a flash of a raspberry color tackled the nuzleaf. The midnight lycanroc then swung a glowing tail through the air and slammed the nuzleaf in the chest. Dillan caught merely a glimpse of the lycanroc before a flash of blue light originating from its chest blinded Dillan. When Dillan regained his sight, the lycanroc was gone. He looked around quickly, finding another flash of raspberry accompanied by a holler of pain. That's when Dillan noticed the blue star hanging around the lycanroc's neck before it blinded those around her, covering Lily in a blue light. Then, she moved on to the next target.

 _That's Lily... She's using the Sapphire Star's light to blind pokemon... Lily-_ Dillan felt a dull pain on the back of his head. It felt like a brick had been thrown into his skull. Dillan dizzily turned around, finding a nuzleaf was staring him down, its fist glowing. It struck at Dillan once again, but the gabite side-stepped the attack. He then slashed at the nuzleaf. It gave a shout of pain as it fell forwards. It rolled into a lycanroc and attempted to stand. However, the lycanroc bit down on its neck. Almost immediately following the bite, fire exploded from the lycanroc's mouth, bathing its teeth in flames. After that, the nuzleaf passed out.

Dillan turned around in a circle. _Where's Thalia!_ Before he could give a thorough view of the area, Dillan felt a stabbing pain in his side. He gave a shout as he fell forwards. Dillan landed on the dirt and looked behind him at a nuzleaf wielding a new blade of grass. It grinned at Dillan, watching him pant with delight. _There's no end to them... How am I suppose to find Thalia like this?_

The nuzleaf brought up his blade and was about to drop it on the gabite. Dillan brought his glowing fins up to his face for protection. That's when a midday lycanroc lunged at the nuzleaf from out of nowhere. The nuzleaf gave a scream as the lycanroc slashed unrelentingly at its opponent. Only when the nuzleaf stopped moving did the lycanroc get off of it and found a new target.

 _The moment I take my mind from the fight I get-_ Dillan looked to his right and found a stream of leaves flying towards him. The gabite jumped forwards, narrowly avoiding the attack. _Fine... I need to survive... Hopefully, if we can win, Thalia will show her face to finish the job herself..._ With that thought, Dillan leaped at his latest opponent, determined to win.

* * *

There was seemingly no end to the fight. Dillan had no clue how long it had been since the battle had begun. All he knew was the fighting went on for too long.

As Dillan slashed once more at a downed nuzleaf, he felt his muscles scream. With one final cry of pain, the enemy pokemon was rendered unconscious. Dillan felt like joining it. He felt so weary from all the slashing and dodging, he was ready to collapse.

Looking around, Dillan found himself surrounded by even more nuzleaf. There were so many, the lycanroc tribe was being overrun. Over half of the lycanroc – midnight and midday – were sprawled across the grass. The ones who were conscious looked exactly like Dillan: ready to collapse. Even Lily looked about ready to collapse. In a flash of light, Dillan noticed the tired lycanroc lash out at an opponent. Her arms moved more from a swinging motion instead of a forceful attack. Then, she stopped.

Lily began panting as she looked at the chaos around her. She wore a grim expression, looking about ready to fall over.

Dillan heard cries of pains from all around him. The smell of blood tainted the air. Multiple nuzleaf were ganging up on the lycanrocs. They were outnumbered two-to-one. Hopelessness began to creep up on the gabite. Then, he felt a stabbing pain in his back. He was very worried to find it didn't hurt very much.

The nuzleaf behind him had plunged its sword across Dillan's fin. Looking backwards, he realized the gash wasn't superficial, but it also wasn't enough to scar him. Still... _Shouldn't it hurt more than that?_ He whipped around unsteadily. The moment he planted his feet, he felt himself swaying. _How much more of this can I take? I'm too tired to fight more nuzleaf, let alone fifty of them... Is it over? Is this the end?_

Dillan shook his head. _Dang it, Dillan! You can't give up! You can't give in, yet! Ryan's counting on you! And pokemon are dying around you! You need to fight!_

Dillan gave a shout into the air as he mustered up what little energy he had left. He focused on his fins as they extended once more, and Dillan charged at the nuzleaf ahead. He was determined not to surrender. He had to win. He had to.

"Fall back!" Thalia's voice echoed from behind the nuzleaf. _F-fall back?_ Dillan stopped in his tracks, eyes kept on the nuzleaf. Yet he was confused.

The nuzleaf in front of Dillan grinned at the gabite before its green sword dissipated into sparks. It turned around and ran off, along with the other nuzleaf from around Dillan. They ran straight towards the nidoqueen in the distance.

"What are they up t-" a midnight lycanroc began before it grimaced in pain. It slapped its left paw to its side.

"Save your strength," Lily said. Dillan looked to his right and found the keeper standing next to him. She didn't face him, nor the other lycanroc. She only stared towards Thalia.

When the last nuzleaf joined the rest of his group, they all bowed to Thalia. She paid no attention to them. Instead, Thalia looked on at what remained.

"Take a look around, all of you," Thalia shouted. "Was this truly worth it all?"

Dillan looked around him and was horrified by the sight. The first look he'd ever gotten of Howling Plains was beautiful. Now, all that beauty was ruined. Instead of luscious fields of grass and flowers scattered across the hills, there were blotches of dirt and uprooted foliage caused by misdirected or evaded attacks. There were even holes in the stony town center where they stood. Different hills had collapsed due to the shock they had received, flooding the homes underneath in soil and rock.

And the bodies. There were dozens of lycanroc and nuzleaf alike, all with wounds. Some were hacking from the pain and damage they'd received while others were lying dead on the stone. It was the most gruesome thing Dillan had ever seen. And what's worse: he contributed to this desecration of life.

Guild overwhelmed Dillan's emotions. He stared at the ground as he fell to his knees out of exhaustion and shock.

"You see what you've brought upon yourselves?" Thalia shouted.

"We brought this?!" Lily shouted in rage. "You damn murderer!"

"Hand me the Sapphire Star," Thalia said. "Hasn't there been enough bloodshed over something you don't begin to understand?"

"As Keeper of the Sapphire Star, I would rather die than hand my crystal to Ganderosa's Enemies!"

"You may be willing to die for it," Thalia stated. "But are they?"

"Of course we are!" Lily shouted. "My tribe has defended the Sapphire Star for generations! If you honestly think that we would hand it over now, then-"

"Thalia," someone interrupted.

That caught Dillan's attention. He looked up from the ground and to his right. Lily was standing there, grimacing at something behind the gabite. Dillan looked behind him and found a group of lycanroc who were all staring at Lily with a sort of fear behind each of their eyes. At the front of the group, five lycanroc stood proudly. Dillan recognized them as the council.

"Council members?" Lily asked.

"Give us some time to consider your offer," the orange lycanroc, Zoya, stated. _What?_

Dillan felt his jaw drop. He was absolutely stunned by their answer.

"You..." Lily began. Dillan turned his attention towards the lycanroc. Her face was drained of all color. Her jaw loosened and her eyes widened as she stated, "You're considering her offer?"

"We have to think about our tribe," Biopelo said. "And right now, we're unsure whether our purpose is worth dying over."

"And not all of us enjoy this decision," Zoya said. "But we must consider all options that present themselves carefully."

"This is outrageous!" Lily roared. "Not a week ago, you all agreed the Sapphire Star and its Paladin were our tribe's top priority! Now you want to throw it all away for your own lives?"

"Keeper Raksha, stand down," Imari ordered.

"Imari," Lily said. "You've been with me through thick and thin. You can't seriously be against me on this!"

"My voice has been drowned out by that of the tribe," Imari stated. "Therefore, what I think is irrelevant. I must go along with this plan, whether I like it or not, and so do you."

Lily's eyes darted between all five lycanroc. She was at a loss for words. Dillan watched from his position as the Keeper's paw moved up towards the Sapphire Star, which made Dillan's heart flip.

"This is truly your decision?" Lily asked.

"We are only considering our options!" Biopelo bellowed.

"Biopelo," Zoya warned.

"Try and understand, Lily," Imari said.

"I am," Lily stated coldly. "I've been trying to understand the Council's decisions for a long time."

"Arrogant child!" Biopelo began.

"As Keeper of our tribe's most treasured possession, let me speak against _you_ and the Council regarding their decision to give up the very object _our_ family has protected!" Lily growled.

Biopelo scowled at Lily, but said nothing. The rest of the council remained silent as well, allowing the keeper to continue.

" _My_ purpose was to find the Paladin for our tribe to take the Sapphire Star, yet the second I choose him, the Council attacks my decision! When our tribe was on the verge of war, all you five could do was talk, and not one of you acted to restore peace! When I retrieved and brought back the Sapphire Star, you scolded me, and would have me killed if not for my position! Even if you are not simply handing the Sapphire Star to the nidoqueen, considering it is still a betrayal of our standards as the tribe of Howling Plains! And I won't have any part in this bastardization of our traditions."

In a split second, Dillan recognized all of the emotions Lily was showing: where all the anger came from. He'd seen it before in Hazel's face. Lily didn't wear a face of sadness, or one of shock. She didn't seem afraid or even furious. no. Her face was one of brokenness. It was the same face Hazel wore when she came back into the Guild after meeting with her father. It was the same one she wore when she shared her emotions in the Alkan Islands. Lily's face was that of a pokemon who had lost all hope and faith in what she believed in.

The lycanroc turned away from the council and departed left towards the hill. Dillan looked back towards Thalia. A slight smile crept up the corner of her mouth as she stared down the remaining lycanroc tribe.

"You've heard what we have to say, nidoqueen," Zoya stated.

"If time to discuss is all you need, then we will be waiting," Thalia stated. "But keep in mind that if anyone tries to leave Howling Plains, I will take that as denial towards my proposition, and no one will be left alive."

"Agreed," Biopelo said.

With that, Thalia turned around and said, "Move out." The nuzleaf, as well as Thalia, walked away into the distance.

Dillan's eyes moved towards the Council. The five began walking away down a path, followed by the remaining lycanroc. All that remained was the carnage with Dillan in the center. _She stopped the attack... and gave them a chance to live..._

Dillan didn't know what to do. Thalia had all the control in this situation. If someone tried to escape, they'd be killed. If they said no, they'd be killed. If they said yes, the Enemy would have the Sapphire Star. Jake would be one step closer to ending the entire world, and Dillan couldn't let that happen. They were out of options. All that was left was to die.

* * *

(Author's Notes)

I'm going to start cutting back on the long paragraphs for chapters starting now (not sure if I promised this before, but it's happening now!).

So, admittedly, not my longest chapters, and I'm sorry about that. But on the other hand, everything that happens next felt better to be in its own chapter. So, I'm cool with that. So what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry I have to do this to you guys, and I'm not sorry because I think it'll work out better in the end. :P

Shout-out to "BigSplosion", "Sylveon User Eclipse", and "King Eevee" for following/favoriting the story! I can't tell you enough how happy I am to see you guys like it! :D

That's all, guys! Thanks for sticking with the story and reading the latest installment to "Shadows of Ganderosa"! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!


	39. The Final Purpose of Keeper Raksha

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 39

The Final Purpose of Keeper Raksha

* * *

(Howling Plains: Fericia Territory)

Focusing on her tail-flame, Hazel watched as she made it grow and shrink at will. It was fascinating to her how curious she was about something she'd lived with her whole life. Most pokemon would be surprised to see there was an actual fire, like it was some sort of urban legend for her species. However, since her conversation with Lily, she viewed it as a reminder of what might be.

Ever since the Alkan Islands, Hazel hadn't had even the slightest of an opportunity to think about her flame turning blue. _I wish I'd thought about it sooner... before it got me into trouble... But can I really blame myself? With Team Armageddon and searching for Ryan, I haven't had a chance to really relax and think..._ She looked around at her prison and chuckled. _I guess that's one perk of being locked in here..._

Hazel stared into the red flame. She watched it grow and shrink as it shone light onto the shadows, forcing them to crawl back and forth along the walls. Her mind went back to Lesley Bartholemule the eevee. She remembered asking the pokemon what exactly they were doing there. Out of all the jargon Leslie spewed, there was one thing that stood out above the rest.

"We believe there's a mutation in feral pokemon," he said in her head. "If our research is proven to be true, this mutation exists throughout the entire body from the brain to the toes. The dominant effect it has on pokemon is most likely in the brain, causing them to lose personality and control of their bodies."

"Hypothetically, can it affect other parts in a feral?" Hazel questioned.

"It may," Leslie stated. "We would need to run tests and acquire more data, but I guess it is possible."

 _Possible..._ Hazel thought, coming back to the iron room and her tail-flame. _The theory most agree upon is that pokemon lost in a mystery dungeon are the ones who become feral..._ Her mind flipped back to another memory: one she had been dwelling on for a long time.

 _"I'm going to kill you for being a stopping point in my plan!"_ Jake's cold voice echoed in Hazel's mind. Merely hearing the voice in her head was enough to send her skin into small convulsions.

 _The first time I'd met Jake... was in the Lantern Fields..._ She remembered the fear of that moment, as if the creature were threatening her directly rather than Dillan, but Jake wasn't the reason Hazel recalled on that memory.

No, it was something else: something she hadn't considered until Leslie talked about mutations in ferals. _That day, we were attacked by Tom... His water attack came at us, and we- no... I panicked. It wasn't my best decision, but..._ Hazel kicked herself mentally. _I led us off of that path..._ Hazel's paw and tail began to shake. _And then there's Lily... She knows. She can sense whatever it is inside of me... She can tell I'm... unnatural..._

Hazel's mind went back to one final place of her past: a recent place, in fact. She recalled that a day or two ago (hard to remember specifics when you're alone in the dark) when her door clanked open, revealing a pair of red glowing eyes. The panic and fear in her chest was unbearable. _Jake..._ she thought. Then, the flame's light danced across Lily's face, revealing the lycanroc to Hazel.

"You were frightened?" Lily questioned.

Hazel wasn't about to open up to a complete stranger, let alone her captor. So, instead of answering, Hazel stated, "Are you here to interrogate me?"

"That depends on you," Lily stated. She walked deeper into the room, shutting the iron door behind her. She then sat down in front of Hazel. "This could be, as you put it, an interrogation, or it could be a friendly discussion."

"Neither works for me," Hazel stated.

Lily sighed. She stared at Hazel, thinking to herself. Her eyes went up and down the charmeleon's body as if she were some sort of oddity to be observed through a vial. "Who do you work for?"

"You know, the last guard asked me the same thing. Would you like the same answer I gave to him, or something different?"

"It depends on whether it was the truth or not."

Hazel smiled. She didn't see any reason not to answer this question. It was simple, and wouldn't get her into any trouble should she answer it to the best of her abilities. "A few months ago, I would have said the Guild's."

"And what about now?"

"Now?" Hazel thought about the answer. "Well... Now I'm trying to do what's right... So I guess you could say I work for the good guys."

"And what of your aura?" Lily questioned.

Hazel thought about the question while wearing a confused stare. _My... aura? Like... that stuff lucario see?_

"You lost me..." Hazel said.

"Let me explain, then rephrase my question.

"I am what my tribe calls a Keeper. I safe-guard this jewel." She motioned towards the Sapphire Star which shone dimly around her neck. "As a result, I have a sort of bond with it that no other has. It tells me things. And currently, it is telling me something is off about you, charmeleon.

"But I don't need the Sapphire Star to tell me that. I can sense your aura is tainted by something I have only seen once before."

"I'm still not following."

Lily sighed. She looked to the left and wore a thoughtful expression. "Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary about yourself?"

Hazel's mind immediately flipped back through the pages of her brain to the blue flame that danced on the tip of her tail. Her paw instinctively moved towards her tail and grasped it.

"Hiding won't get you anywhere," Lily said flatly. "Your ability, like most charmeleon, is blaze?"

"What does that have to do with anything...?"

"My ability is one called 'No Guard'." Lily out-stretched her left paw. "When I am engaged in combat, I cannot miss my opponent, nor can he miss me." She swiped through the air in front of her making, Hazel jump slightly. "Do not worry. As I said, I must be engaged in battle. Although, my ability is special."

"If by, 'Special' you mean it's rare in your species, then I already know."

"No," Lily said. "Although it's true for 'No Guard', it is not true for me. I may possess 'No Guard', but what I have is an enhanced ability.

"Under normal circumstances, 'No Guard' would act as a sort of 'possession', if you will, over my body. I give up part of my own control for my attacks to never miss. The down-side is that I am unable to dodge moves or block.

"All of these things are true for a regular 'No Guard' ability."

"But you don't have a regular 'No Guard'?" Hazel questioned.

Lily shook her head in response. "No one knows why, but we suspect it has something to do with this." She grabbed the Sapphire Star and held it up in the air for Hazel to see. "Each Keeper has been granted extraordinary powers. We suspect it's due to constant exposure to this simple crystal. Our natural abilities have been enhanced, making us harder to conquer in battles.

"My ability is better than what others with the same ability would expect. I can merely strike the air in any direction I wish, and my opponent will feel the full extent of my attack as if I had struck at them directly."

"Your ability is different..." Hazel trailed off. She looked at the ground for a few seconds, unsure of what to say. _Wait... My ability..._

"I suspect your ability is also different, or 'enhanced'," Lily said. "I assume you have the ability 'Blaze'."

 _Is that why my tail-flame goes out when I'm about to lose: why it re-ignites and turns blue? It's triggered by my "Blaze"?_ Hazel looked up at Lily and asked, "Are you sure that the Sapphire Star is what gave you your enhanced ability?"

"Positive," Lily stated. "But I understand why you ask. You, a pokemon who has never even come into contact with the Sapphire Star, has an enhanced ability. So you wonder how it is that occurs.

"That is what brings us to the reason we are here. I wish to know the same."

 _This is wrong... How does she know about my ability? It can't be that simple... can it?_

Nevertheless, Hazel closed her mouth. Even if Lily was being honest with her, she didn't want to give the lycanroc the upper-hand. After all, Hazel was, and still is, Lily's prisoner.

* * *

Hazel came out of the memory. She felt as though she was half way between denial and acceptance, neither option being a good one. _Denial would be ignoring what's right in front of me, whereas acceptance would mean coming to grips with what it all entails... But... Why hasn't Dillan shown any signs of an enhanced ability? Maybe it hasn't been triggered yet... Maybe-_

Hazel's thoughts were interrupted by the clanking of metal and the scraping of the door. Hazel looked towards the opening and noticed the midnight lycanroc standing in the doorway, but something was off. She looked weary, and other than the bandages around her waist and left arm she'd been wearing for the last few days, she had cuts, bruises, and scrapes all over her body.

Hazel scowled at the lycanroc. "What happened to y-"

"Just shut up and listen," Lily snapped. "I'm letting you go."

Hazel was taken aback by the statement. Out of everything that could have occurred, this was the most unlikely.

"Why?" Hazel asked suspiciously.

"Howling Plains is about to be overrun with intruders."

That shocked Hazel even more than the first comment. "What?!" she exclaimed.

"No one can leave here without condemning everyone to be slaughtered, but I figured you would rather die along-side your friend than down here in isolation."

"Where's Dillan?"

"The last time I saw him, he was in the town center." When Lily finished, she turned from Hazel and walked towards the exit.

"Lily, wait!" Hazel called out.

"I suggest hiding until this all blows over," Lily said coldly. "Take care of yourself." With that, Lily exited the iron room, leaving the door open behind her and Hazel in thought.

 _As short as that was, she seemed frustrated... And she said something about intruders- Hazel stopped herself. Intruders, and she's hurt... Dillan._ Hazel jumped to her feet and tore through the open door to find her friend. _Please be okay..._

* * *

Hazel tore down pathway after pathway, not caring for the scowls and worried glances cast her way by injured lycanroc. But seeing all the injured pokemon around her made her worry even more for the gabite's safety. Normally, Dillan had his friends to watch his back in a battle. _If he was involved in something that injured so many pokemon- No! He'll be alright. He'll be fine... He'll-_

Coming up to a clearing in the hills, the smell of blood lingered in the air along with a chilly breeze. Hazel stopped herself, not easily able to move. She was scared of what she would find waiting for her on the other side of the hills. Would it be her friend lying dead in the center? Would he be heavily injured? The thoughts were killing her. Still, she began walking towards the center of town.

 _Be alright... Be alright... Be alright..._

As she passed the last hill, Hazel was faced with horror. The Town Center was a circle of stone and rubble. There were injured or killed pokemon everywhere, being taken care of by two or three surviving lycanroc. Hazel was shocked to find nuzleaf among the dead. The Enemy... Her eyes traced the entire mass until they set on a lone, blue fin jutting up from the mass of beige and raspberry.

"Dillan!" Hazel called out as she sprinted over pokemon to her friend.

She was feet from him when she stopped. The gabite was kneeling over, quivering. Hazel looked at all the gouges and scratches across the gabite's body. Her breathing became unsteady, and her paws shook.

"H-hey," Hazel stuttered.

Dillan looked up at Hazel. She saw his tear-stained expression as his face lit up. He jumped to his feet and faced the charmeleon. "Y-you're alright!" Dillan said with joy.

"Are you alright?" Hazel asked worriedly.

Dillan's face tensed up and he looked away. "Uh... no... No, I'm not."

"Are you hurt?" she asked quickly, worrying about the gabite. "Is it serious?"

"She's here," Dillan said. "Thalia's here."

"Thalia?!" Hazel exclaimed. It took a few seconds to get Hazel's mind off of Dillan's wounds and onto the nidoqueen, as it does for all who have to shift mental gears. "When was she here? Where did she go?"

"She's making a deal with the Lycanroc Council. She's here for the Sapphire Star, and she'll kill everyone if she doesn't get it."

"Well, we can't give it to her," Hazel stated. "That would be giving up."

"I know that," Dillan said. The forceful nature of his voice rose with the tension in his eyes. "But what else are we suppose to do? We can't fight her, and running isn't an option, either. We're stuck."

"No," Hazel said flatly. "We aren't stuck."

"Everyone here's dead!" Dillan shouted. "And it's because they tried to fight Thalia! We're just... stuck!"

Hazel shook her head. _He's not taking any of this well... and I don't blame_ him. Hazel's eyes drifted across he battlefield. They landed on multiple pokemon, each expression etched permanently across their faces by death. The simple horror was enough to make Hazel shudder. And to think that Dillan had caused some of this horror- _No... You can't dwell on that... As horrid as it is, dwelling on this right now won't help anyone. We need to move on and prioritize_ _._ "Has he Council given up, yet?"

"From what I heard, they're still considering it..."

"Then that's where we'll start," Hazel stated. She walked away from Dillan and towards a group of lycanroc who were busy examining one of their injured comrades.

"Excuse me," Hazel stated softly. The lycanroc looked towards her and began growling. Hazel put her paws up in the air, saying, "I'm not your enemy. I only want to know where your council meets."

The two lycanroc scowled at her, then looked towards each other. When no one interjected, the right one looked at Hazel and said, "Down that path to the left. It'll be the burrow with the shades over the door."

"Thank you," Hazel said with a bow. She then walked away from the lycanroc and towards the left path. "Come on," she said to Dillan.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"We're going to meet with the Council."

* * *

"We're at a stalemate," a voice shouted from inside.

Hazel was confronted with a hill and a hole in the side where a veil sat blocking out the light. Shouting and arguing could be heard from the inside of the burrow ahead.

"This is it," Dillan said. "I'm not sure you can convince them of anything. You know... being an outsider and all."

"We still have to try," Hazel said. "And I refuse to lay down and wait to be killed."

Hazel walked forwards, pushing away the veil and walked in the room. The moment light filled the burrow, the five arguing lycanroc silenced and looked towards Hazel. She felt uncomfortable with all the eyes resting on her, but what she needed to convince them of was too important to show doubts. So, she kept her confident gaze set on the lycanroc before her.

"You!" Biopelo shouted. "How did you escape?!"

"That's not your biggest concern, is it?" Hazel questioned.

"Be gone, child," Imari stated.

"Leave before we make sure you can't interrupt our discussion ever again," Zoya said.

"You're all thinking about giving the Sapphire Star to Thalia?" Hazel questioned.

"The nidoqueen?" Shaka, the first midday, asked.

"It is only being considered," Imari said.

"Speak for yourself!" Biopelo bellowed.

"Agreed," the midnight, Dage, said.

"Then you're undecided?" Hazel asked.

"I would use the word 'torn'," Imari said. "Councilman Biopelo and Councilwoman Dage agree that we should hand the Sapphire Star to the nidoqueen for the betterment of our tribe, while Zoya and myself agree that we should fight for our traditions."

"Why are you telling her this?" Dage questioned. "She is an outsider, and has no rights in this debate."

"She has every right," Dillan cut in. All eyes set on him, and he shrunk down slightly. "I-I mean... Neither of us can leave until Thalia's dealt with. One way or another, we're involved..."

"It disturbs me to see that _thing_ is in our council-room," Zoya said.

"Thalia wants me dead as much as you," Hazel stated. "I'm not with her, and I haven't been this entire time."

"There's also the fact that we haven't arrived at a decision," Dage said.

"No," Biopelo corrected. "Councilwoman Shaka hasn't decided."

"Nevertheless," Zoya said. "It leaves us at a stalemate."

"Think of it this way," Biopelo urged. "We'll all die if we don't hand her the Sapphire Star! In the end, she will have it! Is it not more logical to hand it to her so we may survive?"

"But that would be betraying our whole traditions, as well as our purpose," Imari protested. "We came into Howling Plains to escape from the outside, no matter the dangers lied here!"

"Don't forget the countless tribesmen who have died for us to live," Zoya said calmly. "To surrender the Sapphire Star would be ignoring their sacrifice."

"The same argument can be made for our point of view," Dage said. "They died so we could live. To sacrifice our lives in a hopeless fight would make no sense."

"But what about your beliefs?" Hazel interjected. "From what I've heard about your tribe, you all hold your traditions and beliefs above your own lives. Wouldn't it feel wrong to give all that up now?"

The council looked at each other, evaluating Hazel's answer. "I agree with the charmeleon," Zoya said. "It would be a betrayal of our beliefs."

"Little charmeleon," Shaka began. "From what I understand, beliefs and traditions are there to serve future generations on what is morally correct. Would you agree?"

"I guess so," Hazel said. She never really thought about it, nor did she ever have time to think about it.

"I am close to a decision, but I want you to answer one final question. What purpose do our beliefs and traditions serve if we die here? What is left of beliefs and traditions when there is no future generation?"

Hazel was caught off guard by the question. She opened her mouth to reply, but couldn't think of anything to say. She was at a complete loss for words.

"Then I have decided," Shaka stated.

"If I may interject," a new, scratchy voice stated. Hazel turned around and saw a burst of light accompanied by the midnight lycanroc, Lily.

"Keeper Raksha!" Biopelo roared. "How dare you intrude on such an important meeting!"

"Allow me to say one final word," Lily snapped. She walked right past Hazel and Dillan and straight up to the pedestal where the Council sat. "This entire tribe's lives were all based around one sole purpose: he Sapphire Star. None of us would not be here today if it weren't for our tribe's duty to protect the crystal.

"Now that I've said my peace, Councilman Shaka can decide the tribe's fate."

Lily said nothing more, waiting for Shaka to make his decision. Shaka gave a deep sigh and stated, "My voice has always belonged to the well being of our entire tribe. Until now, I have had a difficult time deciding whether that means surrendering the Sapphire Star, or following through on our traditions... though I see now that traditions are only there to keep the tribe intact. To follow through with them now would mean condemning the Lycanroc Tribe to extinction."

Hazel's eyes grew wider upon hearing those words. "When I was talking about traditions, I didn't mean-" Lily's arm came up, urging Hazel to stop. Hazel did just that, though she was very worried about what she had just done.

Biopelo gave a slight smile while Dage stood there with a sort of contentedness about him, though Imari and Zoya both looked displeased with Shaka's response.

"Then the council will surrender the Sapphire Star?" Zoya asked Shaka.

"Agreed," Biopelo, Imari, and Shaka stated in unison.

Zoya looked at her fellow council members for a few seconds, saying nothing. They all seemed to wait for Zoya's final say in the matter. Hazel felt as though she was about to fall over from worry. _Someone intervene... Somebody stop this..._

Finally, after a few agonizing seconds, Zoya turned to Lily and stated, "Motion passed."

"No..." Hazel said under her own breath.

"Keeper Raksha," Biopelo stated with a triumphant tone. "The Council has decided that it is in the best interest of this tribe to hand the Sapphire Star to the nidoqueen."

"We will continue to survive... beyond the protection Howling Plains has provided us."

"Keeper Raksha," Imari began. He stared at Lily intensely. "I'm sorry for the strain this must put on you."

"Let's end the formalities, Councilman Imari," Biopelo said. He turned towards Lily and stated, " _Miss_ Raksha," he regarded emphasizing "miss". "The Sapphire Star, if you would."

Lily looked at the council in utter shock. "Zoya," she began. "I expected this from the one who distanced himself from his own kin: the one who abandoned his duties because he didn't have the same connections I have with the Sapphire Star... But you?! You now this is wrong! For generations we've been the defenders of-"

"Raksha," Zoya said. "The Council has made it's decision. My personal feelings no longer matter, nor are they needed."

"And you, Imari!" Lily roared. Imari looked at Lily with a concerned gaze: one that didn't dare to remove itself from the midnight's cold eyes. "You've always been there for me: always! When the Council would see me killed for the very job they assigned to me, you stepped in and saved me! You pointed out to me that I still served a purpose to our tribe! Now you want to abandon everything for a chance at survival?! What makes you think that the nidoqueen truly means to honor her word?! We'd be sacrificing it all for nothing!"

"Lily," Imari began. The two lycanroc's continued to stare intensely at each other. Lily shook her head in disbelief, but it didn't deter Imari from stating what he had to. "If what you are saying is true, then war is inevitable, and it always has been." He gave a deep sigh. Hazel found a lone tear drop from the corner of Imari's eye. "The Council has made its decision... and that can never be undone. But... Even if we were to defeat the nuzleaf tribe, most of us would never be able to compete with that nidoqueen. Her power is on a different level than any member of the council.

Even though I question whether our decision was the correct one, there was never a way out for everyone. With that said – keeping in mind the council's decision regarding the Sapphire Star – I want you to remember that I have always been on your side, and I will continue to support you in every endeavor you choose, whether it contradicts traditions or not. Do you understand?"

Lily's breath staggered, drawing Hazel's attention to her face. Hazel looked up, seeing the lycanroc's face was bathed in shock. Her breath was unsteady, and her paw was shaking. Hazel couldn't tell whether it was from anger or horror, both about the council's decision.

"Imari..." Lily said quietly.

"Enough of this foolishness," Dage said. "Raksha, the Sapphire Star."

Lily looked left towards Dillan. He was staring at the lycanroc with worry. "Don't..." he said.

Lily shook her head. "You have no clue what a prison this is to me," she stated. A slight curl found itself at the corner of Lily's mouth. "Yet..." She turned to Imari and said, "Thank you for helping me realize what I need to do next. Although, I'm sorry to say this is the last time I see you all."

"The Sapphire Star," Biopelo demanded.

Zoya raised an eyebrow at Lily's statement. "Are you considering-"

"No," Lily stated. "Considering would imply I haven't made up my mind." She gripped the Sapphire Star between her claws and squeezed. "This is my prison, though I refuse to surrender it to a force who would use it to decimate our tribe."

Gasps erupted from the council. Each one looked at Lily with either shock or awe: everyone other than Imari. He just looked at Lily with a saddened expression as another tear fell from his cheek.

"You dare to deny the council's decision?!" Biopelo roared. A vein on his forehead began pulsating from underneath his wrinkled skin.

"I dare," Lily announced pridefully.

"Foolish girl," Zoya said. " hate this decision as much as you, but-"

"That's where you're wrong, councilwoman," Lily said. "If you hated this as much as me, you would join me. Instead, you'll accompany the rest of the tribe as you run away from our current dilemma."

"You understand that this is treason?" Dage asked.

"Hence this being the last time I see you."

Shaka began growling at Lily. "This is your last opportunity to surrender the lycanroc tribe's relic!"

"You gave up the right when you agreed to this betrayal of tradition and honor!" Lily snapped. "So allow me to give you a few parting words before I leave you to your pitiful excuse for lives!

"Run as fast and a far as your legs may allow! May I suggest traveling north to the forest?"

"You can suggest whatever you like," Biopelo said. "None of it changes the simple fact that you will not be leaving here alive!"

"Run," Lily repeated. "Run from the chaos that will follow! After what I must do, your lives depend on it."

"Damn you!" Biopelo roared.

The wrinkled lycanroc leaped over the pedestal and lunged at Lily. Her tail glowed bright throughout the room, blinding all from the sudden exposure of light. Hazel could do nothing but listen to a squeal and a thud, accompanied by what sounded like staggered blows to a body. When the light faded, Hazel looked on at the room. Biopelo and Dage were both sprawled at Lily's feet, panting and struggling to stand.

"I am taking the Sapphire Star," Lily announced. "Fight me if you wish, though I suspect it will end poorly."

"You realize all of the consequences this decision will have?" Imari asked. Lily looked straight at the councilman and nodded. "Then it is time for our tribe to leave."

"You suggest surrendering?" Shaka asked Imari sharply.

"Keeper Raksha is stronger than any member of the council. To strike her would be a waste of energy: energy we need to evade death."

"As much as I disagree with this blatant traitorous behavior," Zoya said coldly. She sounded absolutely sick to her stomach. "I agree with Imari."

"We made a decision!" Shaka roared, pounding her paw on the table. "We were to give the Sapphire Star to the nidoqueen in trade for our lives and the lives of the future generation of lycanroc!"

"If you wish to fight Keeper Raksha, by all means," Zoya stated. She gestured her paw towards Lily. "As for me and Imari, we choose to run."

"Agreed," Imari stated.

"Motion passed."

"A motion can only be passed with a majority vote," Shaka said, gritting her teeth.

"By my count, only three of us can vote," Imari stated, sweeping his paw towards the downed lycanroc who lied at Lily's feet. "Two against one is a majority."

Shaka grimaced. She turned towards Lily and snarled. "You're betraying your tribe!"

"You all betrayed the tribe when you decided to surrender like cowards," Lily said.

Shaka howled into the air in rage. She got down from her pedestal and walked up to Lily. She got right in the keeper's face, eyeing her with malice, threatening to attack at any seconds. She gave one final huff before moving around Lily and out of the burrow.

The rest of the council stood up from their pedestal and made their way to the exit. As they exited the burrow, Zoya stopped next to Lily and stated, "I have to thank you for the opportunity to follow through with the traditions of or tribe... but you committed treason to do so. Don't ever return to the lycanroc tribe. Ever."

"I have no intention of doing so," Lily said coldly.

With that, Zoya turned away from Lily and exited the burrow, leaving the keeper, Team Rapture, and the remaining, unconscious council members in the burrow.

Hazel was in shock. Just when she thought she had a read on Lily, she did something completely different: contradictory, even. Wasn't she the one who abandoned her morals for the sake of her tribe? Why did she change her mind, now?

"Why... Why did you refuse?" Hazel asked.

"It was wrong," Lily said.

"But what about doing everything to help your tribe?" Dillan asked.

"Would you rather I give the Sapphire Star to Ganderosa's enemy?"

Dillan grimaced at the question. "Th-that's not what I-"

"My tribe is all that matters to me," Lily interrupted. "Do you understand? If we were to surrender the Sapphire Star, our purpose and morals would die. That, my Paladin, would compromise my entire tribe's reason for existing. We would all deserve to die, and that is worse than death itself."

"So what do you plan to do?" Hazel asked.

"Wait..." Dillan said. "Did... you call me... your Paladin?"

Lily nodded. She pulled the Sapphire Star above her head and removed the string from around her neck. "As you know, the Star calls to me. It tells m things I do not understand... but it is something that I have ignored for too long... Perhaps if I listened to this urge days ago and simply handed you the Sapphire Star, the nidoqueen would never have had a reason to attack this place."

Hazel looked at Lily with an empathetic frown. She wanted to say, "It wasn't your fault Thalia attacked" but she couldn't bring herself to do so. The answer to why was simple to her. She was still mad at the lycanroc for imprisoning them for all this time. _It_ is _her fault..._ Then, she looked at Dillan. The gabite showed so much compassion towards the lycanroc, even after what she had done to them. It was so shocking to her that he seemed able to see the best in her, even after what she did.

"Lily," Dillan said. "Don't blame yourself. Thalia would have attacked this place either way. It was going to happen.

"Paladin," Lily said. "You need to leave this place." she slung the Sapphire Star around Dillan's neck. His eyes widened, and he inhaled sharply. "Take the Sapphire Star and run."

Dillan's eyes went to the Star, then to Lily. "Run?" he asked.

"Yes," Lily stated. "I want you to run from here. Get as far away from me and the nidoqueen as you can."

"And abandon you?!" Dillan asked sharply. "No! Thalia... She'll kill you!"

"Is that your true concern?" Lily questioned. "Or do you refuse to leave for your pachirisu friend?"

Dillan grimaced. "N-no-" he stuttered nervously.

"It's fine, Dillan," Hazel assured. She turned to Lily and stated, "This is our chance to find out where he is! We might not get another chance at finding him!"

"I understand," Lily said. "But you must run. If you don't take the Sapphire Star away from here, Ganderosa's enemies will take it and use it to kill countless others."

Hazel squinted her eyes and lowered her head. Her fist clenched and began to shake as her tail began to flare. _She's right... But this is might be our only chance!_

"Charmeleon," Lily said.

Hazel felt a paw rest on her shoulder in a sort of comforting manner, to which she shook it off. "We aren't friends."

"Still," Lily stated. "You need to abandon your emotions and focus on the safety of Ganderosa. I'm unsure of our enemy's intentions, though I am very afraid to find out first-hand."

"But... what about Ryan?" Dillan asked. His voice quivered, turning Hazel's attention to him. His arms were shaking just as much as hers, though he seemed ready to break down. "He's our best friend. You can't expect us to give up on him?"

"I don't," Lily stated. "At least, not permanently."

"Meaning?" Hazel asked.

"I need you-... no... Ganderosa need you to give up your quest for your friend long enough to take the Sapphire Star out of harm's way. Go to Fericia Castle and hide there. I doubt the nidoqueen will be able to enter under the guild's watch. My hope is that you will be able to remain safe within the borders."

Dillan and Hazel both looked at each other worriedly. Neither one wanted to give up their search for Ryan. _We're so close! Thalia's right outside this town, and she'll know were he is! But... even if we were to confront her... Would she tell us? There's no opportunity to get her to force her to tell us... And anything else is blind hope... As much as I hate to admit it-_

"Fine!" Dillan said through gritted teeth. Hazel could see the pain in his face. Every muscle seemed tensed as if this was physically agonizing. His entire body seemed to shake from the strain of a single word.

Lily bowed her head to Dillan. "Thank you." She turned around and began to exit the burrow.

"But what about you?!" Dillan shouted worriedly. Lily stopped in her tracks, paw on the shade as she was ready to pull it aside. "What are you going to do?"

"My tribe needs a distraction so they may escape with their lives," Lily admitted.

"She'll kill you," Dillan said.

Lily turned around and looked at the gabite. She began to smile at him. "You have a big heart, Paladin. Maybe..." She shook her head. "It _does_ make up for your lack of strength."

"That doesn't answer the question, Lily," Dillan said.

Lily gave a slight chuckle. "No, I guess it doesn't." With that, the lycanroc turned away and exited the burrow.

The moment Lily left the burrow, Dillan gritted his teeth in frustration. "This is all unfair!" he shouted. "We're so close to finding him, Hazel! I was inches away from Thalia. And now...!"

"I know," Hazel stated. She clenched her fist even tighter than before. "But we're up against something that doesn't play fair." She grabbed Dillan by the arm. "And you told me yourself: it doesn't want anything to survive. So we need to run..." Hazel thought about the best way to put this next part. Then, it came to her. "If nothing else, do it for Ryan."

"But aren't we abandoning him?" Dillan asked. "Aren't we leaving him for the Sapphire Star?"

"If they get the Sapphire Star, nothing will be left alive, not even Ryan."

Dillan grimaced and looked towards the ground. He stood there for a few seconds, thinking about Hazel's words. Then, all of his muscles relaxed. "You're right..." he said. "It's just frustrating... and it makes me wonder if we'll ever see him again..."

"I know it's frustrating," Hazel said. "But trust me when I say we'll see Ryan again." Dillan looked Hazel in the eyes as she assured once more, "We will."

* * *

Lily walked over the hill-side. She felt the very void in front of her grow and shrink with the fluctuations of the mystery dungeon. She also felt a disturbance in the air, something she'd been feeling ever since that nidoqueen showed up in the center of her town.

 _They've been in the Mystery Pocket... But why? And how long have they been here? And why didn't I sense them before it was too late?_ Lily recalled the lost, injured, wandering souls she'd rescued a little under two months ago. She remembered feeling their presence before they had gotten too close to her home. _And they weren't the first ones I've sensed in Howling Plains... So why wasn't I able to sense that nidoqueen?_

"Why are you surprised?" Thalia asked in Lily's head. "You do know where that power comes from, don't you? Or have you lied to yourself enough to believe your god gave it to you?"

 _She obviously knew where they come from... or at least where I thought they did..._ _She knows more about them than I would have suspected..._ Lily grimaced. _Am I going to be able to stall her long enough for my tribe to escape?_ Lily recalled the words once more. _If she truly knows so much, does she power over my abnormalities?_

Lily felt the disturbance begin to grow around her. The air began to stagnate, and the sun seemed to loose its warmth. The grass refused to blow, and the clouds overhead clustered together, making a layer of shadows ahead of the lycanroc. _I'm getting closer... Which means I'm running out of time to contemplate..._

She chuckled to herself. "If there was ever a time you were needed above all else," she said aloud, "it is now. My tribe is dying. A good majority has sacrificed themselves for your cause... I'm marching into the flames for you." She looked towards the sky, adrenaline pumping through her veins. "My tribe has sacrificed so much for you. I've sacrificed for you! My friends, my position... Even what little relationship I had left with my father: I gave it all up for the Sapphire Star! I gave it all up for your purpose!" She began shouting at the sky. She tore away the bandages around her body and arm. "I've bled for you! I've been scarred for you! Please! If there was ever a moment my tribe needed you, now is it! I'm begging you to come down and help me rescue my family from obliteration!"

Lily was so frustrated, so sad, so broken inside, she felt like weeping. She waited for a sign of faith, of assurance, of some way out of this responsibility that felt as tough it would crush her from inside. But nothing happened.

The air remained stagnant. The sun continued to chill her fur. Her eyes continued to water. Her heart continued to break. Her soul continued to cry in agony for peace. Nothing changed.

Lily fell to her knees, allowing them to collide with the grass beneath. She gave a single, drawn out howl of sadness. Tears began to flow down her cheeks, but she didn't weep. She couldn't allow herself to fall into total despair.

Lily breathed steadily, attempting to regain control over her own emotions. This would not break her. After everything she'd ever been through, after everything she'd fought for, Lily refused to lay down and simply die. No. This would not be the end. Not yet.

Lily wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and continued to breath. _If death must take me, and if I am to die as your slave, then I will die in the same manner as my fellow tribesmen. I will die in valor and courage as I strike down the enemies of Howling Plains._

The wind blew across Lily's face as she felt the presence of her opponents grow. She took a deep breath and sat down on the grass. She began to run her claws through the blades as she breathed slowly and calmly, waiting for the arrival of her opponents.

The presence grew in size until Lily found herself surrounded by a feeling deep inside. She heard the stamping of feet on the grass as a force moved up the hill and around her. She watched as small, green leaves appeared from the hill-side and made their way towards her. Lily simply sat there, allowing the nuzleaf to encircle her and block off any lingering hopes of retreat. _As if I would leave my tribe to defend themselves._

A blue head bobbed from above the nuzleaf, and they parted allowing Thalia to walk into the center of the circle and towards Lily. The nidoqueen stopped in front of her and stared. She seemed to be waiting, though Lily didn't know what for. The nuzleaf said nothing, as well. All was silent and still, waiting for the opposing side to start either a conversation or a confrontation. So, Lily just sat there in the grass and waited for Thalia to speak.

"Raksha," Thalia stated after a minute or so of waiting. "My Master wishes to have an answer from your tribe. Although, based on your lack of the Sapphire Star, I am assuming you have come here to fight me and stall for your tribe."

Lily smiled at the nidoqueen. "You are very sharp, Ms. Nidoqueen."

"Thalia."

Lily looked up at Thalia. She wore her usual scowl filled with force. It was strange considering. "Tell me, Thalia," Lily began. "Why are you so calm?"

"Because I know anger and force will accomplish nothing with you. You are blinded by your beliefs, therefore fear does not affect you. To try and intimidate you is pointless."

The keeper began to stand on her two feet, still watching the nidoqueen. Lily had no intention of dropping her guard, not even for a second. "Why not skip the formalities and simply attack me?" she questioned. "Would it not be simpler to strike me down before I strike?"

"It is true," Thalia stated. "Attacking you would be the best course of action. Although, my Master has a better plan." She stepped aside, revealing a little, white ball of fur with a blue stripe making its way down the top of its head.

Lily froze. She looked at the pachirisu with shock. "You..." she said with worry. She turned to Thalia and snarled. "You're sick! You would dare use a hostage against me?! That is the lowest, most dishonorable thing I've ever come-"

"Lily," Ryan regarded. Lily looked back at the pachirisu. She was shocked to see what appeared to be anger stretching his face. What shocked her most was the lack of fear and worry in his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry...?" she questioned slowly.

"You see," Thalia began. "My Master has a firm belief that all of his new followers must be tested to prove their usefulness." She looked towards Ryan and stated, "Killing her is your test."

Heart stopped and mind shaken, Lily realized what Thalia was saying to her. _Follower... Test... The lack of fear..._ "But... your friends said you were taken..."

"Is that what they believe?" Thalia questioned. A smile formed in the corner of her mouth. "Why don't you tell Raksha what really happened?"

"Focus on the mission, right?" Ryan asked coldly.

Thalia looked at Ryan with shock for a few seconds before smiling again. She then nodded. "Good, traitor."

"You... snake..." Lily snarled. Her adrenaline began pumping through her veins. "My tribe saved you... _I_ saved you!"

"I guess that was a mistake," Ryan said with a scowl.

"No. Fooling me was a mistake... And it will be your last."

Ryan's cheeks began sparking. "I wasn't fooling you," Ryan stated. "And I'm not fooling you, now."

"You may begin," Thalia said.

Ryan roared into the sky as an arc of electricity shot from his body and made its way towards Lily. The lycanroc charged straight towards Ryan, not even bothering to dodge the attack. The blue "Thunder-Bolt" attack made contact with Lily's body, but it did barely any damage. The lycanroc howled as she slashed at Ryan with her claws. He jumped out of the way, but the air around him seemed to slash him, creating divots in the pachirisu's fuzz. He grimaced as the pain radiated from his chest. That's when Lily swiped her tail from behind her body, lashing out at Ryan's body. The pachirisu got in close and began hugging the lycanroc. From there, he began rubbing his yellow cheeks against Lily's red, fur coat. She gasped as electricity began flowing through her muscles, forcing them so tense and lock against her will. Nevertheless, her attack flew through the air behind her, slamming Ryan with the remnants of her "Iron Tail". Ryan gave a cry of pain, but continued to grab Lily's chest, holding onto her as if for dear life.

Lily's claws extended as she went in to grab Ryan's tail and force him off of her, yet her arm locked and began sparking with little jolts of blue electricity. _Dang it..._

Ryan took the opportunity to open is jaw up as wide as he could before biting down on Lily's left shoulder. It felt like a vice with edged teeth was being forced through her fur, breaking the skin underneath. Lily, looking up to the sky, gave a literal howl of pain. She could feel her very energy being drained from her body through a single bite. _Super Fang?! No!_

"Good, traitor," Thalia said. "It seems you do listen to my advice." Advice? So this was planned? She stared down at the pachirisu. _Of course... Being close to me is his best option for survival due to my ability... He has a better chance at beating me from here._ Lily's adrenaline began pumping faster through her veins. _I need to get him off of me!_

"Rah!" Lily roared. She brought her right arm up and jabbed her elbow into Ryan's skull. He continued to bite down, regardless of the jab. A small stream of blood began seeping through the corner of Ryan's mouth: Lily's blood. She brought down her elbow once more, then again. He continued to bite down, not moving an inch, though Lily didn't have any time to think about why. Then, her body sparked once more and her arm stiffened above her head.

"Finish this fight," Thalia stated.

Lily could only watch the pachirisu on her shoulder. His eyes looked up at her and their gazes met. In that moment, Lily noticed something odd. Behind Ryan's hardened expression of hate and anger was a sort of pain tinging his eyes. It was as if he had some kind of guilt.

"Coward..." Lily scolded softly. "I saved your pitiful life, and now you wish to end mine and that of my entire tribe... What happened to your sense of morality?"

Ryan's gaze hardened into an angry snarl. His jaw tightened around Lily's shoulder. The pain increased, but Lily didn't howl again. She just squinted through the awful sensation and brought her arm down once more. Ryan gave a grunt of pain as Lily's attack collided. She noticed his teeth loosening on her arm. She grasped Ryan's white, fluffy tail and tore him from her arm. She felt her skin begin to ache from his grip, but she didn't care. He was way too close for her to deal with him properly. This was her only option.

Lily screamed into the air as she pried the pachirisu from her shoulder. With one final pull, Ryan's jaw loosened and he came off into the air. Lily then threw the pachirisu into the ground. He landed on his back and exhaled sharply. Lily's fist began glowing. In a split second, the light vanished and revealed rock covering her entire fist like a gauntlet of stone. She immediately put her entire weight into the attack and threw herself towards the pachirisu. With one final shout, Lily planted her fist in the pachirisu's chest. He gave one final exhale of breath before he began coughing from the pain while gasping between coughs. He looked up at Lily with fear and fear in his expression.

"You fear me?!" Lily shouted angrily. "Would you like mercy?! Would you like to live?! Would you like me to surrender?!" She drove her fist downwards once more, slamming it into Ryan's chest. "Beg for it!" She beat on Ryan once more. "Beg for mercy!" Lily brought her fist down once more, but felt resistance. Her arm was covered in a massive, blue paw.

Facing the nidoqueen for merely a second, Lily felt her arm twist behind her back. She didn't even have time to yelp in pain before Thalia brought her second fist into Lily's face, then throwing her onto the ground. She then proceeded to drop her knee on Lily's chest, forcing all the air from her lungs. Thalia's fist became bathed with a white light as she drove it into Lily's face. She watched in horror as the attack came down to her head. Suddenly, time itself was at a standstill. She realized she had merely a moment left before she was done.

In that single moment, Lily realized what it meant to have your life flash before your eyes. She remembered all of her hopes for the future and her happiest moments. She recalled that night she had chosen Dillan as her Paladin. The freedom she'd felt from ending her duties as Keeper, however temporary it had been, was fantastic. She remembered feeling free the first step she'd taken outside of the Howling Plains. In this moment, it occurred to her that all she had ever wanted in life was freedom. Maybe it was selfish of her. She had a duty to her tribe, and her dream drove her to make the decisions she did.

That's when she recalled her sorrows. When the fighting broke out over the Paladin, she recognized the issue. It was her. She caused all of the pain from the fighting. Her sole decision caused it all. The realization was what hit her hard. But nothing could compare to Biopelo's decision to abandon her.

She remembered the wrinkled lycanroc's cold voice. "Why did you give him the pendant, Lily?" he asked from the shadows of the night. "Why "Him"?

"Do not question my motives, father." Lily responded without batting an eye in his direction. "The question you should be asking is why you do not understand. You owned the pendant for far longer than I. You should know."

But he didn't. After that night, he would never treat her the same. He would grow more distant with the coming days. Their relationship would never be the same.

Lily recalled the day she returned with the Sapphire Star: the day she realized her father had changed his name. It was the ultimate attack on their relationship: the one way to destroy any remaining ties between them. Now, she would be known as Keeper Raksha and he would be Councilman Biopelo.

Her sole regret. Nothing she would ever try to do would be good enough. She wasn't even sure if this would restore his faith in her, following through with Imari's plan: dying for her tribe.

"Even if we were to defeat the nuzleaf tribe, most of us would never be able to compete with that nidoqueen," Imari's words echoed. "Her power is on a different level than any member of the council.

Even though I question whether our decision was the correct one, there was never a way out for everyone."

 _No... there wasn't... This was the only remaining option._ Even with this thought, she couldn't help but smile. Every eye was on her. Not once did Thalia command for her forces to pursue the lycanrocs. And based on their numbers, they were all here to watch. _I know I will die here... I knew it all along. But... at least I can give my tribe the chance I never had: a chance to escape and be free._

As she closed her eyes, Lily accepted what was to occur. Thalia would show no mercy. This final strike would kill her, and she was alright with it. Why? Because she had nothing left to live for. Dillan is the new Paladin, her decision had banished her from the tribe, and she had fought to give her tribe one final chance at survival. All that was left was death.

Lily smiled broadly as the light from Thalia's glowing fist spread across her face. _Father... I hope you grow to understand... And I hope that one day you'll be proud to be called Raksha once more..._ As the light vanished, darkness consumed everything around her along with one final feeling: contentedness.

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Whelp... there you have it, guys! It took me a while to execute this end properly. There was a lot I wanted to do with the end, and I think I have it all there. That's all I want to say about this chapter!

Alright! Imma rant about . I've never had this problem before. Ever. Never. but I wanted to release this chapter before I left the house at 6:30 today. I uploaded the chapter, and low and behold! There was a problem! When I posted the document into the "Doc Manager" part of "FanFiction" (Basically the "Proof Reading section of FanFiction before you post it for all those non-authors out there :P), all of the paragraphs were SCREWED UP! Multiple paragraphs were randomly italicized while others weren't, messing up every italicized sentence/word in the WHOLE CHAPTER! I tried converting the chapter into three different types of documents if the ODT file somehow doesn't work anymore, but NOPE! It still didn't work! After trying to post and repost multiple times to FanFiction, I realized the only solution was to have a side-by-side comparison of the Doc Manager Document and my actual one I keep on my laptop in order to go over the entire document to find and change the italicized parts of the chapter back so I could post it for you guys. Took me an extra two hours to do so... So, yeah... Wasted two hours on some weird thing that's never happened before... And DANG was it FRUSTRATING! Anyways, I'm done ranting. If you found anything that SHOULD have been italicized but wasn't, you know why. If this problem persists... I don't know. Moving on, now... Really... (P. S. Sorry for the long "Author's Notes", but I needed that off my chest...)

Shout-out to no one! And that's perfectly fine! Even if there aren't any new follows and/or favorites, I'm still happy that we're currently at 68! Even if we stay at this number for a long time, I'm fine with that!

That's all for now! Thanks so much to everyone for reading! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!


	40. Threatening Rapture

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 40

Threatening Rapture

* * *

(Fericia Territory: Howling Plains)

His soul was shaking with dread over what he had just done: who he had just abandoned. Every inch of his skin crawled with guilt while his head spun from shame. The one thing that disturbed him most was the feeling of warmth around his neck that urged him to keep walking: the Sapphire Star.

Despite his conflicted feelings he continued to walk onwards. He didn't turn around and go back for Lily. He kept telling himself she'd be alright. He kept lying to himself, despite the truth being so obvious. Thalia was a beast. A specialized pokemon could probably feel the immense power of the nidoqueen by merely standing next to her. It was almost as if she could kill an entire troupe of pokemon and not have broken a sweat. He had no clue how Lily could survive against Thalia.

"Dillan!" Hazel shouted. Dillan almost jumped right out of his skin from the sudden increase in volume. His head jutted to the left and rested on a worried-looking Hazel. "You zoned out again."

"Oh..." he said. "Yeah... What were you saying?"

"I said we should be far enough away from Thalia to relax." Hazel looked at Dillan with a worried frown. "Do you want to take a break?"

"N-no!" Dillan stuttered nervously. "We can't stop until we get to Fericia Castle, and I don't want to be the reason we stop."

"You're still worried about Lily, aren't you?" Hazel had a worried look in her eyes. It urged Dillan to open up.

"Well... Of course I am..." Dillan said, rubbing his right arm with the shaft of his claw. "And I know we can't go back... but I'm afraid we're leaving her to die."

Hazel turned away from Dillan and stared out at the grey sky that sat above the grassy fields ahead. She seemed more concerned about Dillan than the impending doom that laid behind them: the same doom Lily went to face. Dillan could understand why she wasn't as concerned with the lycanroc's well-being. Lily _did_ lock them up, and her tribe _did_ threaten to kill Hazel for a reason he still didn't understand. But Dillan couldn't help but see past the treatment he'd been given and feel his conscience tugging on his mind, telling him that leaving wasn't the moral thing to do. Knowing that moving onward was the smart option only helped so much.

If it wasn't for the Sapphire Star, he would turn around right now. But he didn't. Why? Because not only would everyone die if the Enemy were to get their hands on the crystal that was strung around his neck, but also because the Star urged him forwards. It was such a hard decision to have to make.

"We'll ask Guildmaster Lawrence to send some pokemon to Howling Plains to fight Thalia. He's a really great guy, so you know he'll do it." Hazel turned her eyes back to the horizon.

"Thanks," Dillan said. "But it doesn't help me to stop feeling guilty about leaving Lily alone like that..."

"You could try and think about something else," Hazel suggested.

"Like what?"

"Well..." Hazel began. "You could tell me what you know about the Sapphire Star."

Dillan stood there for a few seconds, shifting his weight around from one foot to another. "I... I guess... I don't really know anything..."

This time, the charmeleon couldn't help but turn her entire attention towards the gabite. Hazel turned towards Dillan, brought her head back, and blinked. "Y-you don't?" she stuttered. It made Dillan kind of nervous. Was it really that big of a deal?

"Not really..." Dillan admitted. _Now that she mentions it, I'm not even sure why the Enemy wants it..._ "All I really know is that the Sapphire Star occasionally leads me... to some places... Like in Poltress, it led me to you and Ryan."

"And is it doing that now?"

"Now?" Dillan repeated. "Now it wants me to get away from Howling Plains. But other than that... I know as much as you do."

Hazel turned back towards the road ahead, still visibly shocked by what Dillan had told her. It was plain as day that she expected he would know more about the crystal around his neck. But anyone he'd met who probably knew anything about it was either secluded and treated him like he was a jerk, or was a mass murderer and wanted to see his insides become outsides. _Come to think of it, Reya was the only one who would actually give me any information: and she's gone. On top of that, there were her wounds... the same wounds Valery had... They couldn't tell me anything important or their wounds would..._ He shuddered just thinking of the brutality.

"So you're in the dark, too..." Hazel said quietly to herself, though she spoke loud enough for Dillan to hear. She turned to Dillan and began to stare at the four-pronged star resting just below his purple bandanna. "We're both in the middle of something humongous, aren't we?" she asked the gabite. "But I guess I already knew that."

"What do we do now?" Dillan asked, stopping in his tracks. Hazel stopped as well, planting her feet next to the gabite. "Obviously the Enemy is hunting the Sapphire Star, right? So they'll be coming after both of us."

"If you're going to ask me to leave, I already told you-"

"It's not that," Dillan interrupted. "I'm just worried that we won't be able to protect the Sapphire Star from Jake... I mean, where do we go to protect something like this? The Enemy's already put Castellum Town in a Mystery Dungeon-"

"What?!" Hazel shouted in shock. "Th-... That was them?!"

"Yeah," Dillan said.

"How do you know that?"

"Ignitus told me back in the Alkan Guild, but that's not important right now."

"It sounds too big to not be important!" Hazel stated frantically.

"My point is that they're way too powerful for us. I'm not sure if the both of us can protect the Sapphire Star alone. I know we're going to Lawrence for protection, but I don't know if Fericia Castle is going to be enough to stop them: not for long..."

Silence filled the surrounding area. Nothing seemed to move around the group, not a bird in the sky or a wind blowing by. It enhanced the worry and fear in Dillan's chest, but not as much as Hazel's lack of confidence in their abilities. She seemed just as worried as him, creating even more tension in the cold, stagnant air.

Hazel looked down worriedly, resting her chin on the purple scarf, and began to grimace. "I mean..." she began, sounding as worried as ever. "I think I know someone we can go to..."

Dillan raised his head hopefully. "Where?" he asked.

Hazel opened her mouth, then hesitated. That hesitation made Dillan feel reluctant to hear her answer. _If she's this worried about going... wherever she's thinking of..._

"King Judah could probably help us..." she stated slowly.

Dillan's face dropped into relief. "That sounds like a great..." He stopped himself. As he continued to stare into Hazel's brown eyes, he realized the worry didn't dissipate. "But you're not sure about it?"

"There's no way I trust him with something like this," Hazel admitted. "Someone with that much power doesn't need more of it... and I'm afraid going to King Judah for help is just going to lead to him taking the Sapphire Star for himself. Nothing's stopping him from doing so."

 _Makes sense... Although it's the best option we have... Judah's the strongest pokemon in Ganderosa. If anyone can protect us, he'll be able to. But..._ Dillan looked towards his frantic friend. _Hazel has a history with Judah that still torments her. Even if he wasn't the one who killed her mom, she still has a fear that he's responsible. So how am I going to convince her that this is our best option?_ Dillan stared into the cloudy horizon. He continued to wonder how he would be able to convince his friend. _If she were in my place..._ Then, it hit him.

"Hazel, "Dillan began. "I don't see any other choice. If the Enemy is really as powerful as Ignitus said they are, we don't stand a chance, and Judah is our best bet to protect Ganderosa. Besides, wouldn't he protect the Sapphire Star just as much as we would? I mean, he loses his kingdom if Ganderosa dies."

"Yeah..." Hazel said. Based on the rapid fluctuations of her flame, as well as her twitching brow-line, she seemed to be thinking hard about this. "But what about Valery and Fitz! They're working for someone who wants to stop the Enemy, right? Wouldn't they help us out?"

"I don't think so," Dillan stated. "They haven't helped to protect the Sapphire Star in any way I can think of. And if Fitz was really with them, she wouldn't have given it back to Lily. She would have brought it back to her leader, whoever he is, and they would have protected it. Instead, she let it go."

"But what if... What if... What if we... What if-"

"Hazel," Dillan said loudly, drawing her attention away from her worries and onto him. "It'll be fine. Just... trust me."

Hazel stared into Dillan's eyes. He tried to remove all doubt from his face in order to sooth his friend's emotions. She had to agree with him. Judah had to be their defense against Jake.

A sigh flowed outwards from Hazel's lips. "You're right... I'm just worried he's not going to help us... and he'll just use the Sapphire Star for himself..."

"I get that," Dillan stated. "But anyone else would die. He's our only option."

Hazel stared at Dillan for a few seconds before looking towards the ground and sighing in defeat. "Alright... I guess we don't have another choice... So we'll take the Sapphire Star to Judah." She then looked at him with a little confusion. "When did you become so logical?"

"Well, it was the best choice. So I had to think of the best way to convince you. You usually do the same thing with me, so I thought it would probably work with you."

Hazel laughed a little. "Guess I'm a little too convincing." She then looked backwards towards the sky. "Sun's about to set. At this rate, we'll hit the Fericia Castle just before it gets dark."

"Hazel," Dillan said. She looked at him with a slight smile. "Thanks for agreeing with me..."

"Don't mention it," she stated. Hazel reached one hand into her bag and pulled out a blue berry that Dillan recognized as an Oran Berry. "Here," she stated as she held it out for the gabite. He skewered it on the end of his claw and began munching on the small berry. Hazel pulled one out for herself and began walking.

As soon as Hazel wasn't looking at him, Dillan let all of his worries litter his face. It was hard, but he managed to contain his emotions long enough to portray confidence for the charmeleon. _It's probably what convinced her the most... But now she has me worried if this is what we should be doing... I mean, I can't think of anyone else who could help us as well as Judah, but she's right to worry about him... Is it going to be alright, or is it going to be an uphill battle?_

"Come on, you Slow-poke!" Hazel called out playfully.

Dillan took a deep breath in an attempt at steeling himself. _Worrying about it isn't going to help... If trusting Judah is what it'll take to protect the Sapphire Star, then I don't have any choice..._ Dillan put one foot in front of the other and began walking to join Hazel. As he walked, he began to wonder about his position. The only pokemon he had to turn to was Judah, a pokemon who, based on his sole encounter with the King, seemed to demand nothing but obedience. If the dragonite had the power to back up that demand, and he did, then the moment that dragonite knows about the Sapphire Star, Dillan would be at the King's mercy. There would be no other option.

* * *

After nearly two hours of walking under a darkened sky, Team Rapture finally made it to their destination: Fericia Castle. The massive stone structure was a sight for sore eyes for both members of the party. Both of them recalled their meeting each other while Dillan was under Anna the audino's care. It brought a sort of nostalgic joy to the group. Dillan was especially relieved by the fact that it seemed to ease their worries of the future. As they walked through the castle's gates, Hazel told Dillan about her grand-parents and how she use to live here with them. She began explaining all sorts of memories she had. Simply talking about these memories she made on the castle's cobble-stone streets was enough to make her substantially more joyous.

The two continued to walk down the path, passing multiple pokemon who ran by to move along with their daily routines as either shop-keeps who sold goods on the street-side or as daily customers who made it their priority to finish whatever shopping needed to be done. Everyone around seemed cheerful, creating a happy atmosphere around them. It was shocking to the gabite to see so many pokemon on the streets, regardless of the star-filled sky. Maybe the lanterns littering the sides of buildings, casting light around the town, was enough for them to shrug off the lack of sun.

Dillan watched with wonder and amazement. Every castle in Ganderosa seemed bustling with activity and joy, especially this one. He listened to the music that flowed out through the open windows of taverns and cafes as they filled the air with cheery, and all the same different, tunes. He had a hard time keeping his eyes on the black-tipped tower on the horizon, though it probably didn't matter. Hazel seemed to know exactly where she was going.

A few minutes went by before Hazel pointed out a tavern with a sign over the door. In big, bright-red, cursive letters, the wooden sign read, "Harley's Diner". Dillan smiled brightly at the sight. He peered inside the diner and saw a pikachu who wore a black vest and held a tray. He walked from table to table, serving all sorts of food upon the surface that made Dillan's mouth water and his eyes stare with longing. He then looked at the front where a small counter sat. It was currently empty. _That's where we met Harley... Back then, she was so nice to us. Wonder if she's here, or somewhere else entirely._

"Let's go," Hazel stated with a smile.

Dillan tore his eyes and began walking with the charmeleon once more.

The two walked for ten more minutes before coming to a big flight of stairs that led up a hill-side. Upon scaling the hill, Dillan walked along the cobble-stone path before coming to rest at a statue of a dragonite (Dillan recalled Hazel telling him months ago that it was of Maxamillian Armadine, Ganderosa's first ruler) who stood on a stone pedestal that spewed water into a basin below. Behind the statue sat a two-storied tower topped with a black roof: the Ferician Guild. It also had a brown, wooden door with black, iron supports along the front. Dillan looked up and down the guild with amazement. His first time here, the Guild didn't seem like that big of a deal. Now that he was faced with the tower once more, he realized his thoughts on the building were justified, if not overestimated. Compared to the other guilds he'd visited, the Ferician one was pretty underwhelming. Come to think of it...

"Hazel," Dillan began. "Is it just me, or is the Ferician Guild smaller than Palando's..."

"It isn't just you," Hazel laughed. "When I first came here, I thought it was too small to represent the entire Fericia Territory's guild system. But I guess you could say it has character."

Team Rapture walked around the fountain and Hazel pushed on the door. Dillan watched as the door creaked. But nothing happened. Hazel stopped pushing on the door, then threw her body weight into her palms as she tried to force it open.

"Uh..." Dillan began with a raised eyebrow. "It's probably locked..."

"At this time of... night?" Hazel said through a strained voice, still pushing on the door. A few seconds went by, and Hazel decided she wasn't getting anywhere, so she stopped and began to pant. "The Guild isn't suppose to be locked until a few hours after the sun sets, and it's only been about one."

"Maybe knocking will work?" Dillan suggested. He walked over to the door and pounded the back-side of his claw on the door, creating small "thud"s on the wooden surface. The two pokemon waited for a few seconds before Hazel pounded her fist on the door.

"Hello?" Hazel shouted. "Guildmaster Lawrence?"

"Didn't you see the sign?!" a rough voice shouted from the other side. "No soliciting! Whatever it is you're selling, the Guild's not buying!"

"We aren't here to sell anything, we just need to speak with Guildmaster Lawrence!"

"I don't care!" the voice called out once more. "Go away, or you'll have to deal with the full extent of Ganderosa's Guild!"

Hazel gave a deep sigh before looking at Dillan with a look of disbelief. "We _are_ the full extent of Ganderosa's Guild!" Hazel shouted. "Now let us in! It's important!"

"Likely story! Now get off of my front door!"

"If we don't see Guildmaster Lawrence," Dillan began. "All of Ganderosa could be destroyed!"

"Oh yeah?" the voice shouted. "And who would do something like that?"

"A group known as the Enemy!" Hazel looked back at Dillan with shock. He began to stare at her and he began to feel nervous. "Was that too much information?" Dillan quietly asked the charmeleon.

"We don't know who that is!" Hazel whispered. _Crap..._

A few nerve-racking seconds went by. He wasn't sure if what he said had actually worked on this pokemon or what, but they could only stand there and wait.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" a cheerful voice bellowed. "If it's that important, why in the blue blazes are you making them wait this long?!"

"Y-yes Guildmaster, sir!" the previous voice said worriedly. In about two seconds, the door gave a "clank" and opened wide, revealing the Guild's interior.

It was a circular room with purple tapestries of the Ganderosan Symbol (the dragonite's skull with crossed spears) along the left and right walls. Near the entrance to the guild, resting upon the white-carpeted floors, were two desks, both filled with stacks of paper. In front of the door stood a small, quadrupedal pokemon with brown and vanilla rings colored into it's fur in a zigzagging pattern. It also had a black smudge where its eyes were as if it was wearing a mask. The pokemon had drooping eyes and dark circles under them, though it also looked a little worried.

"Ziggy?!" Hazel announced with a smile.

The zigzagoon's face contorted into a wide-eyed snarl as he took an apprehensive step backwards. "You?!" he shouted. Then, his face went into an angry grimace. "And it's _Hans_!"

"It's great to see you again!" Hazel stated.

"The feeling's _not_ mutual!" Ziggy roared. "I thought you were out of my fur for good: shipped off to the Alkan Region, if I recall correctly!"

Dillan stared at the zigzagoon and recalled their last meeting. He remembered the small flame escaping from his mouth as it burned his paperwork to ashes. The memory made him shrink down from worry. _He probably doesn't remem-_

"And _you_!" Hans pointed an accusatory finger towards Dillan who took a hard gulp in response. "You costed me tons and tons of paperwork! I haven't tasted anything but charcoal in weeks because of you!"

"S-sorry..." Dillan said nervously.

"Ziggy," A voice called from the stairs. "Do you plan on sending them upstairs anytime soon, or not?"

The zigzagoon froze, all the color washing away from his face. He looked backwards quickly before stuttering, "Y-yes sir!"

"Is that Guildmaster Lawrence?" Hazel asked.

"Yes," Hans stated. "And he'll have my hide if you're not up stairs in the next minute! So I'm begging you, leave me in peace!"

"We'll leave you to it," Hazel said. She grabbed Dillan by the arm and led him into the building. As the warmth of the room encompassed them, Team Rapture reached the stair and started to climb. Upon reaching the top, they were met with a massive, opened door leading into a pretty messy room.

The room had paint littering the stone-walls and wooden floor. There was a massive bed at the end of the room that hadn't yet been made. A desk, with no chair, sat against the wall next to the bed. Papers were scattered about the table-top along with chipped charcoal used for writing. There was also an easel sitting against the wall which held a gorgeous painting of the underside of a blue pokemon with enormous red wings, spread out to catch gusts of wind as it raced across the skyline. In the center of the room stood a jolly, quadrupedal pokemon with a massive, vanilla mustache trailing along the floor behind it. The pokemon had big, bushy, vanilla fur covering most of its face. Blue eyes could be seen through a part in the fur. The pokemon had big ears and a massive, blue body.

"Guildmaster!" Hazel exclaimed with joy. Team Rapture entered the room.

"Please, Ms. Prince," Lawrence stated. "Let's skip the formalities." Lawrence's eyes set on Dillan, and he smiled brightly. "Hello, Dillan."

"Hi, Lawrence," Dillan said with a wave of his claw.

"Guildmaster-" Hazel began.

Lawrence gave a hearty laugh, cutting Hazel off. "Ms. Prince," he began. "I must insist upon you calling me Lawrence. After all, your team single-handedly took care of Team Armageddon, no?"

"Well... yeah, but-"

"I remember when you both were merely children upon my doorstep," Lawrence said with dreamy eyes. "Caring for the well-being of one member was so inspiring that day... I knew there was greatness in both of you, and now look? You're both extraordinary guildmembers who serve their King even if danger rips at their every fiber of their beings! Very impressive, indeed!"

"Yeah..." Hazel said with a smile. "But-"

"So what's been happening with Team Rapture? No, wait! Don't tell me! Garth's been giving you a hard time, hasn't he? Don't worry too much about it! Back in the day, me and Garth use to be at each other's throats, trying to one-up each other in anything and everything we did! Of course, I'm a Guildmaster and he isn't, so I guess I still win in the end!" Lawrence gave a strong laugh of approval.

"You know Garth?" Dillan asked.

"Hmm?" the stoutland hummed, processing what Dillan had asked. "Oh! Why, yes! Me and Garth use to be very competitive children! We planned on becoming an exploration team, you know. Of course, that didn't work out seeing as-"

"Guildmaster!" Hazel shouted.

Lawrence stopped speaking and looked at Hazel with shock. Then, he gave a nervous laugh. "Was I speaking over you?" he asked. "I have to apologize. My old ears don't work as well as they use to. If only it were like the old days when I was a youth. Oh how I long for..." The stoutland gave a bright smile as he cleared he throat. "Never mind that. You came here for a reason, did you not?"

"Yes, Guildmaster," Hazel stated calmly with a slight grin. She then looked to Dillan and nudged her head towards Lawrence.

"W-wait," Dillan said with an uneasy grimace. "You want me to explain?"

"You're the one who convinced me, remember?" Hazel said. "Besides: that crystal makes you the best pokemon for the job, Paladin Dillan."

"Paladin?" Lawrence asked. His eyes went right to Dillan, then down his chest. Almost instantaneously, the jovial pokemon's expression hardened into a look of cold recognition. "Then that rock around your neck..."

"You know about this?" Dillan asked, gesturing a claw to the Sapphire Star.

"I couldn't be a Guildmaster without knowing such..." The Guildmaster trailed off at the end of his sentence.

"Guildmaster?" Hazel asked, concern tainting her voice.

"Where did you get the Sapphire Star?" the Guildmaster questioned, looking at Dillan directly.

Dillan looked over at Hazel for an answer, but she just urged him forwards with a nod. _I guess I would know more about explaining the Sapphire Star..._ Taking a deep breath and attempting to overcome whatever nervousness plagued his mind, Dillan began by stating, "Guildmaster, we need some help."

* * *

"I see..." Lawrence stated, looking more grim as the story went on. Dillan explained everything from when they first arrived at Howling Plains to right at this moment. He explained as best he could about the Sapphire Star and the Lycanroc Tribe. Sometimes he went off on a tangent, to which Hazel snapped him back on track.

After a few more minutes, Dillan finished his tale saying, "We came here to get this away from Thalia."

"Guildmaster," Hazel began. "If we're being honest, we can't defend the Sapphire Star alone."

Lawrence took in a deep breath and began walking towards the painting. He knelt over and bit down on a brush that was laying on the floor. Dillan was very shocked to find the lycanroc open up a container of paint, to which he dipped the brush in and began applying strokes to the painting.

"Guildmaster-" Dillan began. He stopped himself when he realized the Guildmaster was grumbling to himself. The words were too mashed together to accurately hear what he was saying, even when Dillan was concentrating. The only words he caught were "crystal", "Sapphire Star", and "Acreus". The gabite leaned over to Hazel and whispered, "Is he alright?"

"I may not be as spry as I once was," Lawrence began. "But my hearing is still impeccable." Dillan gritted his teeth from embarrassment. _He heard that?_ "I'm assuming you know of the group Thalia was a part of."

"The Enemy, sir. We mentioned that."

"Guildmaster," Hazel said. "Are you feeling all right?"

"And what of their motive?" Lawrence questioned.

"To destroy Ganderosa," Dillan said.

"Guildmaster," Hazel began. "I don't see how this has anything to do with our problem."

"Which is Thalia?" Lawrence asked. He gave a sigh. "I guess you're correct in that regard. Though I hate the idea of you children being involved in something of this magnitude... not while you can still enjoy the rest of your lives to their fullest!"

"I think we deserve more than that," Hazel urged. "Haven't we proved we're more than kids by now?"

"The King certainly thinks so," Lawrence stated. "In fact, he seems to think-" He stopped himself mid-sentence, but Dillan didn't know why. Other than the three pokemon, there was nothing in the room that would make any sort of noise loud enough to cause a disturbance. "I'm getting ahead of myself. It's best to let King Judah tell you about such matters."

"I'm still confused, sir," Dillan admitted. "What aren't you telling us?"

Lawrence stood there in silence, contemplating to himself as he applied a new coat of paint to the canvas. He tilted his head back and forth as if he were weighing options internally. Either that, or it was a new, strange way of applying paint. "You both received your letters from King Judah?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," Team Rapture answered together.

"Then you know that you're suppose to be in Jarondai by tomorrow night." _Tomorrow night?!_ "Of course, since you're here, you'll both be late. And the King won't enjoy that one bit."

"Is it that important?" Hazel questioned. "I mean, we were planning on going, but this outweighs a party!"

"Plus," Dillan added. "When we go, it'll be to get help from the King."

"So he didn't tell you?" Lawrence asked, turning his head slightly as to look at the guildmembers from the corner of his eye.

"Tell us?" Dillan asked.

"He must have his reasons for keeping it a secret, I assure you. But to tell you that you'll be going to a simple party is absurd."

"So he's not celebrating our victory in the Alkan Islands..." Hazel said quietly and worriedly.

"No," Lawrence stated. "Even though defeating Team Armageddon does tie into your reason for being summoned before the King, it's only half of the truth. there's a veil covering his real intentions, one I'm not at liberty to explain. All I can tell you it that Team Rapture has proved itself to be exemplary in King Judah's eyes. As such, he probably sees your efforts are wasted in Palando. He wants more from you both. I can tell, and so should you."

"So because we managed to take out Team Armageddon, Judah wants us to do more for the country?" Dillan questioned.

"Something you must understand about Ganderosa is that it's government was built upon bettering the lives of the pokemon who serve the crown. Since the Great King, Maxamillian Armadine, our government has been there to restore peace and innocence to those threatened by forces that wish to destroy us all. It's in the Guild System's very nature to help others. Even so, there is a basic evil and corruption that runs rampant throughout Ganderosa, whether that be from a petty thief or a murderer. The Guild seeks to cure that once and for all: for the betterment of all pokemon. That has been the goal of all of Ganderosa's Kings. And until now, it has been a mere ideal that was only reached for. But today, our glorious monarch, King Judah, has finally found a way to give everyone peace."

 _What?!_ Dillan was as shocked as he could ever be. _Judah found a way... to bring peace to everyone?!_

"Th-that's not true," Hazel stuttered. "Even if it were possible, King Judah-" Hazel stopped herself. Her flaring tail and dilating eyes made Dillan think she was just about ready to burst.

"Say what is on your mind," Lawrence said. "It does no one any good if you think badly of our King and refuse to give anyone the opportunity to ease your worries."

Hazel looked determined, and now that she was given the permission to speak freely, her words flowed like a flash fire that would touch any ear around her. "Judah's a coward who sits on his throne, living a glorious life while others suffer below him in the Red Strips!"

"I assume you also believe he uses the Guild System as a shield to excuse his lack of work? You do realize that's the same thinking that Team Armageddon had before turning traitor, do you not?" Hazel grimaced. She didn't try to protest at all. Instead, she looked flustered. "I don't mean it as an insult, merely an observation."

"I just can't understand how you can talk about him as if he's a hero who's trying to better Ganderosa while he kills pokemon around him!"

"Judah has done more wondrous things for this country than you can imagine," Lawrence began. "He may not go around hollering his accomplishments like a flashy blow-hard, but he has been doing work to help the country prosper. For instance: Castellum Town recently fell upon a tragedy, correct?"

"If you're talking about the Mystery Dungeon," Dillan stated. "Then yeah."

"Well, he sent two researchers out to study the area and identify what exactly makes the pokemon in that area become feral."

"We know," Hazel said. "Lesley and Nancy."

"Then you have seen first-hand that Judah is helping."

"In one area of our country's problems, yeah. But that's it!"

"There is also the issue concerning a certain group that threatens Ganderosa itself."

"The Enemy?" Dillan asked.

Lawrence turned around and faced the guildmembers. Dropping the paint brush from his mouth and onto the ground, he continued to speak. " These pokemon have broken from the path of righteousness and salvation for Ganderosa and have become traitors to the crown. These pokemon are Ganderosa's enemies.

"Now understand that I'm not at liberty to tell you all I know, but what I can say is that these pokemon want nothing but to see the Guild fail in their attempts at peace for all. King Judah's main focus has, and will always be, making sure that this group does not interfere."

"But why-" Hazel started, but Lawrence held up his paw.

"I'm not allowed to tell you anymore than I already have," the stoutland interrupted. "If you want to know more, King Judah will have to tell you himself."

"But-"

"You two should be heading off to Jarondai right about now, seeing as you don't want to be late. But before you go striding from the Guild, I would like you both to accompany me to the front of the Guild." With that, Lawrence walked around the guildmembers and down the stairs. "And try and be more up-beat!" he said in a joyful tone.

"Guildmaster, wait!" Dillan called after. He began running down after the stoutland.

* * *

Upon reaching the front yard of the Guild, Dillan found Lawrence standing right next to the fountain. His head was tilted upwards as he looked up at the darkened horizon. The star-filled sky shone bright against the stoutland's smile. It shocked Dillan to see the Guildmaster feeling joyous again, even after the seriously-toned conversation.

"Beautiful," Lawrence said quietly. "You know, it's been a while since I made a piece that has a beautiful night sky. If only I could capture it's splendor."

"Guildmaster," Dillan said. "I need a favor."

"Oh?" Lawrence asked, raising an eyebrow at the gabite. "And what might that be?"

"It's about the Lycanroc Tribe," Dillan stated. "Thalia's forces killed about..." Dillan stopped himself. Guilt began to build in his chest as he recalled the state of the tribe. He shook that thought from his head and continued, stating, "Lily's still back there. She's probably fighting them right now without any kind of help and-"

"Who?" Lawrence questioned. "Oh, right! The lycanroc who gave you the Sapphire Star. You want me to send some of the Guild to fight Thalia and the nuzleaf tribe, correct?"

"That would be fantastic!" Dillan said with a bright smile.

"I'll get right on that." Lawrence stated quickly. Dillan's joy seemed to vanish. Was it just him, or was Lawrence being dismissive.

"Guildmast-" Before Dillan could continue, Lawrence looked into the sky and gave a deep, long howl. He then looked at Dillan and smiled.

"She'll be here any second, now," he stated.

"Who?" Hazel questioned from Dillan's left. He looked back at her, not sure how long she'd been standing there. _Why are you even the slightest bit surprised?_

"Lawrence!" a voice shouted from above. "This better be good!"

"Team Rapture," Lawrence stated looking straight up. Dillan and Hazel followed the Guildmaster's lead. The gabite's eyes widened a he smiled slightly. _Woah... That's cool..._ "I want you to meet Regina."

With a loud "thud", a massive, quadrupedal pokemon came to rest right next to the Guildmembers. Dillan recognized this pokemon from Lawrence's painting in the Guild.

"A salamence!" Hazel exclaimed with wonder, looking up at the pokemon who stood at nearly three-times the height of Dillan.

"And a very tired one at that!" the blue dragon said. "What is it now, Lawrence? And it better not be _me_ posing for another one of _your_ paintings, you sorry piece of sh-"

"This is Team Rapture," Lawrence interjected. "King Judah wants them to be in Jarondai by tomorrow. They're his special guests at Castle Jarondai."

"Wow..." Dillan exclaimed, still enamored with the massive dragon before him. "What are you?"

"Wondering why the hell I'm putting up with this crap," Regina stated. She looked at Lawrence before stating, "You want me to take them to _the_ Castle? The no-fly-zone castle?"

"The other side of Mount Jarndai should be sufficient," Lawrence stated.

"Just because your a big-shot doesn't mean you can use me as your personal vessel. Besides, you know I have little brats to take care of without two more to cart around to an island in the middle of the ocean." _Wow..._

"I realize your situation, and your children will be in good paws. You have my word, or you'll own my job."

"Tempting," Regina stated. "But out of the question."

"You'll be handsomely compensated for your troubles," Lawrence assured. "Think of it as a way to help your kids get on their feet when they're of working age."

Regina looked at Lawrence. The stoutland tilted his head in a, "you know you want it" kind of way. The salamence rolled her eyes. "Climb up my wing and onto my neck," she stated, turning around and lowering her wing to the guildmembers. "And this is the last time, Lawrence! And I mean it this time!"

"Of course you do," Lawrence stated. He gave a hearty laugh as he faced Team Rapture. "She will be your ride to Jarondai Castle. You should both be there by tomorrow evening if the weather is favorable."

"Lawrence," Dillan said, turning his mind back to Lily. "The lycanrocs really need help. If you're dead-set on Judah being a good guy, then he won't mind you helping some pokemon out, right?"

Lawrence smiled at Dillan for a few seconds, saying nothing. The smile was that of a parent who was proud of a child, which was uncomfortable to say the least. Either that or... was it condescension? _This is Lawrence we're talking about! He acts like a big father, not a jerk._

"If it soothes your minds," Lawrence said. "Then I'll send some forces to help the tribe."

"Thank you, Guildmaster," Hazel added in.

"Don't mention it," Lawrence stated. "Now you should be heading off!" Lawrence smiled brightly at Team Rapture. "Even though this wasn't the most pleasant visit, I'm very glad to see you both once more."

"You too," Hazel added. She grasped Dillan's arm lightly and pulled him towards the salamence. "We should be heading off, now."

"Agreed," Lawrence said. "Tell King Judah I said hi!"

"We will," Dillan stated, climbing onto Regina's back.

"Take care!" Lawrence stated. He turned away from the Salamence and walked back into the Guild. Dillan caught a small glimpse of Ziggy before he shut the doors, sealing the building once more.

Hazel and Dillan both climbed up the salamence and found themselves rested upon its neck, Dillan being in front of Hazel. The gabite felt kind of uncomfortable sitting on the salamence, not from a physical feeling, but from a general unease of being up there. It was mainly caused by the fact that there really wasn't anything to grab a hold of, so he could only rely on his legs for support. A fear of falling became apparent to the gabite.

"Uh..." Dillan started nervously. "What's keeping me from falling off of your neck?"

"Boy," Regina said. "Don't be a sissy. I've flown through the sky so often that I know how to make it as smooth as possible. You'll both be fine."

"A-alright..." Dillan said. He hunched over a little and put his arms on either side of the salamence. _Just in case..._

Regina spread her wings wide and raised them above her. "Are you both ready?" she asked.

"Yeah," Dillan said. He looked back at Hazel. The charmeleon was currently scowling at the tower behind her. She didn't seem to hear the salamence one bit.

"Charmeleon?"

"I'm ready," Hazel said with a nod, still not moving her gaze.

"Are you alright?" Dillan asked her.

"It's just Lawrence," she stated. Hazel turned around and looked at Regina, then Dillan. "I'll tell you later."

"Alright..." Dillan said.

"If that's all," Regina stated. "Then away we go!"

* * *

(Fericia Territory: Howling Plains: Hours Ago)

Ryan tore into one of the tents the nuzleaf tribe had set up for their invasion of Howling Plains, panting from his latest experience as a Team Rebirth member. His stomach was convulsing from the overwhelming emotions in his body. His mouth felt dry, and his blood pounded at his eardrums, making it impossible to think straight. He doubled over and threw up onto the dirt. That horrid image wouldn't fade. It was almost like he was forced to stare directly at it, so he threw up again.

"The Master is impressed by the skills you displayed today," a voice stated from behind. Ryan didn't have to face Thalia to know it was her. Her usual, neutral tone was enough to identify the nidoqueen. "You listened to my advice and executed your strategy beautifully."

Ryan wiped the bile from his chin and said, "You stepped in..."

"Yes," Thalia stated.

"You..." Ryan began. He felt the words cling to his throat as though they were barbed.

"Even though the Master was happy with your results, I'm not impressed."

Ryan turned around and faced the scowling nidoqueen. She had her head tilted upwards, giving her a condescending flare to her scowl. "I didn't live up to your standards?" Ryan asked sarcastically, not truly caring.

"You hesitated," she said flatly.

"Well, excuse me if I find it hard to..." Ryan stopped himself. He felt another surge of lunch rise up into his mouth as he spewed all over the floor.

"If you find _your_ work this disturbing, then why stay?"

"Here's a better question," Ryan said. "Why am I even here?"

"To study under me," Thalia stated.

Ryan shook his head. "You know what I meant.

"Originally, I thought the _Master_ recruited me to search. So tell me why I'm on these... missions?"

"You were recruited to do whatever the Master tells you."

"That isn't answering my question."

"Your question doesn't matter." Thalia sounded as though she was getting annoyed with Ryan, but he didn't care. After that fight, his adrenaline was pumping throughout his entire body.

"Out of all of these missions, I've been useless. It wouldn't matter if I was here or dead. And since we both know _exactly_ why the Master is keeping me, I can't seem to wrap around my head why you people aren't using me for the exact purpose I'm here! So why don't you help me understand?"

"You're testing my patience, traitor."

"Don't shut me down, Thalia!" Ryan snapped. "Where's the Amber Amulet?"

Thalia raised an eyebrow at Ryan, after which was complete silence. It had been such a long time since that name was stated aloud. It was always like some sort of dark, unspoken secret, even in Team Rebirth. Now that it was out in the open, Thalia didn't seem to know what to say.

"Well?" Ryan urged.

"You think I know where it is?"

"Don't play dumb. You've had it for a while now, haven't you? That's why I'm here and not searching for it, right?"

Thalia stared at Ryan, saying nothing. That made the pachirisu smirk, not out of joy but of spite. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"I have absolutely no clue what you're entailing," Thalia stated calmly. "But I don't know where it is."

"But you have it?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know," she stated.

"What do you mean?" Ryan snapped. "You're the Master's closest commander! You have to know!"

"If that's what you believe, you're a bigger fool than I previously believed."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

Thalia stood there for a few seconds before turning away from Ryan. "The Master lets us know all that he wishes. Knowing anything more than needed puts him at a greater risk if one of his followers should turn traitor."

"So you don't know everything there is to know?"

"No one does," Thalia stated. "And it doesn't matter if we know his plan or not."

Ryan tilted his head slightly in confusion. "You're following blindly?"

"Careful, traitor. It sounds as though you're considering betrayal as an option, which is unwise for someone of your position." Ryan said nothing. Instead, he remained calm and waited for Thalia's next string of words. "As for your question, I do not follow blindly. All that has ever mattered to me is the destination, not the road. By keeping a piece of the path to himself, the Master has assured that no matter what happens, our enemies will not have the entire plan. And maybe that is the reason you are here instead of looking. But does the 'why' truly matter, or is the destination what we should be concerned with when considering the path?"

Ryan considered what was said. _She doesn't seem to know where it is... And it doesn't seem to matter to her. But if it's true that she doesn't know all there is, then how can she feel trusted? And why doesn't she want to know everything?_

" _It is time you learn the truth about Team Rebirth, Mr. Simon,"_ a deep, sinister voice echoed in Ryan's head.

"What do you mean by that?" Ryan asked aloud. Thalia stood there, remaining silent. Ryan knew that meant she was conversing with the Master in her own head so he couldn't hear. It might have been frustrating if he didn't have his own internal conversation to deal with.

 _"You did well in this battle. You fought Raksha with ferocity. Whether that was out of a need to survive or pure brutality does not matter to me. All that matters is that you fought for me, and I believe that has proved your loyalty."_

"As you wish, Master," Thalia stated, bowing to what looked like the air itself.

Ryan shook his head. It was unbelievable. After all this, and a simple fight is what proved it? _You don't trust me._ "You're pulling my chain."

"On the contrary," Thalia stated calmly. "The Master believes your want for 'closure' outweighs your ties you created with your old team. He believes that want is enough to trust you will not go against us."

Ryan gave a scoff of disapproval. "I'm not buying it."

 _"Then allow me to convince you. Outside of this tent stands one of my recently-tested followers. He has been instructed to give you any information you want from him. Normally, I would do so myself. But something has come up that needs my attention. So, he will tell you what you wish to learn, should it be in his ability to answer. Let his information be the proof you seek."_

Ryan's eyes drifted behind Thalia to the entrance of the tent. _Someone's out there?_ Thalia stepped to the side and stared at Ryan. Her neutral expression was enough to demand Ryan follow through with the Master's plans. Still...

"This is going to give me answers?" Ryan asked. "About whatever I ask?"

 _"If it is in his power to answer, then he will do so."_

"So if I were to ask about Thalia?"

"The old witch is one hundred and eighty two," a cold, yet joyful voice stated from outside of the tent. _That voice..._ Ryan's eyes widened and his jaw tensed up. "She was born in a town that was decimated by taxes brought about by the Armadine Family's very own Hans Armadine. That town no longer exists today due to the taxes, which is why she joined Team Rebirth."

Thalia turned towards the tent's exit and scowled. "That was a little too much information for my tastes."

"Shut up!" the voice shouted. Ryan watched as a green blade tore through the tent flaps and ripped them apart. The blade stopped at Thalia's nose, threatening to pierce her scaly nostrils, but the wielder's cold, bitter eyes flashed a sort of blood-lust towards Ryan instead. "The Master told me to give the runt everything I knew! And he asked about you. So why would I withhold that information?"

"You..." Ryan stated slowly as his cold gaze traced the burns across the pokemon's body. His face grew into a snarl of anger, but his mind was too focused on his own disbelief. "But you-"

"I thought you already knew?" Arlon asked with a massive grin. He looked at Thalia and stated, "If he doesn't even know _that_ much, then how long is this going to take m-"

"Remove your sword before I remove it for you!" Thalia demanded.

Arlon's sword immediately shrank back into his leaf and he shrugged. "Fine. But that doesn't answer my question."

Thalia scowled towards Ryan. "He knows. It's just that he's overemotional, allowing it to blind him from simple conclusions." Ryan shot a cold glance at Thalia. _Thanks for putting her in a bad mood, Arlon..._

"If it keeps being a problem," Arlon began, turning towards Ryan with hate-filled eyes, "I could always beat it out of him. I still owe him for that _incident_ in Castellum Town."

"Just try it!" Ryan barked.

"Enough playing," Thalia stated. "Get this over with so we can follow through with the Master's next course of action."

"Fine," Arlon stated. He stood up straight and softened his grin into a light smile, which was even more disturbing for Ryan. "Tell me, _Simon_. What do you want to know?"

"You can't be serious," Ryan said. "You're going to tell me what I want to know? _You_ of all pokemon?"

"It's why I'm here," Arlon stated. "Now let's get on with it. Or I could hurt you. Either one works for me."

Ryan looked at Thalia. She nodded her head, urging Ryan to ask a question. Ryan shook his head. "This doesn't change anything between us," Ryan snarled. "I'm still your enemy."

"Now that we have our heart-filled comments out of the way," Arlon began. "Why don't we forget that we want to kill each other for a few seconds while you tell me what you want to know?"

* * *

(Fericia Territory: Fericia Castle: Present Time)

As Ziggy shut the door behind the Guildmaster, blocking Team Rapture and Regina from the Guild, Lawrence felt his fear start to rise in his chest. _It's happening too fast... So much preparation... So much work and warning... and now it's finally happening..._

"Guildmaster?" Ziggy asked nervously. "Do you want me to call a meeting to speak with the guildmembers?"

"Don't bother," Lawrence stated.

"But didn't you say you would send forces to help the pokemon of Howling Pains?"

Lawrence gave a long, drawn-out sigh. "I know what I said to _them_ , Hans. And I've just told _you_ differently." He turned to the zigzagoon and shot him a hard scowl. "No one will be sent to aid them. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes Guildmaster Lawrence," Ziggy said, lowering his head to Lawrence.

"Good. Now why don't you deal with the rest of your paper work while I think. I'll be in my study if you require we for anything you come across."

"Of course!" Ziggy stated before running towards one of the two desks. He began working on the paper at the table, scribbling initials wherever he saw the need.

Lawrence began walking down the room and up the stairs as he thought. _I still don't understand why you want to speak with them. You already have the one you need, so why do you seek another? You must have your reasons, but..._ The stoutland stopped on the last stair. He began feeling the helplessness surround him: a feeling he wished to leave behind since his childhood. He pounded his closed paw on the stone step and shouted. _Why do you constantly keep me in the dark?! Why would you share your entire plan with seemingly everyone else while you force me to dance on the edge between knowing nothing and everything?! Have I not worked enough for this?!_

The feeling of fear began growing inside of him. It was torturous. He wanted to know everything: help in any way he could. He wanted to strengthen his position. But how could he when so much was kept from him? "Why do you refuse to accept me?!"

 _"You know exactly why, Guildmaster,"_ the voice stated. _"Being in your position has tainted your heart with pity. I'm honestly not that surprised considering you spend your days lying to those around you. Perhaps those same lies and the system you lie for has corrupted your ideals for the future."_

"Never!" Lawrence shouted. "My loyalties have always been to your cause: _our_ cause!"

 _"Then why have you still not attempted to claim the Sapphire Star for me?"_ Lawrence grimaced. _"You must have sensed it's power ever since he came to your front door. You must have, at the very least, considered its value."_

"I-I never thought about-"

 _"You forget that I can see into your mind, Guildmaster. You're a fool to believe you can hide from me."_

"I wasn't showing him mercy!"

 _"Then how would you define your actions towards your enemy?"_

"I would have had to kill the gabite _and_ the girl!"

 _"And what use do I have for the spawn of Panne Wicker?! That woman has caused me issues for generations! Her offspring would die whether you spared her or not!"_

"That girl has connections in Fericia! You can't make someone like her disappear without raising too many eyebrows! Pokemon would have suspected everything! From there on, it would only be a matter of time before they learned of your identity!"

 _"If Ganderosa learning of my identity is the cost of achieving our goal, then so be it! But there's a different reason for your lack of actions! Stop trying to hide it! You never wanted to kill a child!"_

Lawrence felt his fear reach its peak in his chest. _He knows... Why did I ever try to hide it?!_

 _"Why indeed. It's time you stopped playing your childish games, Lawrence and decide what kind of man you want to be! If you want to lose it all for your simple emotions, so be it! At this point, it doesn't matter! You are no longer a vital piece in this game!"_

"But my allegiance has always been to the cause! You can't-" A massive surge of pain erupted in the front of Lawrence's head. The stoutland doubled over on the stairs and began shouting in agony.

 _"Forget your place once more and it will end you! Do you understand?!"_

"I understand!" Lawrence howled. Almost as fast as it started, the pain dissipated, leaving the Guildmaster gasping for air.

 _"Good. Now understand that your assistance in our plan is still acknowledged and you will still be compensated for your efforts. I hope you understand what this means."_

"I... understand..." Lawrence stated wearily.

 _"In a few short hours, I will order my forces to return to the island. I expect them to go unburdened and unnoticed as always. If anyone reports it, that report is to be erased. Do I make myself clear?"_

Lawrence took one final breath before stating, "Yes... Yes, King Judah..."

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Haha! The plot thickens! I've been waiting for this moment for a very very long time! Of course, there are still some questions, but I hope this gets some things cleared up (and brings up more questions! Chaw haw haw! (props to anyone who caught this reference) :D). Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter (or at least the end)! It took a long time to think and process how exactly I was going to go about putting Team Rapture on the road to Jarondai, which is why it took a little longer to get out (well, that and writer's block and/or college tests getting in the way).

Something I just wanted to put out there for anyone interested. I've been wanting to do this for a while now, but I've been afraid to ask... Anyways, I've wanted to get a beta-reader in for my story! Since I don't want to subject anyone to A. A story they wouldn't be interested in, and B. Having to read a year's work of chapters just to get caught up so they could help me out, I thought I'd ask the fans of the story who've already read up to this point! I need a Beta-Reader. Having to comb through the chapters multiple times is really tiring for me, due to so many other things going on in my life. Since I already know you guys read the story, I was wondering if someone wanted to be a Beta-Reader and point out different "issues" they see: whether it be character dialogue being sloppy for whatever reason or a punctuation error. Maybe even a typo. It would help me so much, and you'd only have to read it once through Google Docs!

{

Benefits: You'd get to read the story ahead of everyone else! You'd be helping me get these chapters out faster than they usually do! And... my eternal gratitude? XP

Costs: As long as it takes to read through a chapter (for me it's an hour...)

}

No pressure whatsoever! Shoot me a PM if you want! If not, you can find a good brick, bring it above your toe, and just drop that sucker! Jk. I don't really care. Doesn't mean more work for me, anyways, ya know? All I'm asking is that you consider it. The more people who help me, the better it'll turn out! Thanks for your time!

Shout-out to "ShadowBlaze07", "Meisterofjuice", "Cyalm", and "ExplodedPoet" for following/favoriting the story! It's funny how literally hours before I posted the latest chapter (or at least I think it's how it happened... :P) I got a new follow/favorite, and I just didn't get emailed about it. Go figure! Anyways, whoever you are, sorry for not giving a shout-out to you in the last chapter! Anyways, thanks so much for liking the story enough to follow! Justifies my work, you know?

That's all for now! Next time, a whole bunch of things are going to come unraveled! A lack of mystery awaits! So thanks for reading, everyone! I'll see you all in the next chapter!


	41. The Dragon King

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 41

The Dragon King

* * *

Dillan felt a chilly breeze blow against his skin. A salty smell seemed to linger in the air, and what felt like grains of sand were lodged between his toes. The sound of water washing over itself could be heard. He stared out at a blur of blues and greens with splotches of white on the horizon. _A beach...?_ The gabite had no clue why, but here, he felt at peace. He also noticed a sort of lingering desire in the back of his mind. It seemed to puncture the calmness ever so slightly.

In a few seconds, Dillan felt a sort of disturbance in the air itself. A flash of blue light could be seen through the corner of his eyes, but he didn't turn. It was almost like he expected it.

"Hello, Mr. Lambert," the light said. "Enjoying the ocean?"

"Why are you here?" Dillan's body asked harshly.

"I would suggest a change in tone," it stated.

"Don't get your hopes up."

Silence followed. Dillan felt uncomfortable, which was the complete opposite way his body seemed to feel. _Why am I being harsh towards... whoever this is? That doesn't feel like me._

"I assume you have considered my proposition," the light said.

"I have," Dillan answered. "And I think you're crazy."

"Don't test my patience, Mr. Lambert."

Dillan turned towards the baby-blue light, his brow-line scrunching together in disbelief. "You expect me to believe that pokemon actually exist? Oh! And not only is there an entire planet filled with them, but that they walk and talk like actual people as well?" He scoffed. "Maybe you didn't realize this, but pokemon were made up by some Japanese dude in an office!"

The light didn't respond. There was no way to tell what it was thinking since there were no facial cues, or even a face. So Dillan waited until it said, "There was once a time when minds were open to the possibility of alternate realities filled with creatures of unimaginable power. People use to grasp at the things that they could never attain, like world peace. In fact, the first human to help save my world was a visionary by the name of Satoshi Tajiri. He believed he could save our world from its first threat; maybe not alone, but he recruited enough help to save an entire world. After that, many other adventures occurred. Humans became the relying force behind saving my world, all because of one man."

"If there are so many people saving your world, then why doesn't anyone ever hear about it?"

"The simple answer is that certain talk would be considered ludicrous among most humans: merely a conspiracy theory," the light said sternly. "There's also the fact that there have only been ten successful humans out of nearly thirty who have saved my world. The reason for there only being ten humans is very simple: laziness.

"You see, over the past few years, people have grown anti-social. No one cares for another pokemon's problems if it does not directly affect their personal lives. Sure, there's the occasional donation to the poor, but most pokemon... or should I say human? Nevertheless, they aren't willing to put in the work to make an impact on another human's life. And whenever someone makes an impact, it is only for personal gain. Take any invention: the Cotton-Gin, the car, even something as simple as a bottle-opener was made in the hopes that they would make a personal profit off of another human's need. Not to say this is a bad thing, only that none of these inventions were made in the hopes to better the entire world. And these contributions are centuries old for your world. Today, there's the internet, video-games, and the Facebook. It makes people lazy. And with all the false support it gives, anyone who has done something legitimate is drowned out by the nonsense of this generation of people."

"Assuming what you're saying is true," Dillan began, "then why even bother with humans? If we're as lazy as you say, why do you need us? Why not just get a pokemon to do the job?"

"It is a very valid point," the light said. "If I am to be brutally honest, I have grown to despise your race. Though our current dilemma requires nothing more than a human to solve. Anyone else would be rendered helpless."

"Come on," Dillan pressed. "Why not give me the whole explanation and not just half of it?"

The light remained silent for a few seconds. "That information, I can't give to you."

"Again, why?"

"It would be unwise to put all of my trust in a person who still hasn't agreed to help me, would it not?"

"Whatever," Dillan said, shaking his head. "But let's say that I believe you. Why are you asking me for help? It's not like I'm the best person for the job. I mean, don't you think you need someone a little more... more..."

"Positive?" the light questioned. "Enthusiastic?"

"Willing?" Dillan said. His head turned away from the light and began staring at the horizon.

"It is my belief that you are almost perfectly suited for the job," the light stated. "Almost."

"Yeah right. My entire life's a wreck. How does that make me more qualified than some straight-A nerd? Or even better, an Olympic Runner?"

"The death of your sister has taken its tole on your mind, correct?" Dillan felt his knuckles pop as his fist clenched from anger. He also felt his eyes squint as though he was in physical and emotional pain.

"Bring her up again-" Dillan warned.

"As I told you before, people today are too wrapped up in personal gain. Humans feel as though they have nothing to gain from helping another person if it puts them in harm's way. There's also the insufferable matter that most care more about a cat on their internet than any problem persisting around them. They feel as though they have everything to lose by leaving the things they're already so involved in, including their o0wn families. So my group had to come up with a new... criteria that our next hero needed to fit. Since people of today feel as though they have everything to lose, we needed to find people that had already lost everything."

"You picked me because my sister is dead?!" Dillan asked in shock and rage. "That's sick!"

"There's nothing for you here but pain, and you realize that. By coming with me, you not only have nothing to lose, but everything to gain."

"There's nothing I want, or can gain, that I haven't already lost!" Dillan snapped.

Dillan felt the world begin to shake around him. The memory vibrated in front of him as a voice called out from all around, "Dillan!" _Dang it! Why can't I ever be left alone with my dream?_

"Nothing is impossible, Mr. Lambert," the voice said. _What does he mean? Is he implying... No... That_ is _impossible._

"Just admit it!" Dillan said, though the entirety of his surroundings were fading away into the distance. "The only thing I want is-... back, and she's..." _No! Not now! Not now of all times!_

Dillan felt his frustration rising. He was leaving the dream, and the voices were getting too quiet to make out.

As Dillan began to leave, he was barely able to catch the final sentence that the blue light uttered. "Come with me-... promise you this-... give you-... final chance to-"

"Dillan!"

* * *

(Ferician Border)

"Dillan!" Hazel shouted into the gabite's ear. Dillan slowly opened his eyes, staring below. Blues and greens of the ocean began to whiz by as the smell of salt water lingered in his nostrils. _Am I still asleep?_ That's when he noticed that the waves were flying by his face.

The gabite jumped from the realization that he was flying. He panicked and began slipping to the right off of Regina the salamence's neck.

The salamence glanced back just in time to notice the gabite's movement. She swerved right, managing to stabilize the gabite. Dillan slammed his chest down on Regina's neck and wrapped his arms around for support.

"What in Ganderosa do you think you're doing back there?!" the salamence snapped. "Are you trying to drown?!"

"Dillan!" Hazel began frantically. "A-are you alright?"

"Yeah!" Dillan shouted over the wind, squinting his eyes from the shock. "Just forgot we weren't on the ground!"

"Sorry. I didn't realize you'd jump from being woken up."

"It's fine," Dillan assured as he looked back at a nervous-looking charmeleon. _I'm more shocked by the fact that I fell asleep on a dragon's back... Was I that tired last night._

"Anyways, I thought you'd want to see it before we land." Hazel pointed a claw ahead of the gabite who turned around.

A look of slack-jawed awe came to Dillan. Just on the edge of the blue horizon, peaking just above the sea, was an island as black as ash. At the front was a sort of flat land which contrasted the mountainous back-half. In the middle of the island stood a massive mountain that bellowed smoke into the sky, clouding its blues and whites.

"A volcano..." Dillan said.

"Most pokemon don't realize it's still active," Hazel stated.

"You mean it could explode?" Dillan asked with worry. _And we're going right next to the thing?!_

"Don't be an idiot!" Regina scolded from the front. "If it was dangerous, don't you think King Judah would have moved the capitol by now? Don't you think that _any_ of the Arvaines would have moved it? No! Jarondai has been our capitol since before the Ganderosan Civil War over one-hundred years ago. And even then, the volcano hadn't erupted for nearly three-hundred years!"

"Basically, it won't erupt unless someone forces it to do so. And even then, it would take a massive amount of energy concentrated into a single explosion, and only pokemon from other country's legends have that kind of raw power, like a creature called Primal Groudon for instance."

"And before you go blabbing a question like 'isn't that a really big risk to be taking', no it isn't. The mountains surrounding the castle make for a real pain to cross into Jarondai Castle. No sweaty tooth-pick for a pokemon has a chance at beating Ganderosa's royal guard, not after wasting most of their energy crossing the mountains."

"There's also the fact that the volcano has its own passage that takes you to the castle, but the heat alone is too much for most pokemon. Jarondai Castle is really just a massive fortress within a fortress."

"Wow..." Dillan said in awe. "So it's nearly impossible to get in."

"And did I mention the Royal Guard is always watching the skies for aerial attackers? They'll blow almost any group of pokemon out of the sky. Though we're a different case. Since we're alone up here, they'll wait for us to land before confronting us. After that, they'll realize I'm on Garth's good-side, they'll let you two in and you'll get to meet with King Judah."

"Sounds good to me," Dillan said. _If I'm being honest, the ground's more my speed... I'm actually surprised I fell asleep up here._ Dillan took a breath of the salty air and felt his muscles loosen. Then, he was met with realization. _Never mind. The sea's too soothing..._

"Woah..." Hazel said wearily.

Dillan looked behind and saw his charmeleon friend pressing her left paw against the side of her head. She looked slightly dizzy. "Hazel?" Dillan asked. "Are you alright?"

"Uh... Yeah," she said hesitantly. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure you're fine, kid?" Regina asked. "You don't sound it."

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just feeling a little dizzy all of the sudden."

"Alright..." Dillan said. He shook the thought of something wrong out of his head and continued to look ahead, thinking to himself.

 _I wonder why I'm so attracted to the ocean. That light said it had to do with me wanting to run away from my problems back when I was human. Maybe it... made me..._ Dillan's mind drifted to his previous dream: to the light and what it said to him.

"Nothing is impossible, Mr. Lambert."

 _Was he lying to me? I mean, there are plenty of things that are impossible... But what if he was being serious? What if... What if he could..._ Dillan gritted his teeth and shook his head. _No. That's just wishful thinking... Thinking things like that is only going to depress me, and I can't do that to Hazel today. Too much is riding on me, and I need to make sure I'm at my best for King Judah. Besides, no amount of hope can save someone from death. It just isn't possible._

Staring off into the sea, Dillan listened to the wind. He felt the cold breeze whiz by his face. As he sat there, he felt the peace was still around him. It seemed to sap the negative emotions from him, leaving behind a soothing nostalgia. Maybe a distant memory was left behind in his brain that allowed him to feel this way. Whatever it was, he knew that he loved the feeling. Perhaps this was why he use to love the sea.

* * *

Flying over the final waves, Regina rode the air over the shore, crossing into Jarondai's borders. A few minutes later, ash filled the air, though he was shocked to find it didn't seem to affect his breathing. Looking around, he found the ash didn't seem to affect Regina or Hazel, as well. _Maybe it's because I'm a dragon-type and Hazel's a fire-type?_

Dillan pushed that thought from his mind as the three pokemon passed around the volcano in the middle of the island. Hazel gave a gasp of awe as a massive, white castle came into view. There were two, massive tapestries of the Ganderosan symbol along the front of the walls. The tapestries were on either side of a massive, iron gate. Turrets along the walls topped with grey, ash-ridden roofs shot up into the sky. There was a massive courtyard at the front of the castle with a wide assortment of plants, all covered in the volcano's ash. Behind the courtyard, near the back of the walls, sat a massive structure that looked like its own miniature castle, only this castle was an entire building with spires and everything. There was also a wide-assortment of armored pokemon traipsing the castle walls and grounds, probably on the watch for trouble. They were up so high, all the guards looked like tiny flashes of metal. It looked like something out of a fairy tail.

"I can't believe we made it!" Hazel squealed with joy. "That's Jarondai Castle! It looks even cooler up close!"

"Wait until you're inside," Regina said as she began descending to the front gates. Just then, a massive horn sounded a low rumbling noise through the air. The flashes below stopped moving for a few seconds, then began scrambling about the castle. Regina gave a hearty laugh. "Those idiots are always so wound-up."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Hazel asked halfheartedly. She still seemed to be enamored with the castle below.

"It means you'll both have a welcoming party. Hope you both have your invitations ready, otherwise you'll be going nowhere."

"There in my bag," Hazel assured.

After a few minutes, the group reached the ground. Dillan and Hazel made their way off of her back and onto the ground. The moment the charmeleon collided with the ground, she seemed to stumble, though she seemed to regain her balance quickly.

"I'll be off then," Regina said as she raised her wings.

"Already?" Dillan asked. _She's not coming in the castle with us?_

"Sorry kids, but paperwork is a menace, and waiting here for the Royal Guards to question me means tons of it." Almost immediately after finishing her sentence, she flapped her broad wings and was off the ground, racing towards the volcano.

Dillan was left speechless. "What... just happened?"

"Hey," Hazel said. She tapped Dillan's arm and pointed towards the castle. "The Royal Guard's going to be here any minute."

"So I shouldn't be concerned with our ride leaving us?" he asked genuinely.

"Not now. At the moment, we need to talk about Lawrence."

Dillan's expression softened into a look of concern. "What about him?"

"I don't know..." Hazel said as she rubbed the back of her neck underneath her purple scarf. "He just seemed weird when we were there, you know? I mean... He obviously knew more than he was telling us... And how he brushed you off after you asked about the lycanroc tribe... It just feels... off."

 _I noticed all of that, too..._ Dillan took a deep breath and shook his head. "Lawrence is a good pokemon, right? I mean, you said so yourself. We can trust him."

"But still..." Hazel stood there for a few seconds before smiling. "You're right. I'm letting my emotions get the better of me. Or I'm overthinking things. I mean, he _did_ say King Judah would explain more to us. I'm sure Lawrence thought the King himself would be better suited for the job... or something like that."

Dillan looked ahead and saw the castle gates open. Three guards started marching towards Team Rapture, spears in-hand. Dillan looked over at Hazel and said, "You have the letters, right?"

"Like I said before," Hazel said as she pulled out two pieces of paper from her bag. "I have them. They should let us inside the moment they see the Armadine Seal."

"Alri-," Then, a flash of blue encroached upon his vision, blurring the world around him.

 _"Paladin,"_ an ominous voice called from all around the gabite. _"I urge you to turn around. There is nothing here for you but lies and treachery!"_

 _Wh-... Who..._

 _"Please, I beg of you to leave this accursed place before it is too late!"_

Dillan felt his knees give out from under him and he fell forwards.

"Dillan!" Hazel shouted from beside the gabite. He felt a paw clutch is shoulder. Almost as fast as it occurred, the blue light dispersed, leaving the world around him.

"What in Ganderosa..." Dillan said to himself. He looked downwards towards the Sapphire Star. _Did you show that to me?_ Dillan waited for an answer from the object around his neck, but none came. _Who are you?_

"Dillan," Hazel urged worriedly. "Talk to me."

"I'm..." Dillan started, but stopped himself to think for a second. _Leave...? Accursed? What did it mean by "accursed place"? Better yet, what was that?_

"Are you two alright?" a voice asked with a demanding tone. Dillan looked upwards to see what looked like a four-armed, turquoise pokemon who wore armor with the Ganderosan symbol imprinted all over it. The pokemon also had a purple, flowing cape that was tinged with ash. There was no doubt in Dillan's mind that this was a Royal Guard.

"I'm fine," Dillan assured. He turned to Hazel and said, "Really."

Before Hazel could talk, the guard gave a huff and shouted. "What in Ganderosa are you two doing on the King's door step?!"

Hazel gave one last worried glance towards Dillan before a nervous smile crept across her face while she handed the guards Judah's invitations. _What was that voice? And why did it sound so urgent? It was like it was warning me about something..._ Dillan looked towards a nervous-looking Hazel. _No. As weird as that was, you can't analyze it too much at the moment. Hazel's probably terrified about seeing Judah, and worrying about that voice isn't going to help. We need to talk with him about the Enemy, or we won't be able to get any help._ After the guards scanned the invitation, they gave smiles towards the group and beckoned them onward. _Hazel needs me to be brave. It's time to stop your worrying and get this over with... I need to do this to save Ganderosa... to save Ryan._ The guards began their march towards the castle, followed by Team Rapture.

* * *

(Jarondai Castle: Jarondai Territory)

The guards took the guildmembers through the gates, escorting them through a garden of ash-covered flowers and trees, shielding their beauty. Even with the ash, it seemed to ease Hazel's worries. She looked on all around her with wonder at the different aspects of this fortress, and so did Dillan. Seeing the mass amount of guards at Ganderosa's capital filled him with hope: hope that not even Jake would be able to take the Sapphire Star while Judah backed him up. It was reassuring.

The guards led them to the front of the building and opened the doors. Inside, there were walls of white, smoothed stone. It didn't surprise Dillan at all to see the purple carpet under-foot that seemingly traced the entirety of the castle, though it did lead to a point of interest. In the center of the room, a plump dragonite stood tall and proudly before the guildmembers The dragonite wore a long, purple cape that draped itself across the floor behind the dragonite. The pokemon wore purple pauldrons, with golden vines spiraling around in a beautiful design, strapped to his arms. On top of his head was a golden crown encrusted with a wide assortment of beautiful jewels.

King Judah scowled at the Royal Guards, then Team Rapture. His fixed expression demanded respect of the guildmembers, just like it had in Palando. "Leave us," he ordered. The Royal Guards bowed to the King and left Team Rapture with King Judah.

"Your Majesty," Hazel said as she bowed to the King. Dillan followed the charmeleon's example.

"Stand up," Judah commanded. "I will not have Ganderosa's heroes bow to me on their day of celebration." Team Rapture watched as Judah's expression softened, and a light smile escaped the corner of his mouth. The guildmembers didn't share his joy. It wasn't about Team Armageddon, or their accomplishment in the Alkan Islands. This was about something much more urgent.

Upon seeing the worried expressions on Team Rapture's face, King Judah's expression hardened. "If you both wish to enjoy my company, I would suggest you lighten up. I am, after all, taking a massive time away from my duties to show my support to Palando's guildmembers."

"And we appreciate that, sir," Dillan said. "But... there's something important we need to ask of you."

"And would this have to do with the gem-stone currently rested around your neck?"

Dillan grimaced from shock. He caught on surprisingly quickly, almost as if...

"Do you know what this is?" Dillan asked urgently as he held the Sapphire Star out by its string.

"You insult me by insinuating that I would not recognize the Sapphire Star."

"What do you mean by that?" Hazel asked.

King Judah stared at the Sapphire Star with a sort of want in his eyes. It offset Dillan's trust in the dragonite.

"First, I would like to know why you are truly here." Judah turned away from Team Rapture and began walking down the hallway. "Follow me, and explain everything you need to."

"A-alright..." Dillan said. He and Hazel stood up and followed the dragonite.

* * *

"So you know about them," Judah stated as he came to a stop near a turn in the corridor.

"Like Dillan said," Hazel went on. "They're hunting the Sapphire Star, and they want to use it to destroy Ganderosa."

Judah stood there for a few seconds, contemplating. "What did Lawrence tell you?" he questioned.

Hazel and Dillan looked at Judah with awe. _He... He knows we saw Lawrence?!_

"I would not be so surprised if I were in your position. After all, would the King not know about all in his country?"

"Then you've known about the Enemy?" Hazel questioned a little forcefully.

"I do not wish to repeat myself, Ms. Prince," Judah said in irritation. "But I would like you to answer my questions."

"Uh..." Dillan began nervously, but he tried to shake those feeling away. "He didn't really tell us much, only that you wanted to do it yourself."

"Then you know this is not a simple celebration?" he asked.

"Of course," Hazel stated. Dillan looked towards the charmeleon and was shocked to see a scowl on her face. "Lawrence told us that much, as well."

Judah looked towards Dillan, then towards the Sapphire Star around his neck. A smile crept across his face. "You both feel as though you deserve the truth, correct?"

"It would be nice," Hazel said.

Judah looked back towards Dillan. "Then follow me, guildmembers."

The King turned away from Team Rapture and walked down the hall, turning the corner. Hazel and Dillan followed.

Upon reaching the other end, Dillan found he was in a hallway filled with paintings on either side. Some seemed to be filled with beautiful valleys of plants and pokemon, while others were portraits of Kings, probably that of Ganderosa's past.

"Wow..." Hazel said in starry-eyed awe.

"I assumed you would enjoy this room more than your partner," Judah said to Hazel. "After all, you do have an appreciation for Ganderosa's history."

Hazel's joy drained from her face as soon as Judah reminded her of just how much he knew about her. She straightened her back and fixed her expression into one like a body-guard: void of all emotion.

"What is it all for?" Dillan asked as he walked ahead to the first painting, one of a plant-filled valley that, on either side, rested two creatures: one a bipedal, pink one and the other a blue, quadruped.

"If you cannot tell, the pictures filling the halls all depict Ganderosa's history," Judah said. "This one specifically depicts the pokemon Dialga and Palkia creating the world." Dillan turned to Judah with a bit of shock. Was it just him, or did the King sound almost disgusted?

"Sir?" Hazel began. "Why did you bring us here?"

"You both know that today, you remaining members of Team Rapture are not here to celebrate," Judah said. "Seeing how I gave you the Alkan Guild mission, it only makes sense that I would recognize your accomplishments. And I must say that I am impressed with both of your roles in this said mission. That being said, Ms. Prince, I brought you here to learn."

"Learn what?" Hazel questioned. "I already know about Ganderosa's History, and so does Dillan."

"If you have not yet noticed, there are some things that cannot be found inside of books," Judah started. "Some knowledge can only be acquired from personal experience, or passed on from those who have lived to tell the tail. Generation after generation, these experiences are not contained through words written on paper or colors on paintings, but through words of wisdom and experience. For instance: do either of you know about the world before the Guild System was invented: before the Great King Maxamillian Armadine?"

Silence filled the air. Dillan's eyes widened as he turned to a nervous-looking Hazel. Naturally he wouldn't be able to answer such a question. He hadn't grown up in this world, he never bothered to ask, and no one ever seemed intent on teaching him such a fact. But for Hazel to be out of the know? It was shocking.

"I-It isn't something they teach us, sir," Hazel acknowledged nervously.

"Then allow me to pass the knowledge on through words," Judah said. "It is in every pokemon's nature to rob and steal from each other. Taking or manipulating someone's basic rights as a living being is a horrid thing to do, but it has always been in this disgraceful world. The Great King, Maxamillian Armadine, created the Guild System which served to help ease pokemon's worries about the Mystery Dungeons. Another way to put it is the Guild gave hope to those who had lost so much. Would you agree that hope is a basic right for pokemon?"

"Hope is a good thing," Dillan stated. "So yeah. I'd say everyone deserves hope."

"What if I were to tell you that in Ganderosa, most hope was an illusion sought after by fools and dreamers: all of which are slaughtered by those who would seek to use them to get ahead in the world?"

"It couldn't have been that bad," Hazel said. "I mean, King Maxamillian hoped, right?"

"He did, but against all odds," Judah said coldly. "For instance: did either of you know that Maxamillian's mother was slaughtered in the riots following the Mystery Dungeon outbreak?"

"No..." Dillan said in horror.

"And he was not the only one who suffered. Multiple families lost their fathers, mothers, and even children because pokemon everywhere wanted to be animals when things began looking bad: when their life was threatened by something that pokemon see today as a simple occurrence. And when we look at life today, pokemon are still no better off.

"We have places like Giratina's Isle that contain enough scum to wipe away Ganderosa's inhabitants in months, should they be allowed to run rampant throughout the country. And when you consider the richest of pokemon, you can witness that even they prey on the helpless, making life worse for them."

The popping of knuckles could be heard from the right of Dillan. Turning, he saw the noise came from an irritated-looking charmeleon, but she immediately traded it in for a calm - yet still stern – expression that, disturbingly to Dillan, reminded him of Thalia.

"I am not one of those pokemon," Judah stated in response to Hazel's expression. "In all my years as King, I have never stepped on a pokemon to acquire power. But feel free to state whatever you wish."

"If it's alright with you, I'd rather not," Hazel said.

"Suit yourself," Judah said, paying no more attention to Hazel's not-very-well-hidden frustration. "As I was saying, the pokemon of today are just as cruel and as angry as they were before the Guild."

"No," Hazel said as she shook her head defiantly. "The Guild helps pokemon! They help them so they don't have to feel abandoned! It's made things better!"

"But is it all truly enough?" Judah asked.

"It can b-" Hazel stopped for no apparent reason. Her eyes widened as she fell onto the right wall, where she began to lean unsteadily.

"Hazel?!" Dillan asked worriedly as he ran to her side, but she held up a paw.

"I'm... fine," she said, though she sounded a little stressed. _Why is she acting like this? Is it just nerves from being around Judah?_

"Are you sure you are fine?" Judah asked. "I have doctors in the castle if you acquire assistance."

"I said I'm fine," Hazel stated forcefully. The King looked at Hazel with a deep scowl that made Dillan nervous. Looking at Hazel, he noticed the same unease in her eyes that he had in his. She immediately turned towards the left wall and added a respectful, "Sir".

"Better," Judah said. "But I want you to tell me if you are feeling off in any way. Castle Jarondai has the three of the top doctors in Ganderosa. As such, if you ever need assistance with even a minor cold whilst staying here, I do not wish for you to hesitate."

"I'll keep that in mind," Hazel said with a nod. "But really, I'm fine. Can we come back to what you were saying, King Judah, sir?"

"Of course," Judah stated, turning back to the painting. Dillan shot Hazel a suspicious glance to which she gave a reassuring smile. Obviously, it wasn't enough to convince him that nothing was going on with her, but it was enough to get him to move on. _Maybe it's just something she's not comfortable talking about around Judah. I'll talk to her later._

"As I was saying, the Guild is not enough to grant Ganderosa hope for the future, not anymore. Using Team Armageddon as an example, pokemon are no longer trusting of the Guild or its mission. They think I am simply using it as a way to hide my laziness."

"Uh..." Dillan began, not really sure what to say, but positive he wanted to ask the question. "I don't mean to sound rude or anything, sir... but what is it you're doing? We tried asking Lawrence, but he wouldn't tell us."

"I am organizing a better future, Mr. Gabite," Judah stated. "Something that I need the both of you to understand is that I am not a war monger or a slothful pokemon. I care deeply for the pokemon of today, and I worry greatly for the future generation of this entire world: not just Ganderosa. Pokemon fight and kill each other over the simplest things, do they not? Pokes, houses, even something as simple and as inexpensive as a loaf of bread. They are cold, greedy, and unforgiving. Yet I know first-hand that there are pokemon like the two of you: pokemon who would give up their entire lives for a cause they believe is good and just. It is why you both fought Team Armageddon."

"I hate to say it, but did we really have a choice?" Hazel asked. "You wouldn't have called us deserters if we decided not to go through with it? I mean, Ryan even... said so..." Hazel's voice trailed off sadly at Ryan's name.

Even so, Dillan wouldn't let it stop there. He agreed with what Hazel was saying in its entirety. "Ryan said it was suicide to go, yet he went because we didn't have a choice."

"I like to consider the mission a test rather than suicide," Judah stated.

"A test?" Hazel asked. "You put us through all of that because you wanted to test us?"

"That is not entirely true," Judah said.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Dillan asked.

"Let me ask you this:" Judah began, ignoring Dillan's question. "Had either of you not considered why I did not send in the Ganderosan Army or the Royal Guard to take out Team Armageddon the moment I received word of their rebellion? It was all to test the loyalty of a certain group within my own Guild.

"What?" Dillan and Hazel both asked in pure shock.

"Another thing you can say about me is that I test all of my potential followers to make sure they will not stab me in the back, should the chance be given to them. You see, Ganderosa was built upon bettering the pokemon who serve it. As such, I wanted to test your strength and your loyalty to Ganderosa: to the Arvaine Crown." _But..._ Dillan thought. _Why send_ us _on a mission like that? It's not like we stood out above Team Force in missions or anything... so why test us?_

"Did you know Hank Peterson was in Team Armageddon?" Hazel accused.

"Peterson was there to test you members of Team Rapture on whether or you would choose the easy option and betray the Guild in order to join Team Armageddon and preserve your own lives."

"But why?" Dillan questioned. "Why did you test _us_ specifically?"

Judah stared at the group for a few seconds before a grin escaped from the corner of his mouth. "Before I show and tell you all there is, I need you to understand that I am trying to save the inhabitants of the world from annihilation."

"From the Enemy?" Dillan asked.

"That is another thing you must understand. The only enemy to Ganderosa is Ganderosa itself.."

"Are you being serious?" Hazel asked. "Thalia and Arlon weren't enemies to Ganderosa?"

"I am most certainly not joking," Judah stated harshly. "The pokemon of Ganderosa are bringing their own destruction through every sin they commit. Greed, gluttony, sloth, lust, envy, wrath, and pride are all sins that are inside of us all: some more than others. It is these sins and all of the pokemon that commit them on a daily basis that will destroy the world: not some small murderer who acts of his own free will."

"They aren't simple serial killers that need to be locked up!" Dillan shouted. "They're a group dead-set on using the Sapphire Star to end Ganderosa!" He held up the Sapphire Star for Judah to see.

Dillan expected the dragonite to stare intensely, to let the words sink in. He wasn't prepared at all for a short, forceful "Ha!"

"That isn't their intention, gabite," Judah shouted smugly, a sneer stretching across his face. "It never was."

Dillan was stunned. He didn't know what to say. Out of everything the dragonite could have stated, this, to the gabite, was an improbability. Did he mishear? Did he not believe him? And what drove him to sneer like that? Was he that pompous, or was it something else?

"How do you know their intentions?" Hazel questioned. "How much do you know about them that you aren't telling us?"

Judah said nothing. He just continued to sneer at the two pokemon. Then, his eyes widened and he sucked air through his teeth as he doubled over, shouting in pain. His left paw slapped itself on his chest, right where the heart was suppose to be as he began panting harshly. Dillan watched as what looked like every muscle in Judah's body tensed up from the pain.

"King Judah?!" Dillan shouted.

"Stop!" Judah shouted. He sounded as though he was in agony, but also as though he was terrified. "I never wanted this! Not any of it! Why are you doing this to me?! Father, why?! Why can't you leave me alone?!"

Dillan couldn't take his eyes off of the horror that unfolded before him. "What's happening to him?" he asked Hazel.

Hazel grabbed Dillan's arm and tore him away from the scene. When he was facing her, she shouted, "You need to go find a doctor!"

"W-what?" Dillan asked, caught off guard by the sudden order.

"Judah said that he has doctors in the castle! I need you to go find one!"

"What are you going to do?" he asked worriedly.

"I'll stay here and try to help him, but you need to find someone-"

"No!" Judah shouted, still panting. Turning towards the King, Dillan found his eyes were on Dillan and Hazel, staring at them with anger and gritted teeth. "He can't do anything for me!"

"But you're obviously in pain-" Hazel began.

"It will pass, Ms. Prince," Judah insisted. He closed his eyes and forced his face into a calm scowl. His panting grew shorter, and Dillan watched his muscles relax. Pretty soon, Judah was taking deep, seemingly relaxing breaths. He stood and faced Team Rapture. "As I said, it passed."

"What was that?" Hazel asked.

"I am truly sorry you had to witness such a thing," Judah said. "But what you saw is a hereditary disease I have in my family."

"I didn't know the Arvaines had a disease," Hazel stated.

"And I would appreciate it if it remains a secret," Judah stated.

"R-right," Hazel stuttered.

"How long has it been in your family?" Dillan asked.

"That, I cannot say. What I can tell you is that my father had it, and so do I, and my daughter probably has it, as well."

"You have a daughter?" Dillan asked.

"Of course," Judah said with annoyance. "How else do you expect Ganderosa's royalty to continue, if not with a successor?"

"I guess that would make sense..." Dillan said with a nervous smile.

"But that is all beside the point," Judah stated. "You both have one final secret to learn about before I tell you the reason you are here in Jarondai. If you would both follow me, I will show you to the throne room where we can finish our discussion properly." The king turned away from the two pokemon and began walking down the hallway, leaving them behind.

When Judah was out of ear-shot, Dillan turned to Hazel and said, "What happened with you? Why did you collapse back there?"

"Shouldn't we be more concerned with Judah?" Hazel asked with a look of great concern. "Obviously not with whatever that... collapsing and rambling was, but... I didn't expect him to be this deceptive."

"I thought the same thing," Dillan admitted. "I mean, why was he so interested in us that he'd send us on a dangerous mission all to test our loyalty? It seems kind of... over the top." The two sat in silence, considering what the other had said. But that was all Dillan needed before he shook his head vigorously. "None of it matters."

Hazel looked at Dillan like he was rambling some foreign sentence. "What?" she asked.

"This is too important," Dillan said as he tapped the Sapphire Star. "He needs to help us."

"I don't think he's interested in that anymore," Hazel said apprehensively. "He's more interested in us for some reason."

"But it doesn't matter!" the gabite shouted, squinting from frustration. "He _has_ to help! Ganderosa hinges on him helping us!"

"Being desperate won't convince him," Hazel said. "It's only going to lead to him using us!"

"If using us is what it takes," Dillan began. "No one might realize this or know that something is trying to destroy the country, but we do. And King Judah's the only one who can help."

Hazel stood there for a few seconds before she sighed. "I'm not on-board with this, Dillan... Not anymore... But you're right... No one else is going to help us." She nodded slowly and looked Dillan in the eyes. In that moment, it was as if all their worries and fears were communicated solely through a connection of sight. Dillan felt all of Hazel's worries, fears, frustrations: all of it. And she felt all of his emotions, too.

Then and there, they both realized this was the last option that either of them could see. In minutes, they would either convince Judah of aiding them, or Ganderosa would face destruction. It was a final play: a last swing that they hoped would lead into a home-run. As they walked down the hallway to confront Judah as their final hope, neither of them realized they were walking straight into a hell unlike any other.

* * *

Walking became more and more of an annoyance. Multiple times, Dillan felt a chilly breeze waft in through the halls of the castle, brushing against his scales. It was strange, considering the volcano on the other side of the castle walls, that it would get colder inside. Nevertheless, they continued walking until they found the dragonite was standing in the middle of the hallway who wore a look of irritation.

"It is rude to keep your King waiting," he announced.

"Sorry, your majesty," Hazel said with respect, though Dillan could still see the worry present in her tensed brow-line.

"King Judah," Dillan began. "We really need your help."

"As do I, Mr. Gabite," Judah stated. "But before either of us stat, I must tell you one final thing about Ganderosa."

"And that would be?" Hazel questioned.

Judah gestured towards a flight of stairs on his left. Team Rapture walked closer and peered down the stairs. At the bottom was a massive hallway. At the end of the hallway stood a set of gigantic, iron doors. Dillan shuddered involuntarily as he stared at what looked like frost covering the door.

"I don't believe it..." Hazel said in awe. "How cold is it in that room?"

"Behind those doors is a secret that has been, and will be, kept a secret to all of Ganderosa. Do I make myself clear?"

"What are you so secretive about?" Hazel asked.

Judah responded to her question with a grin before descending the stairs. Dillan and Hazel started to follow. Just then, Dillan heard a grunt from behind. That's when he noticed the charmeleon was holding her head with her left paw as if she had a head ache.

"Something's wrong," Dillan said to the charmeleon.

"I'm fine," Hazel assured through gritted teeth. That's when she put her other paw to her forehead. Then she fell backwards into a sitting position on the stairs.

"Hazel?" Dillan asked worriedly.

"No!" she shouted. That's when she began hollering from the pain.

"Hazel!"

"Is something wrong?" Judah asked as he turned to face the two pokemon. "Ms. Prince?"

"Daddy!" she shrieked in what seemed like fear. She held up her arms as if she was covering her eyes in a vain attempt at hiding herself. "Daddy, no! Daddy!"

Dillan's heart was thumping at a million miles an hour. He felt like panicking. He'd never seen Hazel like this before. She looked like a child, cowering in the face of danger.

"Hazel!" Dillan called out. He ran over to his friend and knelt down next to her. He had no idea what to do.

"I will find a doctor!" Judah said urgently. He darted back up the stairs and disappeared down the corner.

"Hazel?!" Dillan shouted desperately as he put his claw on her shoulder, trying to assure her. "Hazel, Judah's finding a doctor. You'll be alright."

Hazel's paws ripped from her face and grabbed Dillan by the arms. She grabbed him so tightly, it was as though he was a final life-line. She looked at him with fear-stricken eyes.

"Dillan?" she asked fearfully. "I can't see anything... but..."

"It's me," Dillan said. "What's wrong?"

"He's in my head, Dillan!" she shouted. "He's coming for me! He'll kill me!"

 _In her head?!_ It left Dillan even more confused and worried than before. "Who's in your head?"

"Do you understand?" Judah's voice called from around the corner. Dillan looked behind him to see the dragonite running into sight followed by a chansey pushing a stretcher.

"The doctor's here. He'll take care of you."

Hazel's head turned towards Judah and she started screaming. She let go of Dillan and covered her head again. "Leave me alone!" she roared.

The chansey stopped the stretcher and descended the stairs towards Hazel. "Sweetie, it's going to be fine," it reassured Hazel, though she didn't even seem to realize the chansey was talking. Hazel seemed too busy shrieking. The doctor tried to touch Hazel, but she started swinging her arms wildly at the pokemon, all the while Dillan knelt there in a mixture of worry, fear, and shock. _What's happening to her? Why is she freaking out like this?_

The chansey took a step back and began singing. Dillan had no clue what it was doing. How would a tune help his terrified friend? Then, he realized Hazel's screams got quieter. Looking at the charmeleon, he realized she was looking drowsier as the singing continued. When the singing stopped, so did Hazel's struggling as she fell asleep. _She sang Hazel to sleep? Wow..._

"You know what to do," Judah said.

The chansey nodded and reached down towards Hazel.

"Wait!" Dillan shouted. "Where are you taking her?"

"My doctor is taking Ms. Prince to be looked at in my private infirmary," Judah assured. "As I said before, this castle supplies the best doctors in Ganderosa. You have nothing to worry about."

Dillan looked at Judah like he was insane. "Nothing to worry about?" he asked harshly as he watched the chansey lift Hazel up and carry her towards the stretcher. "My friend... just... had a nervous break-down or something! She was terrified of something in her head, and I'm not even sure what it was! How can you tell me I have nothing to worry about?"

"Because we both have more pressing concerns, do we not?" Dillan's expression softened as his claw drifted down to the Sapphire Star. "You know exactly what I am speaking of." Judah walked passed the doctor and towards Dillan. "Or do you no longer believe the world is in danger?"

"I can't just leave her," Dillan said. "She's my partner, and she needs help!"

"Dillan," Judah said. "Ms. Wicker will be just fine."

"Wicker?" Dillan asked. _Is he talking about Hazel?_

Judah had a look of realization before saying, "My apologies. I meant Ms. Prince."

"But you said Wicker," Dillan stated. "Why?"

"If you must know," Judah sighed. "Wicker was a pokemon I use to know. But you must learn how to prioritize things in your life."

Dillan looked away nervously. _He's right..._ "A-anyway, you're positive Hazel's going to be alright?" Dillan watched as Hazel was strapped into the stretcher and wheeled down the hall. As she grew further away, Dillan felt his conscience twisting his insides.

"She will be taken care of," Judah stated.

"But shouldn't hazel hear what you have to say?" Dillan asked.

"There is no doubt in my mind that you will tell her everything you learn," Judah stated.

Silence filled the room as Dillan thought. _Ever since we landed in Jarondai, Hazel had been acting funny. But to break down like she did? What happened to her? Was she that terrified? And of what?_ Dillan looked at Judah who stared at him with a mixture of patience and annoyance. He was waiting for the gabite to make a decision. _He's right about priorities. As much as I care about Hazel, Ganderosa comes first._

"Alright," Dillan said with a nod.

"Come with me," the dragonite said. Judah turned away and began descending the stairs, growing closer to the icy door with the gabite following. With every step, Dillan felt the pit in his stomach growing. _Am I that worried about Hazel?_ He took a few more steps, feeling the pit growing as the gap between the two started to dissipate. _Maybe it's just nerves... but..._ He was inches away now. _This feeling... in my chest... it's..._

Dillan stopped walking. There was a new pit in his chest: one of dread and fear. As his breathing became unsteady, he looked towards the chilly door in front of him.

"Gabite?" Judah asked. "Is something the matter?"

Dillan opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't say a thing. His body was petrified with fear as realization came to him. Questions he hadn't had answers to seemed to answer themselves as he realized exactly who he was talking to.

"Tell me, Mr. Lambert," Judah started with a wicked smile. "Have you figured it out, yet?"

"You're the Enemy..." Dillan said in a barely audible whisper.

"Yes," Judah stated. "And also no." Dillan couldn't find the courage to say anything more. All he could do was mouth words while fear held his voice at bay. "As I told you before, the true enemy to Ganderosa is Ganderosa itself."

"You're lying," Dillan managed to say.

"I've told you nothing but the truth, Mr. Lambert, on everything, including Ms. Prince."

Dillan's heart stopped. _Hazel... No!_ Courage seemed to find itself back in the gabite's chest. He focused on his fins and they extended into glowing, blue blades. Dillan slashed at Judah. Inches away from the dragonite's face, what felt like a vice threatening to snap Dillan's arm in half grabbed him by the arm, stopping the attack. He was shocked how quickly Judah had moved his arm, catching Dillan's arm mid-swing.

"She'll be fine, Mr. Lambert," Judah assured with a smile whilst still crushing Dillan's arm.

"Leave her out of this!" Dillan roared through gritted teeth of pain. "I'm the one you want!"

"I'm sorry," Judah stated coldly. "But her ancestor brought her into this fight when she fled, allowing her spawn interrupt Ganderosa's future." Judah released Dillan's arm.

The gabite took a step away from Judah, cradling his arm. "I don't know what you're talking about, but that wasn't her!"

"You are correct, but it doesn't matter whether she was brought into this of her own volition or by an other's. She is still a part of this war whether she likes it or not, and so are you."

Dillan slammed his foot on the floor, and a boulder rose from the floor into a resting position before him. Hitting the boulders at Judah, he created another before sending that one as well. A spiraling cloud of red, black, and blue formed around Judah. Seconds before the boulder made contact, the dragonite spun on his heels, avoiding the boulder. He then leaped above the second, spreading his small wings from under his cape. With amazing speed and acceleration, Judah was on top of Dillan in seconds, grabbing the gabite tightly and choking him by his bandanna.

"I don't wish to fight you, Gabite," Judah said. "I only want you to listen to what I have to say."

"You killed... Koa," Dillan managed to get out through gasps.

"Death is a tragic part of life," Judah said. "But it's one that no one can avoid."

"That doesn't... justify murder!"

"No," Judah said. "I know it doesn't. But saving millions more does." Judah released Dillan's bandanna. The gabite fell to Judah's feet, gasping. "I know Ignitus told you about Team Rebirth. But did he tell you our mission?"

Dillan looked up at Ganderosa's King, towering above him. "He said... you wanted to kill everyone."

The dragonite gave a snort of enjoyment. "And you believed him?" he questioned.

"What else was I suppose to do?" Dillan asked. "He's the only one who would tell me anything."

"Then, as humans put it, allow me to fill in some of the blanks." Judah strode towards the door and grasped the handle. Pulling the door backwards, he revealed the icy interior. The entire room was a hallway covered in ice that led to a flight of frosty stairs. On the other side of the stairs was a thin sheet of ice that was used for a wall. On the other side of the ice stood layers upon layers of thick, black smoke. For some inexplicable reason, the smoke felt unnatural, and it made the gabite fearful.

"Take a closer look," Judah told Dillan.

"Why should I trust you? You've tried to kill me before. What's changed?"

"Plenty has," Judah stated. "Back then, I thought you were here to set me back, and that I didn't need you. But now, I see things from a different perspective. But we can discuss specifics later. For now, walk towards the smoke."

Dillan hesitated. Why should he trust him now that he knows exactly who he is? _But... isn't that why I should do what he says? He might kill Hazel if I don't go through with what he says..._ Dillan gave one final look at Judah. He nodded once again towards the smoke. _There's no other choice. I'll have to go along with what he says, but cautiously._

"What is it?" Dillan asked as he stood up. The gabite began walking towards the smoke. Every step seemed to decrease the temperature of the room.

"Do you know what a Mystery Dungeon is, Mr. Lambert?"

"Uh..." Dillan didn't really know how to answer the question. "Someone once told me it was a where time and space are distorted."

"But do you know why?" Judah asked. "Of course not. Most have no clue, or why they were created."

Dillan stopped in his tracks at Judah's comment. "Created?" he asked.

"Yes," Judah stated. He walked passed the gabite and towards the icy wall. "But they weren't on purpose, nor were they meant to incite terror in Ganderosa. But first, allow me to explain the Sapphire Star."

Judah softly placed a paw on the icy wall. "The Sapphire Star is a crystal shrouded in mystery and is bursting with power and potential. Very few pokemon know what it is or what it was used to do."

"And you do?" Dillan asked.

"I'm sure you recall the pokemon Dialga created the flow and rules of time in our world. But have you ever considered where he derives the power to do such things?"

"The Sapphire Star?" Dillan asked, now in complete awe at what was strung around his neck.

"Not entirely," Judah stated. "When Arceus created Dialga and Palkia as ruler of time and space, he embedded crystals in their bodies. These crystals stored the power to warp time or space, depending on which crystal we refer to. The Sapphire Star is merely a chunk of Dialga's crystal shaped into a tool."

"You say 'tool', but a tool for what?"

Judah turned to Dillan and smiled. "Peace. Ganderosa is flawed, and it has been from the moment it was created. Pokemon have it in their very nature to steal and kill in an attempt at grabbing what was never theirs to begin with. It's in their very nature to do so. Some might keep that nature caged better than others, but it still exists, can't be erased, and is flawed."

"You want to do something about it?"

"Exactly!" Judah stated with a grin. "I want to start the world with a clean state: rid everyone of the bad in pokemon and replace it with the good. But this world and the rules that were used to create it are too inhibiting. They allow pokemon to have evil inside of them, whether they act upon those feelings or not. In the end, this nature is temptation. It's a burden no pokemon should have to live with. But it isn't changeable because of a world's rules. So I thought to myself, 'What if the rules weren't here to tempt pokemon? What if there was a new world created with even better rules? What if pokemon could be free from the evils in their hearts?' And that's when it hit me. The best way to be rid of the old world and its rules was to create another with my own set of laws."

"You want to create another world?" It seemed impossible. Wasn't that something that only God could do?

"I already did," Judah said.

"What?!" the gabite exclaimed with shock. "How?!"

"The crystal around your neck comes from one piece of reality: time. Yet there is also another crystal that warps space. This crystal is called the Amber Amulet. Both crystals allow the wielders to manipulate their respective piece of reality. It means you, Mr. Lambert, could control the flow of time itself with that crystal. Imagine being faster than anyone can see when in reality, time is moving so slow around you, you only appear to be moving fast. Imagine being able to see the future, or even the past. The uses are only limited to temporal manipulation and whatever the wielder thinks he can do with it, and it's all hung nicely on a string around your neck."

Calling this power impressive was an understatement. It seemed to Dillan as though words alone couldn't describe the level of power that hung around his neck, and he was suppose to guard it against evil. He felt unworthy to even have it around his neck.

"But that crystal is not the only one of it's kind, so to speak. There is another with the ability to warp space. The user could use it to warp himself anywhere he could think of. Distortions in reality could open up in front of anyone, transporting them anywhere the wielder could think. The crystal I'm speaking of is known as the Amber Amulet.

"As you can guess, both of these crystals alone have the potential to make any wielder untouchable, yet still limited in what they can do. But what if a wielder gained the ability to control both the Sapphire Star and the Amber Amulet? The ability to manipulate time and space – the two pieces of reality that makes a universe operate – means complete control over creation itself. With such unlimited power, you could create your own world where your rule is law."

"You used the Sapphire Star to create your own world," Dillan said. "But... you still want it. Why? Did it not work?"

Judah stared into the smoke ahead for a good while, leaving Dillan in the cold silence. Then, the dragonite sighed. "It did everything I wanted it to," he said sadly. "But this damn world got in the way.

"As I was trying to create my own world, I realized it's impossible to make one completely different than another. Rules like cause and effect still need to exist and be followed, otherwise the world collapses. So I was forced to use this world as a sort of template for my own.

"It was perfect!" Judah said, though Dillan couldn't tell if it was from excitement or anger. "My new world looked almost identical to the old one, yet I had the ability to change and manipulate the very basic nature of a pokemon. I had the ability to remove the inherent evils that everyone was born with, making world peace a possibility." The dragonite slammed his closed fist into the ice, startling Dillan. "But I made a mistake. It was a one that I didn't see until it was too late. Because I made a separate reality based on one that already existed – one that was too similar my latest world – both of the worlds tried to merge together and become one. Two entirely different times and spaces attempted to merge, causing unnatural pockets in the world. Eventually, the merging was stopped, but not before the damage had been done. The unnatural pockets I am referring to exist throughout the entire world, as they have ever since my mistake. These pockets are a part of this world that managed to merge with my own before the process could be stopped. The pockets are places where both realities create a sort of battle between these two worlds as they fight to occupy the same piece of reality. This conflict made time inside of the pockets slow down or speed up, while space warped and changed the landscape itself. To summarize it all, these pockets are a distortion in both time and space where both realities exist, yet they fight with themselves in an attempt at occupying the world."

Recognition hit Dillan like a train. "You're talking about mystery dungeons... But that happened generations ago. You couldn't have created them."

"But I did," Judah said forcefully. "And ever since then, life for me has been a cold, unforgiving hell devoid of light!" Judah straightened his back and took a few deep breaths. "Although, there was what you might call a looking-glass that showed me a future.

"Take a look at this wall of ice and tell me what you see."

"Um... ice?" Dillan said.

"What else?" Judah asked.

Dillan continued to stare. _Uh... smoke?_ "I'm not sure what you want me to say."

"What if I were to tell you that there was a looking glass into my world – or rather four of them – that keeps our world separate, yet thin enough to see through?"

"That's your world..." Dillan said slowly.

"Yes, Mr. Lambert. But you've already seen it, haven't you? You've already met me?" Dillan turned to Judah with surprise.

 _"Why are you shocked, Human?"_ a voice echoed from all around. It sounded different from Judah, yet too familiar. Dillan began looking all around for the source of the voice. _Jake?_ Then, he saw it.

Through the fog was a creature unlike anything Dillan had ever seen before. Giant, red eyes stared through the ice at the gabite. The eyes were rested in between what appeared to be an edged, golden face-plate with golden mandibles where the mouth should have been. The pokemon's body was like a gigantic, grey snake with red stripes that were inside of black ones. Golden pincers like open ribs jutted out from the neck. On the back of these ribs were six, black tendrils with red tips. Making their way down the sides of the pokemon were grey spikes that jutted out along the red stripes. The spikes were tipped with gold and looked pointy enough to impale anything the creature wanted to. The worst part was the aura the pokemon seemed to radiate. Even though they were separated by a sheet of ice, the aura made Dillan fear for his life.

"J-Jake?!" Dillan squeaked in fear.

 _"Please,"_ Jake stated. _"Now that we've met face-to-face, I should you not call me by my real name?"_ The creature snaked itself so close to the ice, its breath started to fog the sheet. _"You may refer to me as Giratina."_

"Like the island?" Dillan asked. His eyes drifted towards Judah. To the gabite's surprise, the pokemon merely stood there, gawking at Giratina.

 _"A foolish name, but one that was chosen far before I came into power. But enough about that. Now we should discuss why exactly you're here."_

"You... want the Sapphire Star, right?"

 _"It isn't such as simple as that,"_ Giratina said calmly. _"I want you."_

"Uh... what?"

 _"Allies are a great source of power in this world, are they not? If you could do everything yourself, why have guildmembers organize themselves into a team?"_

"Why do you need a human?"

 _"I assume Ignitus told you I needed one,"_ Giratina questioned. _"But I already have a human."_

Dillan gasped. _He has... another human? I thought... I thought they died... and that's why_ I'm _here._

"But... then why do you need me?"

 _"As of now, it isn't vital information. All you need to know is that you will co-operate with me."_

"And what... makes you think th-that?" Dillan asked worriedly.

 _"There's more than enough evidence to support what I'm claiming. You should be able to decide who's the villain all by yourself."_

"It's not that simple," Dillan said. You've killed and kidnapped pokemon who aren't even involved!"

 _"Everyone is involved in this fight, gabite,"_ Giratina said sternly. _"So long as temptation exists in their hearts. But this isn't the point of this conversation. Answer me this: do you believe in my cause?"_

Dillan didn't need to think of an answer. Everything Giratina was saying sounded fantastical, but after everything he had seen over the past few months, it was clear what needed to be said. "If you're really trying to do something right for the world, you're doing it in the wrong way! Kidnapping and murdering others isn't right, and you can't justify it! It's wrong, and I won't support it."

Giratia floated there for a few seconds, scowling at the gabite. _"Did you truly think that same thing when you threw yourself at Ignitus? Did you think throwing your life away for a cause wasn't justified?"_

"That was my life to g-give," Dillan said, stuttering at the end. He noticed the deadly look in Giratina's red, unforgiving eyes. It made him lose some of his nerve.

 _"And is Hazel Prince's life yours to throw away, as well?"_

The grimacing gabite's heart thumped against his rib cage. "What are you talking about?"

 _"Do you not understand the kind of position you are in? Have you not taken a good enough look around to see that you are in_ my _stronghold?_ _What makes you think you have the opportunity and power to disagree when Ms. Prince is still under my... supervision."_

"You said y-you wouldn't hurt her!" Dillan shouted.

 _"Should you co-operate, Hazel Prince will remain untouched. "_

Dillan grimaced. _I shouldn't have come here... Hazel shouldn't he here, and it's my fault she's in danger..._

 _"I find most pokemon co-operate better when they do so of their own free will, though I am not afraid to threaten your friend to get what I seek."_

A large, club-like object collided with the back of Dillan's head. In seconds, the world around him became lost to an all-consuming void. The gabite caught one final glimpse of Giratina before blacking out.

* * *

 _What... What happened?_ The gabite seemed to feel every beat of his heart as blood poured through his throbbing head. As he opened his eyes, he took a look around the cold room.

The dimly-lit room had grey, stone-brick wall with a single torch used to bring light. At the back of the wall stood a wooden door that was reinforced with iron bars. Dillan found himself sitting in the back of the room on some of the stray straws of hay which littered the floor. All around him were iron bars that looked more like a rusted piece of Swiss-cheese which separated him from the rest of the room. He was in a cage, like an animal. The cell had a lock attached to a bolt, keeping the door from opening. Along the back wall, right next to the door, was a set of keys presumably to this dungeon. Next to his cell were others: each of which had their own dried blood along the floor. Otherwise, the cages were empty. Though the one thing that terrified the gabite more than anything was the fact that there was no sign of Hazel.

The gabite stood up in a wobbly manner. It took him a few tries to not fall over, but he eventually stood up and made his way towards the bars. Finding he could only fit his arm through the slots for so far before his fins obstructed him.

"Hello?" Dillan shouted. "Is anyone there?"

A clank could be heard from above, through the ceiling. Instinctively, Dillan looked up towards the noise just in time for a jagged piece of rubble to pelt his forehead. The gabite winced and fell backwards, rubbing the red mark to be rid of the pain. _I don't think they use this place very often_ _... Or they just don't care about what state it's..._ That's when Dillan noticed something was very wrong. His claw drifted from his head down to his bandanna. _No..._ The Sapphire Star was gone. _It's gone again. I was suppose to be it's guardian... But now it's in the hands of the Enemy. Some Paladin I turned out to-_

There was another 'clank' sound, this time from in front of Dillan. It came from the door ahead. The gabite watched as the door swung open, leaving nothing in the doorway. Instead, a small ball of white fluff clung to the door's handle.

A massive surge of overwhelming emotions flowed throughout Dillan's body, all at the same time. Fear, worry, anger, sadness: none of it mattered now. Rescue had come for the gabite.

"Ryan!" Dillan whispered excitedly as the pachirisu dropped to the floor. "Is it really you?!"

The pachirisu quickly turned towards Dillan and ran towards the iron cage. He stopped at the grate, staring at the gabite in front of him with a slacken jaw.

"It is!" Dillan exclaimed. "I was so worried I'd never see you again!"

"Dillan," Ryan said with an urgency in his voice. "Calm down."

"But you're here!" Dillan said, not calming down one bit. "How did you even break in? There are guards all over the place?"

"You shouldn't have come here!" Ryan said with a grimace. "Why are you here?!"

Dillan's grin started to dissipate, leaving a small smile. "Me and Hazel came here to get Judah's help."

"You did what?!" Ryan shouted. "What in Ganderosa made you think that fatso would-" Before Ryan finished his thought, he shook his head vigorously, whispering 'focus' to himself as he did so. "I don't have a lot of time, alright? So I need you to listen to me!"

"What are you talking about?" Dillan asked, losing his smile completely. _Wait a minute..._ "You... You were taken by the Enemy..."

"Just listen to me, alright?!" Ryan shouted. "He won't give me a lot of time, alright? So I need you to listen to me very carefully!"

"You should be on the other side of the bars," Dillan said. "Ryan, what's going on?"

"You aren't listening, Dillan!" Ryan stated. "Jake's not who you think he is, alright? He's some kind of freaky creature from another dimension or something!"

"I know," Dillan began. "Just let me out of the cell. We can talk once we find Hazel."

"I..." the pachirisu hesitated, wearing a look of worry. "Just listen to me! You need to find the Amb-"

"Ryan, just try to open the cell door."

"I can't. Not right now! Would you please just listen to me?"

"What?" Dillan asked with confusion. "What do you mean you can't? Just grab the keys and unlock the cell!"

"What do you think you're doing?!" a voice demanded. Dillan looked up from the pachirisu towards the dungeon's entrance, finding a nidoqueen standing there, obstructing the entrance.

"Ryan!" Dillan exclaimed. "Look out!"

"You think you can turn traitor on us again?!" Thalia roared. "How dare you! And after the Master put so much faith in you!"

Dillan watched in horror as the nidoqueen began advancing towards Ryan. He could do nothing but watch the annoyed-looking pachirisu stand there in contemplation.

"Ryan!" Dillan shouted desperately. "Get out of the way!"

"What was that?!" Ryan snarled. He whipped around towards the nidoqueen in rage. "Are you serious right now?!"

Thalia continued to snarl at Ryan, though she did nothing. It confused Dillan beyond anything he had heard today. _Wh... what?_

"What are you talking about?!" Thalia asked with an angry snarl.

"I can't walk away for thirty minutes without you being all over my back, huh? Even after what the Master told you in Howling Plains? I guess it still wasn't good enough, was it?"

"Seeing as you've been telling the gabite what you know about us-"

"I was only telling him things the Master's already said!" _The... Master?_ "Why can't I interrogate the prisoner without you breathing down my neck?!"

"P... Prisoner?" Suddenly, everything around the gabite seemed to shatter. "No..." It was as if he'd been thrown through glass and impaled several times on stray shards. "It isn't true..." A feeling of fear overtook the gabite's entire body.

Thalia looked passed Ryan towards Dillan. "What were you interrogating him about?"

"I was _trying_ to get him to tell me about the Sapphire Star," Ryan said, turning around to face Dillan. "I thought it was a smart call considering he _had_ no clue. But I guess it doesn't matter now that you've called me traitor, does it?"

"Ryan..." Dillan said. "You didn't..."

"Why are you even here?" the pachirisu questioned. Thalia said nothing. She merely scowled at Ryan. "It's pathetic you still can't trust me."

"Give me a reason to, traitor," Thalia said calmly, still scowling at Ryan.

"Ryan!" Dillan shouted. "You're not with her! You can't be!"

"Well since you've ruined what I was doing down here, I guess there's no real reason for me to stay, is there, you skeptical hag?"

Thalia grunted at the pachirisu before she walked out of the room. The pachirisu waited a few seconds before sighing heavily and cursing under his breath.

"Ryan!" Dillan shouted. "We were teammates! We saved lives together: fought to keep each other safe! Tell me you're not with the Enemy!"

Ryan scowled deeply at the ground, then looked at Dillan through the corner of his eye. "It's my fault you're here, Dillan. And I'm sorry I dragged you into this fight." The pachirisu turned his back on Dillan and began walking away.

"Ryan!" Dillan shouted as he jammed his claws into the grate in an attempt at reaching out and grasping the pachirisu. "Once you told me we were like brothers! What happened to my brother?"

Ryan stopped In his tracks, not showing his face to the gabite. "You know this better than anyone, Dillan," Ryan said sadly. "All of my brothers hate me. And I hate them." With that, the pachirisu grasped the bottom of the door and swung it shut.

As the final glimpses of the pachirisu disappeared behind the door, tears escaped from Dillan's face, as well as one final shout for the friend he once knew.

"Ryan!"

* * *

(Author's Notes)

So real quick, I know this chapter had the mother load of all dialogue and exposition with very little to almost no action what-so-ever, but I wanted this chapter to be a chapter of hopelessness: where struggle seemed futile. It's why I had Dillan try to fight Judah once he figures out who he is, but submits before he can actually be crushed (which is what would have happened (don't fight the final boss without enough experience)). Fighting would have seemed A. like the chapter would have dragged out even longer than it needed to, and B. like it would have taken away from the true purpose of this chapter, which was explaining and establishing the villain, who he is, and what he truly wants. Whether or not I did it effectively doesn't currently matter to me. All that matters is that I got it done and that people understand (for the most part) what I just stated.

Shout-out to "KadenCatDude", "Epicat2241", and "DocofDoom" for following/favoriting the story! Writing for all of you guys has been a blast, and I hope to keep you all interested until the story ends!

So if you haven't noticed yet, I edited Ganderosa's description. Wasn't entirely happy with what it was originally. It felt like it was lacking something adventurous or poetic: something people would be drawn in by. Now, I'm happy with how it turned out! Just thought I'd let those who are interested know! Enjoy!

That's all for now! Thanks so much for reading! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!


	42. Traitors to the Throne

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 42

Traitors to the Throne

* * *

(Jarondai Territory: Jarondai Castle)

Strands of hay clung to the gabite's body as he lied there in the silence of this cell. The only source of noise was the creaking of the wooden supports above or the clunk of rocky debris falling from the ceiling onto the ground. Shadows were all around the dimly-lit room, leaving the gabite covered in darkness. But did any of it truly matter?

He watched the wooden door with despair, not taking his eyes off of it ever since Ryan left him alone with his dreadful thoughts.

 _This is all my fault... I knew something was wrong with Judah ever since Armageddon. Hazel even told me this was a bad idea, but... I wanted a solution as fast as I could have one, and I ignored the warnings to get it. Now Jake – Giratina – has the Sapphire Star, a human, and, from the sound of it, he has whatever the Amber Amulet is as well... He has everything he needs to create a new world... But I wonder... Is that truly so wrong?_

Dillan started considering Giratina's plan. Obviously, the pokemon wanted to create a perfect world of peace. It all sounded fantastic. Of course it doesn't justify the murders, but was peace such a bad thing to work towards? Yet the more he thought about it – the more he considered this option being a good thing – a sort of ever-increasing lump originating from Dillan's chest seemed to weigh him down. It was as if there was a feeling that even though it was logically the right thing to do, his instincts said something about it was wrong. But what?

"I want you to watch this room," a voice called from the other side of the door. The calm, yet stern inflections made it easily recognizable as Thalia's. "No one comes in or out of this cell without you knowing about it. Do I make myself clear?"

The door to the room swung open as the massive nidoqueen strode into the room, dragging a white and green pokemon behind. Dillan's heart leaped with worry at the sight of the pokemon.

"Reya!" Dillan called out.

The gardevoir looked absolutely ghastly. Scrapes, bruises, and slashes littered her entire body. A white bandage was wrapped around her left eye where a massive mark etched its way past the cloth down to her cheek. Her breathing was very unsteady, and she looked completely unaware of what was happening around her.

Thalia dragged the gardevoir by the arms towards the cell next to Dillan's before dropping her there. She then grabbed the keys off of the wall before unlocking the cell. Grabbing Reya by the arms again, she threw the gardevoir against the back wall before slamming the cell shut. Upon colliding with the wall, Reya gave a shout of pain before landing on the ground where she lay.

Dillan looked towards Thalia and lunged at the cell walls, driving his claw through the hole before his fin scraped against the rust.

"What did you do to her?!" he shouted angrily. Thalia said nothing as she walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. "Thalia!"

"Dillan..?" a rough, weak voice asked from next to the gabite. Turning, Dillan noticed Reya leaning her back against the wall, looking at Dillan through her uncovered eye.

"Reya!" Dillan called out, moving towards the cell wall separating them. "Are you alright?!"

"You're... in Jarondai..?" she questioned. "Why?"

"I..." Dillan began, recalling the circumstances that led him to his current predicament. Shame came to the gabite as he tried to explain. "I'm-... We came here to... get Judah's help with fighting the Enemy..."

"You trusted them..?" Reya questioned with a slight smile. "You're just as naive as Arlon-" The gardevoir stopped as she pressed her left arm to her chest and coughed sharply.

"What did they do to you?"

"Whatever they thought could get me to talk," Reya said.

"They're interrogating you?" the gabite questioned. "Why? They have everything they need!"

Reya's eye widened in shock. Her eye seemed to drift towards Dillan's empty chest. "You... You didn't give them the Sapphire Star... You couldn't have... You lost it in Kerroshia."

"I found it a few days ago... and Giratina kinda... took it from me..."

Reya leaned back with a wide eye. She looked towards the ceiling and slowly exhaled."Then that's it... He has everything he needs to kill everything here..."

"But Giratina said he wanted to make world peace," Dillan said. "He was lying?" He seemed to sincere when they talked. And if he really wanted Dillan to join the Enemy, lying wasn't the way to do it.

"So he gave you the talk." Reya shook her head as best she could. "In that case, I assume he also told you about the inherent evil in every pokemon, as well as the rules of the world the prevent this evil from changing?"

"Yeah..." Dillan said, stunned she knew.

"That's what he tells every potential member of the Enemy. Although he probably referred to it as Team Rebirth. Either way, it probably... sounds fantastical, doesn't it? It sounds... almost like a dream turned reality, right? Yet there's a feeling inside you that tells you something's wrong... Am I getting all of those feelings right?"

Dillan said nothing. He was baffled that Reya knew exactly how he felt.

Reya gave what seemed to be half way between a laugh and a groan of pain before continuing. "Are you wondering how I know all of those feelings? Well, it's because every member of the Enemy felt the exact same way when they were introduced to Giratina's plan. Ignitus, Thalia, Arlon, even me: we all believed in him. We placed the Enemy on a hero's pedestal, sacrificing our entire lives to serve in the hopes of achieving the world peace he spoke of." A blank expression floated onto Reya's face as she began staring off into the distance. "Did Giratina tell you exactly how he plans on creating his new world?"

"All he said was he was going to use the Sapphire Star and something called the Amber Amulet to do it."

Reya smiled. Dillan didn't know how, but she seemed to think the situation was kind of funny. "Anything else?"

"What are you trying to tell me?" the gabite questioned.

"Did he say he wanted to change anything?" Reya asked.

"He talked about some kind of... evil every pokemon has in them that they're born with."

"Inherent evil?"

"That's the words he used."

"That inherent evil Giratina was talking about – what he wanted to remove from pokemon – is choice: the ability to choose between good and evil. He wants to take away a pokemon's choice. Whether you think it's wrong or not, it isn't possible to do so. Choice is so deeply embedded in a pokemon's soul that only Arceus himself is strong enough to change it. Anything else wouldn't work. And the funny thing is that the Enemy knows it."

"But why is he trying to create a perfect world if it isn't possible?"

"But it is possible," Reya stated.

Dillan felt even more confused than before. It felt like the gardevoir was contradicting herself. "You just said-"

"A perfect world is possible, but not with the pokemon of today," Reya said. "The Enemy will only share the whole plan when he feels his follower is ready to give their own life for his cause. When he told me the whole truth, I couldn't stay. It was too much of a betrayal of my beliefs." Reya stopped talking. A few tears escaped the corner of her eye, but she quickly wiped them away.

"What didn't Giratina tell me?" Dillan questioned.

"I believe your world's first humans were known as Adam and Eve, no? Well, Giratina wants to create a new Adam and Eve to populate his world. He wishes to create a new set of pokemon who won't have the ability to choose evil. They won't have any free will, making world peace a reality, but also a prison."

"But what about the pokemon of this world?" Dillan questioned.

"Did he tell you about the first world he created: his first attempt at world peace?" Dillan nodded. "Did he also tell you about it merging with this one?"

"Reya," Dillan prodded. "What is Giratina hiding from me?"

Reya shook her head. "He'll use our world again as a template to make his new one. Then, before they can merge and damage each other, he'll destroy this one, leaving only his new and perfect world."

The gabite's jaw hung open from horror. _So Ignitus... was telling the truth..._

"Giratina wants to end this world to make a new one," Reya finished. "There's no place in his world for the broken, so he's going to destroy everything."

"There's no way I'm letting that happen," Dillan said.

Reya laughed aloud, then grimaced from the pain. "You can't be serious," she said.

"Well... yeah," Dillan said slowly.

"Take a look around you," Reya said. "You're in a prison under the most protected island in all of Ganderosa. Even if we were to escape this cell, there are Ganderosa's top guards swarming the castle. And if by some miracle we make it outside of the walls, you'd have to deal with not only adventuring through the volcano, but traversing the sea. Face it, Dillan. There's no escape, and nothing you can do. The good guys have already lost to Giratina, and we've been losing since Ganderosa's Civil War."

"You're giving up?!" Dillan asked with shock. "You of all pokemon?"

"If the opportunity presents itself, I will take it. But it isn't a possibility."

"Weren't you the one who brought _me_ into this fight?!"

"You did that yourself," Reya said. She rested her head along the wall and closed her eyes. "I merely helped you along the way in whatever way I could."

"And that means nothing to you?"

"Before I came to this place, I might have attempted an escape with you. But now, I realize it's more than impossible, if such a thing exists. It would take a miracle to let us out. So I'm going to enjoy what little peace the quiet can provide me before the Enemy decides I've licked my wounds long enough to go again."

Dillan grimaced at Reya. _She's given up... She's really quitting._ A feeling rose in Dillan's chest: not of anger, but of pity. _They broke her. That has to be the explanation. The Reya I knew wouldn't have given in. They must have pushed her beyond her mental limits._ Dillan looked towards the rusted cell doors.

"Why do you bother?" she questioned. "You came here for a sign of hope, correct? Finding the opposite must have been devastating, so why continue? You must realize it's over, and there's nothing more you can do for your friends."

Those words rang through his brain like church bells. _There might not be anything I can do for Ryan... but I can't give up! If Reya's injuries are something to be afraid of, then Hazel's in trouble, and I won't let them hurt my teammate!_ A look of steely determination mixed with eyes of fear came to his face. "I can't afford to quit."

Dillan focused on his fins. As they extended into his usual blue blades, Dillan began hacking at the cell door. Driving his fins into rusted metal hurt just as much as it sounded, but he couldn't give up. _Quitting means giving up on Hazel, and I can't do that to her! I got her into this mess, and I'll get her out!_

Reya watched Dillan hack at the cell through her remaining eye. Watching him, she saw many things: none of them seemed heroic. It intrigued her to say the least, but that was it. She pitied his innocence: envied it. She use to own such a thing, but that was before she knew what the Enemy was capable of. All she did was shake her head at the pokemon and close her eye, bringing herself back to internal darkness. _It's foolish to hope, gabite... It will inevitably bring despair when you realize there is no such thing in this world of shadows._

* * *

The chill of the door against Ryan's paw mirrored the pit in his stomach. He listened to the chatter on the other side of the door which came from Arlon's fat mouth. Other than the shiftry, it was silent. Ryan wondered if Thalia was in there, scowling at the babbling blow-hard.

The pachirisu took a deep breath and steeled himself visually and emotionally before pushing the door open revealing the chamber. Arlon and Thalia were both standing there, staring at the icy wall ahead. They were both waiting, though Arlon seemed to do so like a five-year old who wouldn't shut up until something else caught his attention. Speaking of which...

"And there he is, now!" Arlon announced with a grin. "It took you long enough. Are you still weeping over poor, little, dungeon-bound Dillan?"

Ryan didn't answer the shiftry. His focus was set on the nidoqueen who scowled at him through the corner of her eye. Then, a black object stole Ryan's line of sight. Appearing from the smoke, Giratina floated in front of the ice like a spirit of the night, staring at the group before him. Ryan took that as his cue to stand in line next to Arlon, using him as a buffer between him and Thalia.

 _"Congratulations are in order,"_ Giratina stated. _"You've all done a splendid job serving Team Rebirth. As of this moment, we have all we need to make the new world."_

"I'm sorry to say it," Arlon began. "But I didn't come here for a better world."

 _"You can have the Gabite later. For now, he goes unharmed."_

"Master," Thalia said with a bow. "Forgive me for being blunt, but what is the reason you called us here? Surely it isn't a simple thank you."

Giratina floated there for a few seconds before his blood-red eyes set on Ryan. _"The future is upon us. With the arrival of the Sapphire Star, we have obtained all we need. This means preparations are in order."_

"Preparations for what?" Ryan questioned.

 _"The Amber Amulet, Mr. Simon."_

"It isn't here, remember?" Arlon asked snidely. "The good Master probably wants it transported."

 _"Arlon is correct. We need both the Amber amulet and Sapphire Star here if we are to achieve our goal."_

"So... we're transporting it?" Ryan asked, internally wishing the snake monster would forgo the habit of drawn-out conversations. It seemed to be Giratina's way of getting it into their skulls through making them reach the conclusion on their own, yet it was extremely irritating.

"No," Thalia said. "The Guild is more than capable of such a task."

 _"Although that was true at a point, it is no longer the case."_

Thalia's brow-line raised slightly as if she was surprised.

"Now I'm confused," Arlon stated. "Could you just tell us what you want already and stop pulling us around?" _Thank you!_

 _"Our enemies are still at large. Even though Akuji is currently ending Team Armageddon's presence, we still have to deal with our biggest threats."_

"But our enemies don't do anything," Ryan said. "You know as well as I do that they aren't allowed to."

"The gabite failed," Thalia said. "They might send a new human as a result."

 _"It won't happen,"_ Giratina said. _"Although they may still have tribes who worship them and send them to confront us in a final attempt at seizing the crystals. Which is why I am sending Thalia's followers to act as_ _bodyguards_ _to accompany the transport. The rest of you will be on standby in case something goes wrong."_

"That's all fine and dandy," Arlon said with an annoyed tone. "But I'm not doing anything unless I get some long-overdue revenge on a certain reminder of my agony."

"He said no," Ryan said flatly.

"If it pleases you, Master," Thalia began. "May I introduce an alternative that may satisfy Arlon's lust?"

Giratina looked at Thalia with a look of intrigue. _"Go on."_

Thalia looked down the line, though Ryan couldn't tell whether the nidoqueen was scowling at him or Arlon. "Would it not make the gabite suffer to see his charmeleon friend in pain?"

Ryan's heart thudded against his chest at the mention of Hazel. He began taking steady breaths, controlling his facial cues as best he could. _No weakness... No weakness..._

"Ooh!" Arlon said with a wicked grin. "Seeing as we don't need her, she makes the perfect candidate! Wouldn't you agree?"

Ryan looked towards Giratina with a steady face. Giratina stared back. Pressure started to build in the pachirisu's mind as the shadowy figure burrowed his sight straight into the pachirisu's skull, but Ryan persisted, not allowing it to take control of him. The only sign of this pressure was the corner of Ryan's lip which was twitching uncontrollably. Then, the pressure subsided.

 _"You have my permission to go through with the plan,"_ Giratina acknowledged.

"In that case, I'm off to do some happily-awaited torture!" Arlon gave a wave of his brittle leaves before turning, but a beam of ice shot out in front of him. The shiftry came to a stop before turning towards Giratina. Sighing, he stated, "What's the catch?"

 _"Mr. Simon,"_ Giratina said. _"Thalia has brought it to my attention that you attempted to interrogate the gabite."_

"Y-yeah?" Ryan said. "What about it?"

 _"Do you think he has information to offer?"_

"Oh..." Ryan said, caught off guard by the question. "Well, he... may know the location of our enemies. And since Thalia can't get a word out of Reya, Dillan's our only other potential lead to our enemies' whereabouts. But to be honest, I'm really not so sure Dillan has-"

 _"Then I want you to supervise Arlon and interrogate the gabite."_ Ryan's eyes widened as his sturdy expression faded into a look of horror.

"M-me?" Ryan questioned.

 _"You know the gabite better than Arlon does. You are the best choice for the job, are you not?"_

Thalia looked towards Ryan with a hardened gaze of suspicion. He was cornered. He didn't know if he could ever handle something of this magnitude. _Thalia's already breathing down my neck... I'm not sure-_

"Traitor?" Thalia snapped. "You shouldn't keep your master waiting."

"I can do it myself," Arlon interjected. "Once the gabite sees her screaming, he'll give me anything I want! And even then, I'll give her some more just for the hell of-"

"I'll do it!" Ryan shouted over Arlon. "Just... I'll do it."

 _"Excellent,"_ Giratina said.

"Well, that takes some fun out of it," Arlon said drearily to Ryan. "At least let me size the gabite up before bringing in his girlfriend: get him to squirm in his cell! Then the little devil can bring in the girl."

"You want the traitor to take care of the charmeleon?" Thalia asked. She shook her head swiftly. "Out of the question."

 _"Do it,"_ Giratina said.

Thalia looked towards Giratina with wide-eyed shock and a loose jaw. Ryan had never seen so much emotion on the nidoqueen's face. She was absolutely stunned. "M-ma... Master?" she stuttered. If not for the situation he was in, Ryan would have found it hilarious to see her squirm.

 _"Call it a final test,"_ Giratina said as he stared at Ryan. _"I have no doubt you'll succeed in your task, Mr. Simon. Do not disappoint me."_

Ryan shut his eyes and took a deep breath before bowing to Giratina. "As you wish, Master," he said.

"Master-" Thalia began.

"Calm down, witch!" Arlon cackled. "The little guy couldn't betray us and get out alive even if he wanted to. There are too many spears in the castle. He'd be stabbed before anything ever happened."

Thalia flashed a stern, commanding expression in Ryan's direction: a warning. Ryan didn't care. She'd done it enough times that it felt more like an empty threat. "Master, I need to speak with you in private."

 _"I also wanted to speak with you,"_ Giratina said. _"But I want to make this quick. This is very important, and I want it handled as soon as possible. The rest of you are dismissed."_

Arlon and Ryan bowed to Giratina before walking towards the exit. They passed through the doors, and before they closed, Ryan could hear one final string of words from Giratina.

 _"I want Dianne Arvaine brought here immediatel-"_

Arlon closed them, blocking the rest of the conversation from the pachisisu-pachirisu. Ryan decided not to dwell on it. Chances of that being so important this close to Giratina's end-game was slim. So he ignored it and began ascending the stairs before Arlon stated, "Bring the girl to the dungeon and we'll get the 'interrogation' started!" With that, the shiftry climbed the stairs as fast as his wooden legs would allow before walking down the left hallway towards the dungeon.

Ryan was alone. A pit began growing in his stomach. Fear of the future started attacking his heart. Hopelessness began consuming him. He remembered the absolute despair in Dillan's face the last time they'd seen each other. Walking out of that room – leaving Dillan with those words – it was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do in this world. _All of the pain and suffering... and for what? Protection? Doubt? Emptiness? Loneliness? Just to survive an extra day? For... closure?_ That one word came to mind. It stuck like glue to his brain. _Closure... Closure... For closure..._

A mental image of the field with the brick house flashed through his mind: his own memories. The house brought many feelings to mind, all of which seemed too similar to each other: longing, desire, a need for warmth. That was his old home. _Closure... Closure... Closure..._

* * *

Pain didn't describe the feelings coursing through Dillan's fins. Fear didn't describe the emotions in his heart. Tired didn't describe the exhaustion he was putting himself through. Self inflicted as it may be, it was torture in its own right.

One final slash at his rusted cage was all Dillan could muster before he stopped to pant. Looking at his cell's grate-like walls closely, he could tell there was no visible damage. Not even the rust seemed to fade from his continued onslaught.

"What is this made of..?" Dillan managed to get out.

"Something that can take more damage than you can manage," Reya said from her corner.

"There has to be a way out of here," Dillan said as he sat down on the stray hays.

"This place was created keeping in mind the strongest of pokemon would be put here. Seeing as you aren't even completely evolved, I would say you have no hope."

"But the keys are right-"

Dillan stopped when he heard a clunk from the ceiling. Someone was coming down to him. As the handle rotated and the door swung open, the gabite looked on with a scowling frown, though fear began filling his heart. A wicked, scarred grin accompanied by the yellow glow of his menace-filled eyes made Dillan start to fear for his life.

"It's been a while, Dillan," Arlon said with a grin.

The gabite did nothing. He wasn't surprised to see the shiftry, nor did he wonder why Arlon was here. Arlon was like a broken clock that way: always set on one thing. Only with the shiftry, it wasn't set to a number as much as it was a lust for Dillan's pain.

"Why are you here, Kieth?" Reya questioned. "You've been informed that Thalia's assigned to me, and not you."

"Well, aren't we vain?" Arlon said, not losing his sickening grin. " Who said I was here for you? Besides: the witch is busy with one of Giratina's orders, so that leaves me in charge. And last month's order of pain left me dissatisfied, my dear _friend_. And I have such a craving right now!"

Reya looked at Arlon with disgust. "Taking joy in the pain of others?" she asked. "Sickening."

"There's plenty of pain to go around," Arlon smiled. He walked towards Dillan's cell and stood inches from the bars, just out of his claw's minuscule reach. "Do you remember what I showed you last time?"

Dillan looked away from Arlon towards the left corner of the room as he remembered the hospital. He recalled those cruel words that still make him want to shout from anger and sadness every single time he sees Grace in that bed.

"Aww," the shiftry taunted. "What's the matter? Not feeling much like talking? I'm sure Grace felt the same way as her life slipped aw-"

"Don't talk about her!" Dillan shouted, cutting the shiftry off. "Don't you even say her name!"

"You..." Reya said slowly. She sounded as though she was depressed by the mere idea. "You showed him... You showed him his sister..."

"Well, technically it was Logan my swoobat," Arlon grinned. "Psychic types are too handy to go to waste, don't you think?"

Reya looked towards Dillan with a tensed brow-line, but the gabite kept staring at Arlon. He hated it, but the shiftry knew exactly how to push his buttons.

"Dillan," Reya said. "I... I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Gr-"

"It's fine," Dillan interrupted. "It wasn't your fault."

"Which reminds me!" Arlon announced. "I've got an extra special surprise for you, Dillan! And it's one that will not only make you seethe with hate and anger, but you won't be able to take your eyes off of the horrors! Ooh, just thinking about it gives me goosebumps!" The pokemon turned his charred face towards Reya. "And as an added bonus, you'll be able to sympathize with his friend." _Hazel..._

"You're going to torture someone?" Reya asked with a raised upper lip.

Dillan's heart stopped from the shock. "Leave Hazel out of this!" he roared, leaping at the bars. His claw came inches from the shiftry nose before his fin caught on the rusted bars. But he ignored the pain. "If you touch her-"

Arlon opened his jaw and faked a yawn. "It's always the same thing with you. I threaten your friend. You tell me you'll kill me. I mock you. You should really try something original."

Dillan slammed his foot on the floor, hoping that a stone would come out of the floor from underneath the shiftry and rocket him into the ceiling, but nothing happened. Arlon laughed at the pokemon's failed attempt.

"Not what I had in mind, but-" The shiftry's stopped himself, standing in silence for a second before stating, "Do you hear what I hear?"

Dillan stopped to listen to what was going on. Above him, he could hear a voice mumble with force. But pitch, tone, volume: it was all lost to the ceiling. This was entirely true until a scream rung through the door.

"And the fun begins!" Arlon said with the smile of a psychopath.

A second later, the door shot open and slammed against the wall so hard, dust fell from the ceiling. Standing in the doorway had to be one of the most horrific things Dillan had ever seen. A `massive pokemon at least six feet in size with a boulder-like body was currently holding both of Hazel's arms behind her back with one of his own. The charmeleon struggled against the pokemon, slamming her feet and tail against his boulder-like body: her tail flame flaring wildly as she did so. In front of the two pokemon stood a scowling pachirisu who wore a golden locket around his neck

"Ryan!" Hazel shouted in a panic. "Please! Stop!"

The golem looked towards Ryan, looking for orders. Ryan nodded towards the open door to which the pokemon shoved Hazel through. So much force must have been used, because the charmeleon was like a bottle rocket, flying through the air towards Dillan's cell before she slammed into the bars.

"Hazel!" Dillan shouted frantically.

"Oho!" Arlon cackled. "Worried already? But I haven't done anything yet!"

"Dillan," Hazel said, looking at the gabite through the bars. "What's happening!"

"Hazel," Dillan said frantically, not sure what to do. "I-I'll think of something!" He tried to mask the fear in his voice with confidence, but it didn't work at all. _Think, Dillan! Think of something fast! Think!_

"Lying is a sin!" Arlon shouted. He brought his foot up and planted it on Hazel's back, pressing her against the bars. "If I'm being honest here, your position isn't looking too good as it is. Empty promises will only make things worse." He smiled brightly and fanned out his arms. "Man, is it good to be back!"

The door behind the shiftry shut as Ryan walked into the room. He came to a stop next to the two pokemon, then he looked towards Arlon with a scowl. The shiftry took notice of Ryan and smiled even more than before.

"You want in, too?" he shouted.

"I'm here to interrogate, right?" Ryan questioned.

"You cowardice traitor!" Reya roared. "If you electrocute one scale on her body, I'll kill you myself!"

"Please!" Hazel begged. Tears started to gush from her eyes. "Ryan, don't do this!"

"Haven't you heard the news, sweetheart?" Arlon asked. "The pipsqueak's turned traitor! The only pokemon he's helping out is me! So you might want to close your eyes; you won't like what comes next!"

Dillan focused on his fins and began slamming his blue blades against the bars once more. _It's my fault... I dragged her into this... I relied on her, and now Arlon's using her to get to me. And there's nothing I can do to stop it!_

Arlon smiled at Ryan. He let the charmeleon go and took a few steps back. Suddenly, vines seemed to emerge from Hazel's chest and wrap themselves around the charmeleon tightly, subduing her completely. She tried to struggle, but she was tied up so tight, she couldn't even open her mouth to breath any flames. She was at the mercy of their enemies.

"You go first," Arlon said. "It should break Dillan when he witnesses his best friend killing his girlfriend."

"How can he be my friend?" Ryan asked Arlon. His voice contradicted the tension in the entire room. He sounded sad. "I cut those bonds, right? No more sentiments, right?"

Arlon's grin grew even wider than before. "If you can sleep at night by telling yourself that, be my guest."

The pachirisu turned from Arlon and looked at Hazel. He began walking towards his subdued victim. He watched her bloodshot eyes and quivering tail. She seemed so confused, not able to understand what was going on around her. What a betrayal it must have been. Not only was her country – something Dillan knew she believed was good even in the darkest times – run by a lunatic bent on destroying the word for his own version of peace, but now her friend, teammate, and someone she considered a brother, was about to torture her for Arlon's own enjoyment.

As Ryan drew closer, his cheeks began to spark. Every inch he walked, Hazel struggled even more against her bonds. She gave muffled cries to anyone who could help her, but there was nothing Dillan or Reya could do.

"Ryan!" Dillan shouted. The pachirisu stopped. He turned to him with a new scowl. "You don't have to do this."

"You don't understand," Ryan said. "I've already made my sacrifices. There's no going back to the cheery, happy times, now. I'm honestly not sure what you expect."

"What happened to the old you?!" Dillan pleaded, getting as close to the bars as he could without moving his head. "You use to be our friend! What happened to the pokemon that would die for us?!"

Ryan shook his head. "Do you even know what happened in the Alkan Islands when I left? Do you know what happened to me?" Everyone remained silent in the room. "Let me fill you in. Adelina chased after me, then Thalia showed up. She was ready to kill Adelina to get to me, and Adelina was ready to die from Thalia in order to keep me from being taken."

"So you betrayed Adelina?" Dillan asked.

"You don't understand at all... I did die for you in the Alkan Islands..."

"If that's over with, make the gabite squeal!" Arlon said with glee.

Then, it happened. In a flash of white light and electricity, Ryan sent a jolt of lightning through his cheeks into the pokemon's body. The crackling of the electricity canceled out any noise in the room, and the blue flash was enough to make anyone squint. And then, all eyes looked on with shock.

In a second, Ryan had gone from a "Quick Attack" into a "Nuzzle", hitting his mark. The shiftry grimaced as he doubled over from paralysis, clutching his sparking body. He looked on with wide-eyed shock.

"What do you-... think you're doing?" the shiftry stumbled, barely able to get those words out.

"I can't take back what I did!" Ryan shouted towards Arlon. "And I don't expect forgiveness for it, but Adelina would have died if I didn't leave with Thalia, and I won't let any of my friends get hurt because of me!"

Dillan and Reya continued to look on in their silent shock and confusion. Arlon, instead, looked towards the ground and began laughing. "You idiot!" he shouted with joy. "You think you can turn traitor twice? And you also think that the Master is going to let you go? There's no chance!" The shiftry stood up straight; the tip of his leaf extending into a green, glowing sword. "And it isn't like I wasn't going to hurt you before! This just means there won't be any consequences to beating you to a bloody pulp!"

Arlon lunged at Ryan., jabbing with his sword. The pachirisu jumped over the blade and swished his tail through the air, summoning a volley of stars. Arlon made no attempt at dodging Ryan's "Swift", but slashed once more, nailing Ryan in the chest with the blunt-side of the blade. The pachirisu didn't hit the ceiling, but merely used it as a back-board to launch himself at Arlon. Arlon merely side-stepped and waved his arm. Almost instantaneously, as set of green vines shot out from his leaves towards Ryan. The pachirisu got down on all-fours and started glowing. Then, he was off like a bullet.

Ryan bobbed and weaved between vine after vine in a flash of white light. He managed to jump over one vine, duck under another, side-step, everything he could do to avoid the onslaught of vines, though Arlon wouldn't let up. Then, he felt one wrap itself around what little ankle his body had. Immediately, the vine began to glow, and Ryan felt his own energy begin to drain from his body. Then another vine grabbed onto the pachirisu. Then another. Pretty soon, he was made a mummy of green, glowing vines.

"Looks like Thalia didn't teach you well enough, little traitor!" Arlon noted. "Too bad. I would have loved a challenge."

"Leave him alone!" Hazel shouted. To Dillan's surprise, the charmeleon's tail had burned a hole in the back of her cage, allowing her to break free of the vines and lunge at Arlon. The air was forced from the shiftry's lungs as Hazel slammed her shoulder into his chest. As the air left him, so did the vines, and Ryan was released. Hazel then went on to cock her head back and send a stream of flames down Arlon's face.

Ryan jumped to his feet and joined in the battle, jumping at the flames. Hazel stopped her fire long enough for Ryan to slam into Arlon's face. He began jabbing at Arlon. With each punch he threw, Ryan's expression began tensing into a look of rage. His punches were soon accompanied by shouts of anger. But Arlon didn't make an attempt at struggling. Instead, he seemed to enjoy each mark made upon his wooden skin. Pretty soon, an eerie laugh rung out from the shiftry's mouth.

"You feel it, don't you?" Arlon asked gleefully, unaffected by the punches. "Your conscience is gripping at every part of your soul, begging you to do the right thing! So you'll do it just this once! You'll be the hero! But deep down inside, you know that you can't be trusted! Not after what you've done: who you helped to kill!"

"Shut up!" Ryan shouted, throwing another punch.

"You think this might change how they think about you? Newsflash, shorty: all it does is makes you feel like you can change for a short time! You'll feel like you're the good guy again! But pretty soon, you'll turn! It's what you do! It's what you've done with your life in this world! So go on, you pathetic child! Hit me, make new friends, and justify leaving them with a poor excuse of righteousness! You'll be right back here in time! I promise you that!"

Ryan gave a shout of anger and drew his fist back for another punch, but he was stopped.

"Ryan!" Hazel shouted, holding his paw. The pachirisu turned around to face her, and wide-eyed shock took hold of him as he was thrown from the shiftry's chest by a crimson fist to the cheek. He did a few spirals through the air before colliding with the stone wall.

"Ooh!" Arlon smirked. "That one had to hurt!"

But Hazel wasn't finished. She quickly grabbed a stone piece of ceiling rubble from the floor and drove it into Arlon's head. The shiftry made a swift grunt before passing out from a major concussion. As Ryan recovered from the jab to the face, Hazel got off of Arlon and walked towards the keys.

"Reya!" she called out, moving the keys in the air once without letting go to signal an imminent throw. Reya nodded, stood up, walked towards the edge of the cell as Hazel threw the keys to her.

"Hazel," Ryan groaned. "Wh-"

Before Ryan could finish, he was cut off by what seemed like an invisible force picking him up from the floor and forcing him into the wall. Reya had unlocked her cell and walked out. She tossed the keys at Dillan's feet before making her way towards Ryan with an outstretched left arm that was surrounded by a pink glow.

"You coward!" Reya shouted sternly. "What are you trying to do here?"

"I came here to help!" Ryan managed to get out through a strained voice.

"Reya, don't!" Dillan shouted.

"Why wait until now?" Reya questioned, ignoring Dillan.

"I couldn't let my friends suffer when I could do-" Ryan stopped as he grimaced in pain.

"Hazel!" Dillan pled.

Hazel grabbed Arlon from under the arm and began hauling him towards Reya's empty cell. "Subdue him!" she ordered the gardevoir. "Don't just hurt him for no reason!"

"Fine," Reya snarled at Hazel. "But I want the truth! And if you give me anything else, I'll allow you to taste what you've allowed me to feel. Understand?"

"Alright!" Ryan said with strain. Then, he began panting. Dillan assumed it meant Reya let Ryan breath.

"Can someone let me out?!" Dillan asked, frustrated with his predicament. "No hands, so no keys!"

Hazel looked towards him and gave a light smile from the corner of her mouth. She walked over and unlocked the door.

"Better?" The charmeleon asked.

"Define better," Dillan said, not taking his eyes off of Ryan. The two walked towards the pachirisu, confusion clouding every aspect of his mind. First Ryan was their friend, then a back-stabber. Now what? At the moment, all Dillan wanted was answers.

As Dillan passed Reya, he got close enough to Ryan that he could breath on the pachirisu. "What happened with Thalia in the Alkan Islands?"

"Exactly what I said," Ryan told the gabite. "Thalia was going to kill Adelina unless I gave myself up."

"We could have fought her together!" Hazel urged.

Ryan shook his head and began eyeing the floor like a bad memory. "She came there with four other pokemon, each of which fought with us before we attacked Team Armageddon. They were waiting for Thalia to give the order to kill. She wasn't going to leave until she got exactly what she came for."

"So you gave up?" Dillan questioned. "You just quit and joined Thalia? How did you think that was the best idea-"

"I never said I was proud of my decision!" Ryan shouted, squinting his eyes. "But they would have killed Adelina!"

"You shouldn't have left in the first place," Hazel stated flatly. "Why did you leave, anyways?"

"Before we continue," Reya began. "There was a rumor before I left Team Rebirth of a traitor among our ranks. It was someone the Enemy hadn't trusted to share his identity with, yet still used as a puppet for insight on his opponents. About a week ago, I realized it was him."

Dillan and Hazel both looked at Ryan with shock. He didn't meet their eyes. He simply looked away in shame.

"You were with them before Team Rapture?!" Hazel roared. "With Arlon hurting us and Thalia hunting us at every turn, and you were with them!"

"I didn't know what they were at the time!" Ryan pleaded. "Jake, or Giratina, or whatever the hell you want to call it, doesn't share information with pokemon unless it's necessary, so I never knew they were the bad guys until later, at which point I ran away."

"That's when you went missing, wasn't it?" Dillan asked, recalling Adelina telling them about a time when Ryan had left her with no explanation as to where.

"Yeah..." Ryan admitted.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Dillan asked.

"I..." Ryan struggled to say. "I... can't say."

"Tell us now!" Reya warned.

"If you torture him," Hazel roared at Reya. "We're through with helping you with the Sapphire Star and everything related to it! Understand?"

"Tell me something:" Dillan said, ignoring the conflict behind him. "Did you know about me? Did you know I was human all along?"

That question brought silence to the room. All eyes were on Ryan. He didn't make any attempt at denying it. Instead, he gave a deep sigh. "I... kinda figured ever since we got to Palando and joined their Guild..."

Hazel gasped. This conversation shocked her and left Dillan speechless. Reya just shook her head.

"How..?" Hazel managed to get out.

"When you were first attacked by Arlon and Logan the swoobat," Ryan told Dillan. "We all thought you were delusional. Telling us Arlon was there when he clearly wasn't didn't help. Then you said 'human'. No amount of dementia or PTSD could suddenly make you know a word most pokemon haven't even heard. Eventually, I figured you were the next human."

"Next?" Hazel asked. "As in not the only one?"

"The last human who was brought here failed, so they got a new one," Ryan explained.

"I told you not to trust your friends," Reya told Dillan. "now you see he's been playing you from the beginning."

Dillan turned around, squinting his eyes slightly in disbelief. "How was I supposed to know you were even telling me the truth?" he retorted. "You've been keeping secrets ever since we met! I know it isn't really your fault, but you can't say it doesn't make it difficult to trust!"

"Enough!" Hazel interjected. "Ryan, just move on!"

Reya looked towards Dillan, not really wanting to continue the confrontation. Dillan did the same.

"Why not leave the Enemy when you had the chance?" Dillan questioned. "You had to have had opportunities."

"There's... two reasons," Ryan said slowly. "This is going to sound far fetched, but bare with me."

"I'm not sure how, but Giratina's always in my head. Even before we all made Team Rapture, he was planting thoughts and visions in my brain. I'm not sure if I'm the only one he does it too, either. But he'll find your greatest hope or fear and use it against you to keep you in Team Rebirth. And even though I left, he still tormented me with nightmares."

"He invades your thoughts?" Dillan asked.

"How?" Hazel questioned.

Reya shook her head. "You gave yourself to him?" she asked with disgust.

"Like I wanted to!" Ryan shouted.

"What are you talking about?" Dillan asked Reya.

"You know about the second world?" Reya asked. "And you know about the mystery dungeons merging with the world?"

Dillan was about to tell Reya about how Hazel didn't know as much as they did: that she wasn't with him when Judah explained, but Hazel spoke over him saying, "Yeah. I know about it."

"Dillan?" Reya asked.

"Y-yeah..." Dillan stuttered, stunned by Hazel's answer. _How does she know?_

"I assume you know that reality isn't the only thing that is warped by the dungeons. Pokemon are, as well."

"We know," Hazel said nervously for some reason. "It creates mutations in pokemon's brains... making them feral." She began rubbing the side of her arm as she wore a nervous grimace "And it probably affects other parts of pokemon, too... like natural abilities..."

Dillan was astounded. Not only did Hazel seem to know just as much as him, but now it looked like she knew even more.

"To put that into real-world perspective, most legendary pokemon have the ability to use telepathy. Well, Giratina's living in the second world and traversing into the mystery dungeons from time to time. He can't go very far into them, but he can still become exposed to whatever is in the mystery dungeon that allows it to shift instead of collapse on itself. You know it heightens natural abilities. In Giratina's case, it heightened his telepathic powers. It lets him dig through pokemon's minds if they give him access. And once you give him that access, it's very difficult to take it back. It really depends on the mind."

"And you let him in," Hazel said to Ryan.

"It was the only way I could think of... getting closure..." the pachirisu said nervously.

"Closure for what?" Hazel asked.

"I can't tell you here," Ryan said.

"Can't or won't?" Reya questioned. Ryan didn't respond. Instead, he continued to look sheepishly at the floor.

"You still haven't told us why you didn't leave before."

"It was the only thing keeping Adelina safe," Ryan said. "There's also the fact that the Enemy's been showing me my old home... my birth family's old place... And he's been using them as motivation to get me to do what he wants..."

"Has he been doing this for a while now?" Hazel questioned. Ryan nodded. "Why didn't you say anything? We could have helped!"

"It wouldn't have made a difference," Ryan said. "You could say I'm... kind of an illegal immigrant here... It's why Judah doesn't have records on my birth family and me until I was adopted here.

"There's... also you guys... When I found out the Guild was under the Enemy's control, it meant you both were only a mail-call away from being arrested, brought here, and executed as traitors... That with Giratina always clawing at my brain to get information, I needed to play the part of the villain..."

"But you can't hide from him," Reya said. "He'll have known you were going to turn and would have killed you weeks ago."

"And I know you," Dillan said. "You aren't an actor. You couldn't have faked liking to be a villain."

"First off," Ryan said. "I've had that guy digging around in my brain for a few years now, so I know how to hide information from him. Secondly, Thalia helped with my lack of acting. She liked to attack my personal feelings for my friends, so she was convinced any contradiction in my new, evil life was because I wanted to go back to my old one with you guys. She kind of convinced everyone of the same thing. Giratina also promised me something I've wanted more than anything."

"And that is?" Dillan asked.

"Closure."

"Being kinda vague, Ryan," Hazel said. "Mind explaining?"

"Yeah," he said. "It's not important."

"If Giratina thought he could bribe you with it," Reya began. "It is."

"It wasn't enough to get me to torture my friends, was it?" Ryan retorted.

"Fine," Hazel said. "Don't tell us. But didn't anyone ever question whether you _were_ a traitor?"

"Not saying we believe you just yet," Reya said.

"Uh..." Ryan said. "Well... Thalia's been on my back since day one, not trusting me with anything..." He turned towards Dillan and had a sort of sadness in his eyes. "It's why I said what I said to you. And I'm so sorry about that, Dillan. I didn't mean any of it."

Dillan didn't say a thing. It was all so hard to believe, and he needed time to sort through all of the information. "I'm sorry myself," he said. "But this is too much to process right now..."

Silence filled the room as everyone contemplated what the pachirisu said. Reya broke the silence saying, "I don't buy it."

"I don't think we have much of a choice," Hazel said as she turned to Dillan and Reya. "If Ryan was really with Giratina, then he knows the layout of this castle better than anyone here."

"That isn't accurate," Reya said. "There's another pokemon locked in this castle who knows more than him."

"There's someone else trapped here?" Dillan questioned.

Hazel nodded. "Trinity Fitz. I was with her when I woke up. She was the one who told me about the Guild and Giratina."

"Not anymore," Ryan said. "I left the door unlocked when we came down here. She should be long-gone by now."

"Then we're back to Ryan," Hazel said.

"I refuse to trust him," Reya said.

"Reya-"

"No!" the gardevoir said forcefully. "He stood by while the Enemy was killing and abusing others because of cowardice and nothing more! I refuse to trust him! I'll lead us out of here. I should be able to sense the guards before we run into them, making it simple to escape. But I will not stand by and let him lead us."

"We can't leave without the Sapphire Star," Dillan said. "Giratina has it. If we leave-"

"Nothing happens," Reya assured. "He needs you to use the crystal."

"Really?" Dillan questioned. "Is that why he needs a human?"

"Now isn't the time. At the moment, we need to leave."

"But Ryan should know how to get us out!" Hazel continued. "He-"

"Hazel," Dillan said. Hazel turned to him with a raised brow. "It's alright."

Hazel looked at Dillan and sighed. "Alright."

"We should hurry," Reya said, dropping her arm. Ryan slid down the walls, surprised to feel gravity again, and landed on his face, though he quickly recovered.

I agree," Ryan said through the pain. "Giratina's probably going to send someone our way pretty soon, and I don't think I'll be able to explain Arlon in a cell while you're all free."

"Dillan?" Reya said as she turned to the gabite.

In a split second, Dillan winced at a tiny sting in his brain. It was over as soon as it began. _"Can you hear me?"_ Reya's voice echoed in his head. Dillan jumped from the shock of the voice. It was loud and booming, echoing as it talked. _"Calm down, it's only telepathy. I want you to trail behind me and watch the traitor. I still don't trust him."_

 _You're in my head?_

 _"Yes."_

 _Then you can hear this. In that case, I want you to promise not to hurt Ryan._

 _"Then you believe him."_

 _I'm not sure what to believe... A part of me wants to trust him... but I'm not sure he's telling the truth... And at the very least, he's not telling us everything. He might be saying some things while lying about others... and I'm not sure what to believe right now..._

 _"Remember to keep the prophecy in mind, gabite. There is a deceiver among the group of four who will save the world, and I now believe that deceiver is this pachirisu. And if he has gone against the Enemy once and still returned to his grasp... I would be very weary of placing my faith in a pokemon like that."_

Before Dillan could think of something else to communicate, Reya said, "Let's go." She then walked off towards the door followed by Hazel, then Ryan. Dillan shook his head and followed.

The tension in the group was practically tangible. Reya was obviously furious with Ryan, and didn't trust him one bit. Hazel seemed cool and collected about the whole situation, though Dillan wondered if it was because the truth about everything hadn't sunk in yet, or if it was because she wanted to remain strong for the team. Dillan assumed it was probably a mixture of both. The gabite himself felt unsure about the everything.

 _When did all of this become reality: my reality? The Guild was suppose to be something pokemon could look towards for help. But now it looks like it's all controlled by the Enemy... And the King... what is he to the Enemy? Is he a commander? Is he just a collaborator?_

Dillan sighed. _I didn't want this... All I wanted was for things to go back to the way they were... the time when Ryan was my ally: my friend; the time when Hazel was there to help me through the bad times, and I was there for her, as well; the time we could all rely on the team without worrying whether stabbing each other in the back was even a concern... What happened to those times?_

As Dillan began ascending the stairs, he wondered if they could ever go back to the way things were? Then, another thought crossed his mind: one about his old life as a human. Things had been so wonderful in this world, what with his friends, whereas his old life was a wreck: divorced parents, no friends that came to mind, and Grace. He wondered whether he even wanted to go back to his previous life? And did he want to regain his memories to find out whatever was no longer there for him? Did he even want whatever sorrows came with going back as a human without Grace?

* * *

(Jarondai Territory: Jarondai Castle)

The purple carpet crumpled under the hakamo-o's feet as she dashed through the tall, arched hallways. Any guard that stood in Fitz' way was destroyed. She had handled and sold enough of their armor to know their weak-points, what it protected, and where it was lacking in defense. As she darted around a corner, she found a gallade who wore a full suit of metal with his back towards her. Before the pokemon knew what was happening, Fitz jumped at him, grabbed him by the arm with one hand, twisted it upwards, then jabbed with her free hand into the pit of his arm in a "Sky-Uppercut" attack. The force she used threw the pokemon through the ceiling. By the time he broke out and regained consciousness, she would be long-gone. Her training had paid off.

Fitz continued to run down corridors, making quick decisions as fast as she could without stopping. Hesitation was for those too weak or too stupid to make a decision. It was something she was taught when she was very young, yet it was a part of her she couldn't seem to get away from. It felt too much like him.

She managed to make quick work of any guard in her way. They were an obstacle: an issue that needed to be ignored if possible, yet corrected when necessary. There was only one goal here: to repair that poor-excuse-of-a-gabite's blunder.

 _Foolish, stubborn idiot!_ Fitz thought as she slammed into yet another guard, subduing him in seconds. _He had to make it difficult and come to this place! He had to put Ganderosa at risk! He had to ignore what was right in front of him. And now he is putting his friends at risk! How is he_ _supposed_ _to lead and look out for an entire army when he cannot even look after the pokemon closest to him?!_

Fitz stopped herself and peered quickly around a corner. She saw her target: the set of iron doors with golden engravings like vines stretching all across the front. There, inside of the door, was the single biggest threat to Ganderosa. Yet there was still a minor hurdle she had to cross. Two guards – an abomasnow-abomasnow and a raichu – stood up straight and attentive at the front of the door. Each wore their own set of shiny armor accompanied by a spear in one hand, and a sword hanging from their waists in case the pointy stick wasn't enough.

"Why even have guards when you know the enemy closest to you possesses the knowledge to cripple them in seconds?" Fitz asked in a whisper.

She closed her eyes and focused on the middle of her stomach. _This is going to make a lot of noise that someone may or may not hear. But knowing there are two of them, I will not be able to take these guards as easily as the others, and I need to get into that room at all costs._

The pit was filled with a warmth, and the massive scales on the back of her hands and forehead began glowing a dim yellow. The warmth rose as energy built up in her chest, creating a new glow that radiated outwards from its origin. In a few seconds, the energy became as hot as fire, and she knew it was ready.

Fitz tore around the corner, aiming towards the ceiling. The two guards only had enough time to turn and look at Fitz before she opened her mouth, sending a massive ball of red energy into the sky. The raichu's eyes widened as he saw the impending doom overhead. He only managed to yell before the ball exploded in an ear-piercing blast, sending miniature meteorites down towards it and it's fellow guard. There was no evading the balls of fire that pelted every inch of the floor. One collided with the top of the raichu's head and threw him towards the floor. The abomasnow managed to shield his face from the attack, but in doing so it obstructed his view of Fitz.

Fitz gave a determined roar as she dashed towards the abomasnow, getting under him before slamming a glowing fist into his chin in a "Sky Uppercut" attack. Hitting the floor with the back of its head, the pokemon was out cold. Fitz then shot her eyes behind, but was too slow.

She heard a shout before her body began to thrash from the burning electricity being shot through her. Fitz didn't dare fall: not when this guard about to subdue her. Instead, she swiped her tail at her opponent. The raichu jumped over and went into a head-butt: exactly what Fitz was hoping for. She dove head-first into the pokemon, focusing her energy into her head-scale as she did so. With one final shout, her head became as hard and as shiny as metal, and the pokemon collided. No pain shot from the collision on Fitz' end due to her scale. Instead, the raichu passed out.

Fitz stood up tall and triumphantly above the two beaten guards. _Is this truly the state of Ganderosa's best? Disgraceful. It must have gone down-hill since-_

"I knew you'd come here," a voice called from behind.

Fitz whipped around and found the golden-engraved door was open with a dragonite standing in the doorway. The dragonite was wearing its crown of gem-encrusted gold, gold-plated pauldrons, and a purple cape. His small smile and warm eyes portrayed a pleasantness about him. Fitz' eyes drifted towards his neck where a blue crystal in the shape of a star sat on a metal chain.

"It was only a matter of time, wasn't it?" Judah questioned.

"Not even trying to hide?" Fitz questioned.

"You came for the Sapphire Star, didn't you?" Judah asked, getting right to the point.

"One chance," Fitz said bluntly. "Hand it over, or I will take it."

"Why not simply talk about this?" Judah questioned. "We both want the same thing."

"You would use me just like my father," the hakamo-o stated angrily. "Eventually you would kill me, same as him."

"Stop acting like a child," Judah said calmly, shaking his head. "You were born into this, just as your father was. Embrace it, and accept that you'll be helping the future of Ganderosa."

Fitz felt her anger bubble over, and she darted towards Judah, shouting in rage. She jumped at the dragon, but he side-stepped her and grabbed her by the neck. He then proceeded to throw her into the wall, cracking it on her scale.

"You never were able to defeat me, thief," Judah taunted. He planted his feet on the floor and raised his closed fists, readying himself for combat. "But you can still make the attempt."

"You stole everything from me, first!" Fitz roared as she threw herself at Judah, raising her fists to attack through physical combat. "And I am not a thief!"

She made a right-hook, then a kick to the stomach. Judah blocked her attacks, making no attempt at attacking himself. It infuriated Fitz. She made a few more punches and kicks, then whipped her tail: all were either blocked or dodged. _Fight back!_

"You've gotten better since the last time we saw each other, I'll give you that much."

"Stop talking!" Fitz shouted as she made a fake-right-hook towards Judah. The dragonite made a move to block, leaving him open for Fitz to slam her right foot into his chest, sending him backwards. The dragonite tripped on hit cape and flipped onto his stomach. "You distracted yourself."

"It _has_ been too long," Judah said. He couldn't help but laugh a little. "Can you believe it's already been five years since you last stole from me? Too long considering it's your profession."

"I had to make ends meet since you took everything from me!" Fitz shouted. She focused on her head until it turned to iron. She then dove literally head-first towards Judah.

Judah spun on his back and leaped to his feet. As he did so, a spiraling twister of smoke mixed with blue and red lightning erupted from the floor. Fitz' eyes dilated as she realized she was throwing herself right at a readied-Judah.

"You should have gotten out of Ganderosa when you had-" Judah stopped as his eyes grew wider and a grimace contorted his face. He doubled over and gasped from some sort of pain. _What in Ganderosa?!_ Fitz collided with Judah's skull, her head-scale protecting her from any damage that may have been caused by King's crown. Even so, the crown protected him from damage, yet dented on impact. But Fitz wasn't done. She had no clue what made Judah fall over, but she did know it left him open for an onslaught.

In a split second, she grabbed onto Judah's pauldrons and flipped backwards, lashing his chest with her tail before landing on her feet. Her fist began to glow before she pounded Judah's chin, sending him onto his back. Fitz pounced on top of Judah and began throwing her fists as fast as she could, pounding on Judah's face. The dragonite had no room to groan from the pain before another one came his way. Fitz felt every negative emotion she'd held in the past few years urge through each punch. She recalled her father's kind face: one that use to be filled with a proud look to his eyes. It use to be one she could look at with hope and love.

"You took everything from me!" Fitz said as tears began streaming from her eyes. "All of the love I felt! Every hopeful feeling I had for my future! My dreams! You stole it all from me!"

Judah's open-paw jolted up and grabbed Fitz' left fist, then her right. Judah began breathing very slowly. Blood dripped from the side of his face, but he didn't let it halt him.

"Girl," Judah said. "Don't lie to me. I don't feel guilty, and I don't feel sorry for you. We both know he never had the ability to care in the first place."

Fitz brought her knee into the dragon's face, forcing him to let go of her hands. She then grabbed a hold of his face and held it close to hers. Fitz focused on that pit of anger and let it fuel a massive orb of energy in her chest. It radiated so much heat and light, it shone little beams across the dragonite's face.

"I am done running from you and your forces!" Fitz roared. "Do you hear me?! I am tired of the death and struggles and losses, and feeling as though I am in the middle of it! All I want is peace in my life, and you refused to let me have that! So I am ending it all here!"

Judah looked at Fitz, still wearing his sickening smile. "Then end it, girl."

Fitz stared down the so-called King with a lust for death: revenge. This was the moment everything would end. In one blast, it would all be over. King Judah would be dead, and Ganderosa would be free of Giratina's reign.

Nearly a minute went by. The energy was still swirling in Fitz' chest, stagnating. She wanted to do it. She wanted more than anything to live the rest of her life in peace and not have to worry about another single day of running and surviving. But now that the opportunity was here, she stopped at the final step.

"You won't do it," Judah said calmly.

"What makes you think you are not about to die?!" Fitz shouted.

"Hope, girl," Judah stated. "It's what's been keeping you going all this time: the hope that you can get your previous life back."

"I know it is impossible!"

"Yet you still hold on, hoping that he can fill in the emptiness you feel. Am I wrong?"

Fitz grimaced. She had never thought about it before. All the memories of her past, all of the hopes for her future: did they still remain like a string in the darkness; one that she hoped would lead her back to a past of love and safety?

Tears began to swell in Fitz' eyes, slowly etching their watery marks down her scales before they fell onto the blood-stained chest of the dragon king. She began to sob as she dropped her fist at her side. Judah looked up at her with a scowl.

"Pathetic," he said coldly. "You had the chance to end the war, yet you refuse to kill me. Taking a life shouldn't ever be that difficult if you have the right reason. Yet blind hope is your motivation in life. And you certainly refuse to give that up, right girl?"

Fitz' eyes widened as she saw a shadow out of he corner of her eye. She looked around wildly, but all she could do was tighten her fists. A wild fist slammed into her' face, throwing her from the King's body. The energy in her chest subsided as she spun into the next room – one with three thrones: a massive one for the King, a medium one for the Queen, and a small one for the prince or princess. With more than enough energy from the sudden attack, Fitz collided with the Princess' throne, splitting the top of it with her head-scale. Then, she fell into the seat itself and struggled to turn around to see Thalia was hunched over King Judah.

"Master," Thalia said as she helped the dragonite to her feet.

"Trinity Fitz, you won't kill me. You may be able to fool yourself into believing you have the strength to end this war, but the truth of the matter is that you still want your father, and killing me won't get him back. So now, I'm giving you one warning. Surrender now, or you will be taken by force. You've already lost."

Fitz looked at Judah, then Thalia. There was no winning this battle. Judah made it clear as day that Fitz couldn't end the war. She didn't have the strength to kill the king.

"I cannot kill you," Fitz said sadly. "At the very least, this fight showed me that much. And when you have Thalia at your side to assist in your battle, beating you to escape is not possible. But to say I lost is a false statement."

Judah looked at Fitz curiously. "What game are you playing, girl?"

"Master," Thalia said with a little more force to her usually calm tone. "Her paw."

Judah's eyes widened as he placed his hand on the empty space of his chest where the Sapphire Star would have sat. He then looked towards Fitz, and in her left, clenched hand hung metal strings. Then, the king smiled. "Little thief..." he said just loud enough for Fitz to hear.

"I am no thief," Fitz said proudly. "And all I want is to be left alone. But this time, I will not let you destroy the world. Do you hear me, Giratina? I do not care who you are. I will not let you murder the pokemon of this world."

Fitz closed her eyes and calmed her heart, taking deep breaths as she did so. Then, the entire world became devoid of noise. As she opened her eyes, she found the entire room had stopped in place. None of the pokemon ahead would even breath. She waited for Judah or Thalia to make a move, but they simply stood in place.

"It's over..." Fitz said to herself. She brought her paw up to her eyes and opened it, revealing the glowing gemstone which was now shining its blue light on the surrounding area. It was an amazing object who's abilities were a wonder to behold. _So this is the Sapphire Star's power..._ Yet there was a sort of pressure that seemed to force itself on her body: something that seemed particularly odd.

Fitz ignored the pressure and took a few steps towards Judah. She stopped in front of the dragon, scowling at his chest. _Another chance... to end it all. Most pokemon cannot even get one, no matter how hard they try._

"Ironic that I am mentally capable of doing so," Fitz said aloud before walking towards the exit. She took a few more steps before stopping in place. Was it just her, or did the pressure start to increase? It seemed to push against her brain, but she tried ignoring it.

"Who are you?" a rough voice called out.

Fitz whipped around, yet found no one who was talking to her. She glanced around the room curiously. _Time is frozen... No one should be able to talk._

"Answer the question!" the voice demanded.

"W-what?" Fitz said, startled. She continued to shoot glances around the room to find the source, but the only pokemon standing in the room were Judah and Thalia. "Who are you?! Where are you?!"

"I am the spirit of the Sapphire Star," the voice said forcefully. "I have been tasked with assisting the Paladin of the Sapphire with his journey as best I can. Seeing as you are not the Paladin, I ask again: who are you?"

"I... am a Guardian of Ganderosa," Fitz said sounding slightly strained. She couldn't tell for sure, but the pressure in her brain seemed to be slowly growing. Currently, it was ignorable, yet slightly painful.

"I don't recognize you," the spirit stated. "Lying to me would be a mistake."

"I am a friend of Valery G."

A hum echoed through the room as if the spirit was thinking. "In that case, I give you temporary permission over the Sapphire."

"Fine," Fitz said harshly. It wasn't the spirit's fault Fitz was being a little rude. She was just getting irritated with the building pressure in her mind, therefore being a little rough towards this spirit. "You said you are the spirit of the Sapphire Star?"

"Yes," it said.

"How come I have never heard of you until now?"

"Is that truly important?"

"Yeah!" Fitz shouted as she started to grimace. "Because I want to know what it is that you are you doing to me!" The pain increased, and Fitz pressed one paw to her skull to try and deal with the ever-rising pressure. "Are you trying to pop my brain?!"

"That would be the Sapphire Star," the spirit stated. "Even though you are currently using the Sapphire Star, using it kills anyone who is not the Paladin. Though I am sure you know this by now."

"Just tell me how to stop the pain!" Fitz said through clenched teeth.

"You must stop binding time and let it flow," the spirit explained.

"Not happening," Fitz said flatly, taking a look at Thalia who was right next to her. "Too close to pokemon who want to use me."

"It will kill you if you do not let go."

"I want another option!" the hakamo-o ordered. The spirit didn't answer. Fitz guessed it was thinking, but for how long? The silence and pressure of whatever seemed to be killing her was torturous, and waiting for an answer was agony in its own right. "Well?! I am still dying here!"

"There is another option," the Spirit began. "Although I am not sure you will be able to pull this off. It's very difficult to do and takes a lot of control and concentration. But if you manage to simply slow time down instead of halting it completely, you can outrun anyone who wishes to harm you. It will lessen the pressure and extend the amount of time you can use the Sapphire Star, but a lapse in concentration would most definitely end your control of time, and I don't believe you can slow it once more given your state."

"Give me a minute to think!" Fitz shouted. She closed her eyes and weighed her options. This spirit, whoever she was, was new. She didn't care what it said or implied; it had to be new. She had never heard a single word about a spirit in the Sapphire Star until today, and now that it was here, she had no clue whether to trust it or not.

Yet it seemed to know what it was talking about. It knew what the pressure was. Yet she said, "Paladin". She was obviously referring to the human, but calling him a Paladin? Was it his official title? Though everyone she had met called him "Human". This spirit was peculiar, that was for sure. But the question still remained: could Fitz trust it?

"No choice," Fitz said aloud. She looked at Thalia, then Judah. "Only one option, and probably one chance."

"Then let's hope this doesn't kill you."

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys! MasterKnight2142 here, bringing you another (hopefully) exciting chapter of "Shadows of Ganderosa"! And is now bringing you another long-winded author's notes, which I hope some of you enjoy, because I'm sure no one else does.

So before I start, I just wanted to give a massive shout-out to my new editor/assistant, "Deuxious Vultious"! He contacted me about a week ago, offering to go above and beyond the normal roles of a beta-reader for "Shadows of Ganderosa". Really great guy who helped bring a lot more quality to the story through suggestions and grammatical checks for your enjoyment! Give his profile a look, and give him a really big "thanks" for helping the story!

Shout-out to "PlagueDogUnleasheD", "StoryBrookFields95", "Deuxious Vultious", and "Swifteagle313" for following/favoriting the story! Gandrosa's breached 75 followers! Honestly, thanks to everyone for this!

I was looking at the "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon!" community (the most popular one I could find to "advertise" my story), one that is for stories based around Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, and Ganderosa, based on the amount of follows, in the mid-section of page two out of the 15 pages! In actual numbers, it's ranked 33 out of the 523 stories on the site in follows, and it is still gaining! As for favorites, it is also on page two as the 59th or 60th most favorited story on the community (59th or 60th because it is currently in a tie)! I've said it before. I'm not that guy who has to have first no matter what, but I am the guy who marvels at how far his own work has come (though I guess now it's me and Deuxious' work XD)! And I am really glad to see how the story has grown, and am aiming for page #1 at the least (mainly cause I will never be able to catch up with "Silver Resistance" or "Defenders of Warmth", which I'm fine with)!

So real quickly then I'll be off. Not sure how it's been for people in Europe or other countries, but for American College students, Christmas Break is over. If anyone is worried about chapters getting out at a slower rate as a result, don't be! If it gets to that, I'll let you know. But I intend to not let it get to that just yet! I will not let this story come to a slow period, because I intend on finishing it! And letting it drag on will make me lose interest, then it implodes and ruins your days. And I am determined to prevent such a thing. So don't worry about it!

That's all for now! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! If not, meh. It's not the end of the story, or the twists I have in store! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!

P. S. Please see my DeviantArt page (MasterKnight214 (Without the 2 at the end)) for a bad, yet very accurate map of Ganderosa (Again, **MasterKnight214** on **DeviantArt** ).


	43. Consequences

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 43

Consequences

* * *

The group of four crept down the carpeted hallway, making as little sound as possible. Reya led the group into an intersection in the hallway. She quickly pressed her battered body against the left wall and held up her fist. The group came to a halt, following her example of wall-hugging, and waited. Seconds went by before a pokemon in iron armor appeared in the intersection. _Please don't find us!_ Dillan thought as he held his breath and squinted his eyes shut in anticipation for the worst.

"Dillan," Ryan whispered from his ankle. "He's gone. And he didn't see us."

Dillan exhaled in relief, but Reya shot him a look that said, "It isn't over yet".

"Do you even know where we're going?" Ryan questioned.

"Do you know where the exit to a mystery dungeon is when you enter?" Reya questioned.

Of course not," Ryan said with an annoyed scowl.

"Then follow." Reya walked onward down the hall. Dillan looked towards Ryan briefly before moving onward. Ryan looked towards Hazel, but she didn't meet his gaze. The pachirisu's ears drooped slightly as he began walking with the group.

Dillan wished he felt bad for the guy, he really did. But he couldn't think through the steps in his head that led Ryan to leave them.

 _All of us would have left with him when he explained the Guild was bad. He should have known that. It's not like we were vague or anything when it came to helping one another... And Judah wouldn't have been able to come after us with Garth and everyone at the guild. The moment he said we were traitors, we would have tried to figure something out. He could have come back and talked..._

He told himself these things, yet he knew a lot of it wasn't true. He probably would have gone with the Guild should they have called him a traitor so they could figure it all out rationally. And even if they needed him, they didn't need Hazel: that much was evident the moment Arlon came to hurt her instead of him.

 _But we still could have thought of something... He didn't have to betray our trust by abandoning us until we were in danger... He could have trusted us..._

"Here we go," Ryan stated grimly, snatching Dillan from his thoughts.

The group found themselves confronted with the massive doors to the castle's courtyard. Beyond was a flowery escape route. They weren't out of the woods yet, but they were closer.

"So, after the castle," Dillan began, recalling the plan. "We have to get through the gates, passed the volcano, and then escape Jarondai on a boat. Did I get that right?"

"More or less," Reya stated. She walked up to the door and said, "Let's go."

"This was our plan?!" Hazel asked worriedly. She looked terrified. "I looked down here from a window in the room I was locked in, and the guards are swarming the courtyard! There's no way we're getting through them!"

"Do we have another choice?" Ryan asked. "I mean, it's them or an angry lizard who fights like a mad woman and, might I remind you, hates my guts. She'll hate me even more knowing I'm a traitor, and you guys aren't any safer."

"We can handle Thalia," Hazel assured.

"No, you can't," Ryan said. "She's too strong. I've seen her kill pokemon in literal seconds. Without breaking a sweat."

"But you fought her in the Alkan Islands," Dillan said.

"She wasn't trying to kill me, then," Ryan said.

"As much as I hate to say it," Reya began. "I'm with the pachirisu on this one. Thalia is stronger than any guard."

"But there are so many of them," Dillan said.

"And we can take on Thalia if we work together!" Hazel urged.

"And what about Arlon?" Ryan asked. "And Akuji? From what I've seen, that guy-" Ryan was cut off by a hand grabbing him by the scruff of his neck which pressed him to the wall.

"What did you say?!" Reya roared.

"Get off of me!" Ryan demanded.

"Hey!" Hazel shouted sternly to Reya.

"Not now, charmeleon," Reya stated coldly.

"Let him go!" Hazel shouted.

"You said Akuji, correct?!" Reya asked with a snarl. _This isn't going to help us at all._

"Reya," Dillan pleaded.

"Answer the quest-" Reya's voice was drowned out by what sounded like some sort of massive vibration that filled the room in seconds: like a massive tuning fork was attacking the gabite's eardrums. And it was coming from down the hallway.

Looking towards the hallway, Dillan saw a flash of bright blue light accompanied by the smell of burned wool. When the light died down, there was a smoldering circle of ash that surrounded a panting, exhausted-looking hakamo-o.

"Fitz?" Reya asked.

"And you... thought my concentration... was insufficient..." the hakamo-o panted with a slight smile on her face. She then fell forwards, but barely caught herself on her arms.

"Fitz!" Hazel shouted as she darted towards the downed pokemon. Dillan followed to find out what happened.

"I am... fine..." Fitz said as she pushed herself onto her backside where she sat, leaning backwards on her palms. She was smiling a great big smile. "You got away?" she asked Hazel.

"Forget about that," Hazel said as she shook her head. "Are you hurt?"

"My head feels like I slammed it into a table multiple times, but that is the extent of it." She looked up to find Dillan and began scowling. "Paladin," she stated coldly

Dillan scowled at the pokemon, confused by her way of regarding him. "What happened to you?" he asked, genuinely worried for her well-being, but still just as confused whether she was insulting him.

"I believe this is yours," she stated as she held out her left paw. Dillan's eyes widened as he saw the familiar shine of the Sapphire Star. "And I have no clue how you know her, but would it kill her to be a little more supportive?"

Dillan had a raised eyebrow of confusion. He raised his right claw, about to speak, but Hazel spoke instead.

"Where did you find the Sapphire?" she asked.

"Judah had..." Fitz drifted off as her eyes moved passed the two of them towards the wall Reya was pinning Ryan on. "You!" she shouted.

The sudden burst of energy Fitz had gained stunned Dillan. She shot up to her feet and charged the pinned pachirisu, but Reya held up her hand for Fitz to stop.

"Drop him," Fitz ordered.

"Look," Ryan began. "I'm sorry about Harrier Town-"

"Fine!" Fitz shouted furiously at Reya. "Then hold him still while I beat the crap out of-"

"No one's beating the crap out of anyone!" Hazel shouted.

"Stay out of this, Prince!" Fitz roared. She walked right next to Ryan, practically breathing on him. "I want you to answer one simple question! If you lie to me, I promise your head will be as flat as paper!"

"She said stop!" Dillan shouted.

But Fitz didn't listen, nor acknowledge Dillan had said anything. She kept eyeing Ryan with a sort of blood-lust he had never seen before. "What did you do to Valery?!" Fitz shouted.

 _Valery?_ The room went silent from that name. All eyes were set to stunned as they stared confusedly at Fitz or Ryan.

Dillan recalled the cheerful mienfoo from weeks ago. She was very nice, and always reminded them of the "G" at the end of her name. _Did Ryan... do something to her?_

"You and Thalia took me and threatened to kill her, remember?!" Fitz shouted.

"I remember," Ryan said. "And we left her there."

"Liar!" Fitz shouted.

"I'm not lying!"

"Why would the witch let her go?" Fitz asked sternly.

"Thalia doesn't like getting her hands dirty unless she absolutely has to," Ryan stated. "Valery wasn't any use as a hostage, and she's too young to know anything useful, so we left her there unharmed!"

Fitz stood there, eyeing Ryan for a good while. She raised a clenched fist at Ryan, threatening to hit him, but no one made a move to stop her. "If I find Valery is in any sort of pain because of what you did to get to me, I swear on my life that you will hurt for it." Fitz shot one final scowl of warning before she lowered her paw and walked away.

"What did you do to her?" Hazel asked Ryan as she shook her head.

"Hazel-" Ryan began, but Hazel didn't have any intention on listening.

The charmeleon walked towards Fitz and said calmly, "We need a way out of the castle."

"You do realize you are at the front door, correct?"

"We need another option," Dillan said.

"What difference does it make?" Reya asked. "Any other option will yield the same amount of guards, leading to the same result."

"And what makes you think I know anything?" Fitz asked apprehensively, though her brow-line was tensed with hat looked like worry.

"Reya said you know the layout of this castle better than us," Dillan explained.

"Did she?" Fitz asked as she leaned around Hazel to scowl at Reya.

"We don't have time for this, Reya!" Ryan shouted. Reya turned to Ryan and eyed him maliciously, but the pachirisu didn't seem to let it bother him. "We need to leave!"

Reya held the pachirisu close to her mouth and said in a barely audible whisper, "Eventually, you'll tell me everything that happened to you when you rejoined the Enemy. Understand?" With that, Reya seemed to have soothed a bit of her anger and dropped the pachirisu. Ryan landed on his feet and immediately began walking towards Fitz, though the hakamo-o's jaw sat skewed on her face.

"What are you doing?!" Fitz asked with shock. She lunged at Ryan, but Hazel side-stepped in front of her and held her in place. "He is a traitor!"

"Fitz, wait!" Hazel said. "Ryan's helping us!"

"The only one he helps is Giratina!"

Dillan looked at a scowling Ryan whose sight was directed towards the carpet. His fist was clenched together, but he didn't make a move on the hakamo-o. He just stood there, taking whatever abuse she let out with a look of shame. _He really feels bad about it all... doesn't he?_

"We need him!" Hazel shouted.

"You keep saying that," Reya stated. "Although I don't see why. We have a navigator, now. Why would we need the pachirisu?"

"Because..." Hazel said, wearing a calm expression, though her eyes mirrored Ryan's floor-bound gaze. She seemed to be scanning her brain for a valid reason as quickly as she could. "Because Ryan's been with the enemy for a while now. He has to know something about them that we don't."

"You pokemon are fools," Reya stated coldly. "He knows little more than me of the Enemy. The only reason you want him to stay is because he was once your friend."

That isn't... true..." Dillan said, watching the pachirisu's expression becoming grimmer with each word.

"They're right," Ryan said. "We're not friends anymore, and we'll all have to accept it."

Dillan wasn't sure what to say, but seeing his friend this way was dreadful. And whether it was justified or not, thinking it was partially his fault was worse. "R-Ryan-"

"You want to know what I bring to the table?" Ryan said, trampling over Dillan's words. "You have no clue where to find the Amber Amulet, right? I do."

"You _have_ been holding out on us," Reya stated coldly.

"It is only a matter of time," Fitz said.

"If you're all so determined to distrust me," Ryan retorted. "Then keeping some information to myself is the only way to make sure you won't kill me!"

"None of it matters!" Hazel roared above everyone else. "This is _my_ exploration team, and _I_ say Ryan is coming with us whether you like it or not!"

"Who put you in charge, Prince?" Fitz questioned.

"Everyone just stop!" Dillan shouted.

Silence filled the hallway as the group looked towards Dillan. The gabite didn't care if his face was getting a little hot from the sudden attention he brought to himself. The fighting had to end.

"I have the Sapphire Star," Dillan said sternly. "I'm the human. I'm the Paladin of the Sapphire Star. I'm the one thing the Enemy wants more than anything! And standing here is begging the Enemy to come around the corner and capture us again! Agreed?"

No one spoke up. Fitz had stopped her struggling against Hazel's self-barricade, though he hakamo-o scowled accusingly at the gabite as though he'd said something malicious.

"Ryan is coming with us," Dillan stated. "If anyone doesn't like that answer, they can argue about it _after_ we're out of danger."

"With him walking with us-" Reya began.

"After danger," Dillan stated.

Reya stood up straight as best she could and shook her head. "Fine."

"One thing at a time," Hazel said, obviously not wanting to engage Reya. She looked towards Fitz and asked, "Do you know a better way out of the castle or not?"

"Yes," Fitz said, still scowling at Dillan. _What's her problem?_

"Lead on," Hazel said as she gestured down the hallway.

Fitz rolled her eyes and turned around, leading the charmeleon down the hallway. Reya stood there, eyeing Ryan. She obviously wanted to keep an eye on him, which didn't help Ryan's attitude.

"You know," Ryan said. "Thalia had that same look in her eye when she looked at me."

"Then she was right to distrust you," Reya said.

Ryan gave a sigh and followed Hazel. Dillan walked with the pachirisu as Reya tailed the group.

As they walked onward, Dillan was very worried. _How is this all going to work? The amount of hate towards Ryan is too massive. I know Hazel's just trying to get the group moving, but doing so is making Reya use her as a punching bag for frustration. With Fitz doing the same, I'm not sure we'll be able to work as a team long enough to get out alive..._

"Hey," Ryan said to Dillan just loud enough for him to hear. Dillan looked down towards the worried-looking pachirisu. "You guys have changed since I last saw you."

"How so?" Dillan asked out of curiosity.

"Well, you for one are braver than when I... left... And Hazel seems a lot more confident in general."

"I'm not sure that's true," Dillan admitted, trying not to get irritated with Ryan. "Hazel's still worried, and I'm not sure we've really had a chance to sit down and think about the Guild being... you know..."

"Still..." Ryan stated. "The Dillan I knew would have been shaking his tail or maybe his legs in fear. Instead, you're confident."

"I'm more terrified than ever!" Dillan said harshly to Ryan, letting some of his frustration out. The pachirisu looked towards Dillan with shock.

"I..." he said slowly. "I didn't... mean anything by it..."

Dillan took a deep breath and regained his composure. "You have no clue what we've been through," he stated calmly. "You say we've changed as though it's a good thing, but you're just reminding me of the fact that you weren't with us for over a month of fighting and struggling. And we did it all for you..."

"Dillan," Ryan said apologetically. "I didn't know... I didn't realize-"

"I came here because I was worried they were going to kill you," Dillan said, trying desperately not to let his emotions show, even though he felt like breaking down from how wrong he really was. "Adelina's been searching non-stop because she thinks it's her fault you were... Well I guess I can't even say you were taken."

Ryan didn't make any attempt at responding. As he grabbed the golden locked that hung around his neck, he seemed to realize exactly what kind of pain he'd caused, and Dillan didn't even try to deny it. Ryan hurt so many of his friends. They'd wasted so much time on trying to save him, when, in actuality, he left with Thalia of his own free will.

"You guys keep acting like life is just that simple!" Ryan shouted angrily. "Like you're all a simple letter or phone call away from being assured I'm safe! Well, Giratina would have killed everyone I cared about if he caught anything that looked remotely like I was going to turn on him! Hazel, Bolt, Adelina, Even Dean and Haily. They'd be killed just because they were witnesses. An entire Guild would be wiped out all because I decided to assure you guys I was all right!

"And maybe you haven't had time to consider it all. And maybe I helped do some questionable shit that I'll have to live with my entire life! But don't act like I just woke up one day and decided today was the day I'd try being the bad guy, because I had to think about what I was doing each and every day! I had to look into a pokemon's eyes before they died and realize that I didn't pull the trigger, but I sure as hell helped load the gun! And I did it because if I looked like a traitor for even a second, Thalia would make sure more pokemon would die as a result!

"So fine! Look at me like I'm a bad guy! Talk to me like I destroyed Team Rapture! Act like I've killed something about you! But I want you to realize that I did everything I did to save more lives in the long-run! Sure, some of those lives were some that were closest to me, but at least I didn't stand there and let everyone around me die! At least I made a choice that would save more lives than ended them!"

Dillan's jaw hung open. He had no clue what to say to the pachirisu. He'd never thought about it like that. He felt ashamed. _Ryan..._

"You don't have to say anything..." Ryan said, scowling at the floor. "I don't want forgiveness. Ultimately, I put myself on this path before you even came here... When it's all said and done, I'm the reason you..." Ryan stopped himself, not able to look at Dillan. "I'm sorry I did this to you." He got down on all fours and ran ahead, matching the group's pace between Hazel and Fitz.

Dillan was still confused. Maybe he didn't have time to think about it all. Maybe Ryan made some bad choices. But... Dillan had to wonder if he'd have done the same if he was in Ryan's position.

" _That's the ultimate question, isn't it?"_ Reya asked in the gabite's mind. _"Would you do the same?"_

 _What makes your position any different?_ Dillan mentally asked Reya. _You were with the Enemy, too. Did you kill anyone in the name of peace?_ Reya said nothing. Dillan glanced back to see a sad gaze. _I'll take that as a yes._

" _I did awful things,"_ Reya stated. _"And I realized that, so I left."_

 _You aren't answering my question. What makes you different than Ryan?_

" _I left and never looked back. He went back to the Enemy, knowing exactly what kind of evil he was returning to. Regardless of whether he thought he was doing the right thing, Ryan decided to accept whatever evil came with returning. The one thing you should be asking yourself is whether he was morally right in accepting whatever evil came with protecting you."_

 _He did it to protect more pokemon._

" _Do you truly believe that?"_ Reya questioned. _"Say we are all caught, and the only way to survive is for Ryan to sacrifice twenty civilians. What do you think he will choose?"_

The answer was simple. _The civilians._ There was no way Ryan would kill that many pokemon for him... right?

He pondered the question. Each time he answered it, the words came back. It seemed like a never-ending cycle. Each time he thought about it, more doubt came to him. With more doubt came more uncertainty about Ryan's allegiance.

Dillan looked back to see Reya's one-good eye give him a quizzical look. _He wouldn't sacrifice that many..._ But Reya said no more. She only seemed willing to prod Dillan into thinking about the question.

The gabite turned away from Reya. Each step seemed to lead him out of the evil that was all around him and into mental uncertainty. Ryan's words seemed to be at war with Reya's, and Dillan had no clue which one to believe. Each quiet second that passed between the group forced Dillan to think about that one question. It was such a short question, but after everything that had happened over the course of a literal day, he didn't know what to believe. _How much is Ryan willing to sacrifice... for his friends?_

* * *

Hazel stared at the fifteenth Royal Guard with shock. Fitz had yet again defeated the pokemon in seconds. With her seemingly boundless knowledge on the Royal Guards, their fighting tactics, and whatever other knowledge she refused to share with the rest of the group, who needed Reya's psychic?

Now there was the occasional group of two or three guards that did pose a challenge, but with her group's determination to get off Jarondai alive, it didn't matter how much more skilled these guards were compared to their mediocre self-training. On top of that, Fitz utilized stealth and the element of surprise to a level that any greninja would be proud of.

"We are almost there," Fitz stated, completely glossing over the fact that she'd subdued a tyranitar in seconds like it was just another day.

"Does anyone else get the feeling that there should be more guards in the castle?" Dillan asked, still lacking confidence regardless of their progress. It was obvious to Hazel that the gabite was not taking this day very well. It wasn't surprising, what with- _No! Don't think about it! Don't think about it!_

"No," Fitz said. "Giratina doesn't want too many pokemon knowing about him, and the fewer guards inside of the castle, the less of a chance they have to stumble into his chambers."

"Besides," Reya began. "The Castle Grounds is the more logical place to keep your guards. If there's an attack, it would happen from outside of the castle, not inside."

Hazel half-expected a snide comment from Ryan, something along the lines of, "Tell that to the escaped prisoners", but he didn't say a thing. He'd been extremely silent since his outburst. Maybe he felt some shame in what he did. To be honest, Hazel didn't care.

 _To think that all this time he knew about_ _T_ _he Enemy... All that time we'd been hunted, and he knew who was doing it. And to top it all off, he knew why._ She wanted to be furious with him. She wanted to tell him exactly what he did to the team when he left: what he did to her. But what really frustrated her was that she couldn't help but be thankful he was alive and as well.

Was he a traitor? She couldn't make a decision right now. Doing so would mean confronting everything else that she'd been told, and that would make her a weeping mess. It would make her useless to the team, and she wouldn't let that happen: not in the most dangerous situation she'd been in since Titus.

Just thinking of the charizard sent shivers into her tail as if she was still under the icy waters. Her paw involuntarily drifted towards the scars across her chest as she remembered his brutality. Maybe a past trauma wasn't the best thing to focus on, but at least it took her mind from Judah.

Just then, a chilly breeze blew by the charmeleon's body, twisting her tail-flame as it went by. Hazel looked ahead and found before her was a set of massive, wooden doors that were barred off by a block of wood resting on metal hangers: a kind of medieval lock.

Hazel was surprised to see something like that in the castle. She expected Jarondai to have updated their structures to something a little sturdier and more modern, like an iron gate. _This must be old..._ She then observed a thick layer of grey particles resting on the top of the wood. _And it hasn't been used in a long time... Maybe never..._

"What is this?" Hazel asked, intrigued by the door. Her mind raced with possibilities of what it may have been used for in the olden days: back when the Civil War was at large.

"This is the emergency escape for the King," Fitz said. "It was never used because the castle has never been attacked by anything the Guards could not handle. We will be its first occupants since it was constructed."

"Then there shouldn't be any guards?" Dillan asked.

Fitz sighed and mouthed the words, "Why him?".

"According to Fitz, yes," Reya stated.

"How do you know so much about the castle?" Hazel questioned. "Did you steal- borrow some blueprints of the castle?" She wished she'd thought more about what word she used before she said it, now wondering whether the hakamo-o would knock her block off.

Fitz grabbed her face, clearly irritated with what seemed like a constant reminder of her life-choices. "Why do you pokemon insist on calling me a thief?" Fitz asked slowly with little emotion in her voice. She was clearly attempting to restrain herself.

Dillan seemed to want to say something judging by his opened jaw, but refrained from doing so. Hazel assumed he was going to give an explanation, but thought better of it.

"So where does it take us?" Reya asked.

"Hopefully, the King's private boat," Fitz stated. "From there, we would take it out of whatever private port is on the other side of the mountain and we will have escaped."

"Sounds good to me..." Ryan grumbled.

"Let's move on," Hazel said, not wanting to give the bad guys a chance to catch up with them. "We can deal with anything else on the boat."

"There might not even be a boat," Fitz said.

"Why not?" Dillan asked. "It's an island, and escaping it would be pretty difficult without one."

Fitz groaned as she rubbed the bridge of her nose with two fingers. " _Human,_ " she said like an insult. "Judah's a dragonite: a winged pokemon. So, he can fly. On top of that, dragonites are rumored to fly across the entire world. Would it surprise you to find he could make a short trip to the mainland, too?"

"Oh..." Dillan said.

Hazel moved passed the pokemon and pushed up on the wooden block. She grimaced as she pushed her muscles to their limits, barely managing to lift the wood from the door. "Help would be appreciated!" Hazel said, strained.

"R-right!" Dillan said as he got next to her and lifted the wood, helping her get it into the air. From there, Dillan seemed to realize he didn't have any sort of grip on the wood with his claws. Then, Fitz came and helped, too. The three of them – Dillan only managing the weight distribution of the wood – managed to set the wood on the floor, allowing the door to move freely.

Fitz took no time to rest from the lifting and immediately pushed the door open. Hazel looked on with wonder at the passageway. It was like a mine-shaft in there: rocky walls surrounding every side being held up by wooden supports along the side of the wall. The adventurous-side of Hazel began to take control, making her forget her worries in seconds.

The history in this room alone was awe-consuming. On top of that, Hazel and her compatriots were going to be the first pokemon ever to venture inside. It was as if she'd discovered a new mystery dungeon. Sure, there were the original pokemon who constructed the place, but that didn't cripple her wonder.

"We have a limited amount of time," Fitz said as she waved for the pokemon to enter the passageway.

 _Focus, Prince..._ Hazel told herself as she mentally kicked herself. _You're still in danger._

Dillan was the first one in. When he entered the passageway, he turned to the pokemon with a confident look in his eyes which accompanied his otherwise-neutral face. "I'll take the lead from here," he said.

"And what makes you suited for the job?" Fitz retorted.

"He's a ground-type," Ryan said, finally speaking, though he did so with an emotionless tone. "Dillan can feel the environment around him, meaning he'll be able to sense anything that comes our way from in front or behind."

Fitz looked at Ryan with annoyance. She then threw up her paws in defeat and moved back with Reya. "Fine. We should just go before they catch up."

"They shouldn't know we're here," Hazel stated simply. "Since they don't know that we knew about this place, the Enemy won't come here."

"They will," Fitz said. Before Hazel could ask how, Fitz cut her off with a raised paw in front of her face. "Do you want to waste time asking me futile questions, or would you like to see tomorrow come?"

Hazel scowled at Fitz, saying nothing in response to her rude question. "If you're ready, Dillan," she said.

Dillan nodded his head and walked into the cave, followed by Hazel. Ryan walked behind her followed by Reya and Fitz who began whispering to each other, though the hakamo-o did so in a furious manner, what with her tensed muscles and unpleasant tone.

"Hey," Dillan's voice said calmly with a sort of sweetness in his tone. He faced her with a look of understanding. "We're going to be alright."

"I know..." Hazel said. "It's just..." Stopping herself, she glanced back to see Ryan was in ear-shot. "I'm alright."

"Hazel, talk to me," Dillan said. "I know you're probably trying to ignore what's happening right now, but-"

"Dillan," Hazel interrupted, lightly squeezing his shoulder. "It isn't that I don't want to talk about it. It's just that right now isn't the best time to do so…" That didn't seem to ease Dillan's worries at all. "I'll be fine."

Dillan dropped his head a bit and scanned the floor as if thinking. "Alright," Dillan stated. It was clear as day this wasn't the answer he was looking for. "It's just that… I don't want you to feel like you're alone here… I'm your teammate, and I know how much the Guild means…" The gabite's voice trailed off at the end and he stood in place.

"Dillan," Hazel said to him, but he didn't turn to face her. She rubbed her arm nervously. _Talking it out… I'm not sure if that would help me sort through it all… or even help me deal with it… But it helped me with the Alkan Islands… Would it help with-_

"Someone's coming!" Dillan announced.

Hazel snapped out of her trance-like thoughts and was brought to reality. "What?" she asked.

"I knew this was a trap!" Reya grumbled.

"It wasn't me!" Ryan snapped at the pokemon, getting on all-fours. His cheeks began sparking as he readied himself for a fight.

"Where are they, Dillan?" Hazel asked.

Dillan stood there, his face draining of confidence the longer he stood. It was being replaced with a look of worry.

"I… I don't know!" Dillan shouted.

"For the love of all that is good in this world!" Fitz shouted. "Would you act like a hero for once in your life and not a sniveling coward!"

"Insulting him doesn't help, _princess_!" Ryan retorted. The moment those words left his mouth Fitz lunged at the pachirisu, but Reya grabbed her by the arm.

"Say it again, traitor!" Fitz erupted. "Just do it!"

"Not helping!" Hazel shouted back at the bickering hakamo-o.

"There's so many of them!" Dillan said in wide-eyed fear. "And they're all around us!"

"Get in a circle!" Reya ordered. No one wasted even a second to follow Reya's command. They had a tight diameter, ready to engage from all sides.

"Are they _actually_ all around us?" Ryan asked above the crackling of his cheek-lightning. "I mean, we're in the middle of an underground passageway! They'd have to be digging!"

"Y-yeah!" Dillan said. "They're in the walls!"

Hazel's heart thumped loudly in her ears as realization came to her. "We need to move backw-" She was cut off by the loud crumbling of the walls as holes emerged on all sides.

Pokemon appeared from the holes. Each one was of a different species, but all the same type: ground. Hazel counted a few hippowdons, some rhyhorns, krokoroks, donphans, and some excadrills. Exact numbers were hard to gage in the dark, but Hazel estimated at least twelve of them in total: enough to overwhelm them if they didn't do something.

The strangest thing that stood out to the charmeleon was the fact that none of them wore any armor. In fact, they didn't seem to have any indicator tying them to the Ganderosan Crown. _But if they're with King Judah-_

Hazel's thoughts were cut off when an excadrill lunged at her claw-first. She quickly moved out of the way, avoiding the pokemon. She then planted her feet to breath fire, but stopped herself when she noticed the remaining flames would hit Reya square in the back.

Fitz noticed the excadrill in the center of the circle and reacted swiftly. She immediately swung around and grabbed the pokemon by the arm before launching him out of pure strength outside of their safe-zone.

"Prince!" Fitz scolded. "Do _not_ let them inside! Our backs are our weak-points!"

"R-right!" Hazel stuttered, not very happy about where that left her. _So, no dodging! Great!_

"These aren't guards!" Dillan said as he planted his own feet. He drew his head back and sent a stream of flames at an incoming assault of hippowdons, but they didn't seem fazed by the strike.

"They're ferals!" Ryan said to Dillan as he swished his tail through the air. _Ferals? Outside of a mystery dungeon?_ Stars pelted the incoming hippowdons in the nose, but they were still just as determined to get to the group. "And fire attacks don't work against ground-types!"

Dillan's fins glowed a bright blue, illuminating the surrounding area. The hippowdons were almost on top of him, but they didn't slow down or make any attempt at dodging Ryan's continuous "Swift" attacks. They were going to trample the group.

"Move!" Reya shouted as she whipped around. She quickly raised her hand towards the oncoming group, bathing them in a pink glow. Then, one of the hippowdons tripped into the other, forcing them both into a tumble towards Dillan.

The gabite didn't waste the opportunity. He lunged at the oncoming ball of black and yellow before slashing them with his blades. The pokemon shouted from pain, but made their way to their feet fast.

But Hazel had other concerns. She couldn't fight very effectively in this circumstance, and her opponent seemed to know it: maybe by instinct. Her krokorok enemy began hacking at Hazel with massive blades of black energy which jutted from his arms. Hazel tried to avoid the attacks as best she could without letting the pokemon in the circle, but it didn't work out so well. She was too enclosed to do anything other than dodge and scratch the pokemon whenever she could.

The krokorok slashed once more, forcing the charmeleon to side-step. Then, she felt a stone below her shift. Immediately, a rhyhorn came out of the ground from below her, sending rocks and boulders into her face as its horn punctured the scales on her chest.

Hazel gave a shout of pain as she rose with the pokemon, but she wasn't done. She focused on that flame in her stomach, fueling it with whatever survival instinct she could muster. Then, the heat changed into a sort of pulsing energy in her chest. She opened her mouth, allowing a massive burst of purple energy to escape through her throat, slamming its energy into the opponent. The rhyhorn was forced downwards and slammed into the floor.

As Hazel fell onto her feet, she looked up just in time to see the krokorok was back with a vengeance. But just before he could do anything, a glowing fist came out of nowhere, planting itself below the pokemon's jaw in a "Sky Uppercut" attack.

The krokorok gave a groan of pain before passing out. Fitz stood there for a second before looking at Hazel. "Trouble?" she asked.

"We need to get everyone to fall back from the cave!" Hazel announced.

"Sounds good to me!" Ryan shouted as he and Dillan continued to deal with the hippowdons, both the pachirisu and gabite having trouble avoiding and attacking their opponents without being struck themselves.

"These are ferals?" Hazel questioned.

"Yes," Reya said. An excadrill was about to attack her, but she simply used psychic to throw it into a nearby wall.

"Then I know what this is," Hazel stated. "But we need to fall back if we want to deal with them efficiently!"

"We're surrounded!" Dillan said. "Not sure how that's going to work-" Dillan stopped as he shouted in pain. The hippowdon had traded its close-up assault for a distanced one, throwing a volley of stones towards Dillan's chest. The gabite attempted to use his fins as a shield from the attack, but they were ineffective.

"Then you all need to run when I am finished!" Fitz said. She ran towards the back where Reya was currently dealing with multiple pokemon at once, but they were slowly gaining ground on her. She wore a look of worry, unsure of how much longer she could keep them from the group.

Fitz got right next to Reya. To Hazel's astonishment, the pokemon's larger scales began glowing, and so did her chest. She puffed out her breast before spitting out a massive ball of energy towards the opponents. The pokemon all panicked as the sphere exploded into miniature balls of fire, all making their way towards them. They burrowed into the wall to avoid the blast.

"Now!" Fitz shouted, taking off towards the now-empty passageway.

Everyone followed her lead, making their way down the passageway. Ryan continued sending volleys of stars as he ran, but it only managed to stall the ever-gaining pokemon.

"What now?" Dillan asked Hazel.

"When I give the order," Hazel began. "Use your most powerful long-ranged attack down the hallway!"

"That was your plan?!" Fitz asked, sounding as though she'd just been ripped off by a sales-person.

"And you have a better one?" Dillan asked, though he sounded as though he genuinely wanted a better option instead of trying to be snarky.

Fitz looked at Hazel for a few seconds before rolling her eyes. "This better work," she grumbled.

"It will," Reya assured, nodding at Hazel.

"Make it quick!" Ryan yelled, a krokorok just barely out of scratching-range.

"On three!" Hazel said. "One! Two! Three!"

They all stopped in place, turning around to face the hoard of pokemon. Each member of the group made their own movements. Hazel and Dillan focused on the flame in their chest before releasing a massive burst of flames, Ryan swished his tail multiple times, knowing that electric attacks wouldn't work; Reya threw her hands towards the sky before sending a massive ball of bright, white blast of energy towards their soon-to-be murderers, and Fitz sent one more ball of red-hot energy down the hall before it exploded into a blast of miniature fire-balls. All in all, it was an all-consuming volley of attacks, each one ready to obliterate their opponents.

The feral swarm panicked. Some turned around in a futile attempt at outrunning the blast. Others lunged at the walls or the ground to burrow away. There were even those who either didn't care that the blast could mortally injure them, or they didn't have enough time to stop: probably a mixture of both. Either way, the amalgamation of attacks struck multiple pokemon, missed several targets, but cleared the entire hallway of any threat.

Hazel looked on with wide-eyed amazement at what they just accomplished, but soon fell onto her back-side from exhaustion.

"That took… a lot…" Dillan said.

"You try using Draco Meteor twice in a row…" Fitz said wearily.

"Where are… they?" Ryan asked.

"Gone…" Dillan panted.

"Probably ran from fear or instinct," Reya sated, not worn out even a little.

"Then… it's over…" Hazel said with relief.

Everyone except Reya was sitting on the ground, recovering from the loss of energy.

"That was awesome," Ryan said.

"How did you know that would work?" Fitz asked Hazel.

"Monster House survival is the first thing they teach you in advanced exploring one-o-one," Hazel explained. "Get on one side and let them all have it at the same time."

"Monster houses?" Dillan questioned.

"A feral mob," Hazel explained.

"So, like a mosh pit for feral pokemon," Ryan said. "Good to know."

"Fitz," Hazel said, looking towards the hakamo-o for answers. "Why is there a monster house under the castle?"

"If I were to guess why they are here," Fitz began. "I would say Judah uses it as a defense system."

"You don't say?" Ryan asked sarcastically, sprawled out on the floor spread-eagle style.

"But wouldn't they attack the King?" Dillan asked. "I mean, it doesn't work well as an escape route if you get killed escaping."

"Feral pokemon can smell anyone who isn't one of them," Reya explained, staring down the dark road ahead. "They won't attack anyone associated with the Enemy because he and his followers radiate the same aura. The only exception is if they feel threatened, though they would never do anything of the such. Besides: Judah's body has been exposed to Giratina for so long that he radiates his aura more than anyone else, and most ferals fear Giratina through instinct." Reya walked towards the group and reached for Fitz' hand. "That's enough talk on this subject. Right now, we need to leave."

"Agreed," Fitz said. She stood up on her own, ignoring the gardevoir's scarred arm. Reya didn't look annoyed by Fitz' denial. Instead, she walked to Dillan and helped him on his feet. "We have retraced our steps long enough to be close to where we began. We should move quickly before Giratina's followers find us."

"Alright," Hazel stated as she got to her feet. "Then let's go before that happens."

* * *

(An hour ago: Jarondai Castle: Jarondai Territory)

A blur of blue light flew by the two pokemon. Thalia whipped around just quick enough to see the light turn the corner, becoming lost to the castle. Thalia walked towards the end of the room with a grip of iron. She clenched her fist so hard her knuckles popped multiple times.

"She won't get away," the nidoqueen assured Judah.

"Don't bother," Judah stated calmly.

Thalia whipped around and looked at the King with shock. "B-but…" she stuttered. "Your body will die if we don't have-"

"I know that, as well." Judah walked towards Thalia. Their eyes met as the dragonite set his paws on her shoulder.

"Then allow me to recapture them!" Thalia stated, stepping closer to the exit.

"No," Judah said simply.

"Why?!" Thalia questioned.

Judah began scowling at the nidoqueen. "You should trust me."

Thalia stamped her foot on the ground. She couldn't believe he would even imply she didn't believe in him. "I have always had our dream in mind!" Thalia assured. "And I have proved myself since your first inhabitant! I helped you to claim the crown throughout the Great War! I even put up with the traitor, knowing the entire time he would betray us! And when I explained to you my fears, all that you said was to rely on blind faith! And I have! But now I cannot understand any of your choices! Have I not earned the right to understand by now?!"

Judah stood there for a few seconds, still scowling at the nidoqueen. He turned from her and walked towards the center of the throne-room. He turned towards her and said calmly, "Do you know what a fork in the road is?"

"Of course," Thalia said with a hint of her original frustration. She had no clue what the dragonite was getting at with such a simple question, but she hoped it would lead to answers.

"Let's say you are wandering on the road, and you come across a fork that leads to two paths," Judah said. "The first path is filled with trees and flowers of a wide variety. But then we have the second path. This one is filled with brambles and fire. Both paths look completely different, but you suspect that these paths will lead to your destination. As you can obviously see, this fork presents you with a choice, does it not?"

"It does," Thalia said. "There is an easy road and a difficult one."

"Then which path do you choose?" Judah questioned.

"It depends on where the paths lead," Thalia answered. "Why would I choose the easy path if it leads me to the wrong destination?" Judah said nothing in response. He merely chuckled, leaving the nidoqueen even more confused than before.

"Obviously the first path looks safe, and the other dangerous. But you haven't considered the biggest issue with the paths."

Thalia was frustrated with this conversation. Was this some kind of game to him? What did it have to do with what was happening? And why wouldn't he simply tell her the plan? "But-"

"Knowing her, she'll lead them to my boat," Judah said. "Reya, Dillan, and the rest of their group will escape."

"But I can stop them!" Thalia shouted. "Why won't you let me?!"

"Because they have made the same assumption that you did with the fork," Judah said. He walked towards Thalia and spun her around to face him. "You need to understand that I trust you to accomplish our goal to shape a peaceful world. One where there is no abandonment of children."

"Then why?" Thalia asked, staring into Judah's eyes. "Why won't you simply explain your plan?"

Judah smiled deeply at Thalia. "Because that would be putting all of my apples in one basket when I can just as easily spread them out." The dragonite let go of Thalia and moved around her, leaving her in her own disbelief. But he stopped at the corner. "You will let them go."

Thalia took a deep breath. There was nothing she could do to force the pokemon to give her information he didn't want her having, and the dream was too important to simply give it up because of greed: because she wanted to know more. "Yes, Master Giratina."

Judah laughed aloud, then turned to Thalia. "You still assume the fork means you have a choice in the matter."

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys! I'm going to make this short just because the chapter has come out a week after the last (New Record for me!).

Shout-Out to "MegaCharizardX56" for favoriting/following the story!

Another shout-out to my Beta-reader, "Deuxious Vultious"!

The "Favorite Character" poll is still up, but has been updated to allow three choices, and has more options to choose from (including the villains!)! Unlike Thalia, you have a choice! So go check that out on my profile page!

That's all! Told you it'd be short. ;D Thanks for reading, guys! And I'll see you in the next chapter!


	44. The Next Step

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 44

The Next Step

* * *

Dillan lied in the darkness, recalling the events of yesterday. He was just as shocked then as he was now that no one even came close to attacking them. Finding Judah's ship was easy. No one would have spotted them down in that cave. But when they began sailing away from Jarondai and nothing happened, something seemed wrong. It felt like needles in his throat, never allowing him to rest. Even now he knew that they were out of imminent danger, but his gut said it was too easy to be true.

 _Maybe I should just relax… I mean, Fitz thinks it's because our escape route was made to keep Judah safe in case of an attack. Escaping without anyone knowing was what it was built for… She's probably right… but why can't I shake this feeling that it was somehow… wrong?_

These thoughts all led the gabite to a single conclusion, and it was one he didn't want to confront. So, he set his mind back to the "why"s and "how"s of their escape, postponing the inevitable question he was ignoring: was Ryan was telling them everything? Or was it that, even as they sailed, he was in league with Giratina?

"Hey…" Hazel's voice called out.

Dillan opened his eyes and looked around the wooden cabin. He was currently lying in a wool-stuffed bed which rested along the back wall. Next to his bed was a desk with drawers stuffed to the limit with quills and bottled ink. At the opposite side of the room was an open doorway with a worried-looking charmeleon standing there.

"Do you have a minute?" the charmeleon asked, sounding very concerned.

"Y-yeah…" Dillan said, sitting up straight on the bed's edge. He shimmied left to make room for the charmeleon who sat next to him. One of her paws was busy gripping her own tail out of a sort of nervousness. Her other paw was rested on her left knee. "What's wrong?"

"I…" Hazel began quietly, trying to find the words. "I… feel…" The charmeleon gave a small sigh before continuing. "I mean, I didn't want to think about it before now… because we had to get away… But the past month of our lives were for nothing. Ryan wasn't captured… We were looking in all the wrong places for him. I mean, we were even going to start looking on the other side of Ganderosa for the smallest clue. And after everything, he was with the Guild the whole time…" The charmeleon's tendons bulged from her arm as she began squeezing her tail. "And then there's the Guild itself… I spent my entire life trying to become a part of it… I gave up so much to be the best explorer in Ganderosa: the best explorer I could ever be." She chuckled a sad sort of chortle that made Dillan's heart ache for her. "My friends abandoned me for the Guild… but I didn't ever think twice. I didn't quit because I thought it was something worth fighting for."

"I know…" Dillan said with as much sympathy as he could muster. To be honest, he didn't know what else to say. Hazel was obviously looking to him for advice, maybe as a shoulder to cry on, but he had almost no experience with something like this. All he could do was think of something to say, hoping that it would resonate with him personally to give the charmeleon words that came from his heart.

"My father sacrificed whatever relationship we had just so I could be the best… And not even that was true. He did it so I could fight Judah: to fight the Guild. My dad was…" She choked on those words for merely a second. "He was right all along… Judah was the bad guy…" Hazel paused for a few seconds while she stared at the floor with a furrowed brow. "Why are we even running?" _Wait…_ Dillan looked towards Hazel with confusion in every muscle in his face. _Is she talking about… quitting?_ "This is his country, and he has all of its resources to hunt us. He'll find us whether we like it or not… It's only a matter of time, and Reya knows it. She keeps saying-"

"Hey," Dillan interrupted as he gently set his claw on the charmeleon's hand. She looked up at him with surprise. "Don't listen to Reya. The Enemy did some messed up things to her. They pushed her to her breaking point, and that's the only reason she's saying things like quitting."

"But what if she's right?" Hazel questioned. "What if there's no hope for us? What if fighting is only going to get us killed in the end?"

"Then at the very least we tried," Dillan said, pushing on her hand. "At least…" He looked towards the open doorway, trying to think of something to say. "At least we didn't lay down and let the world get sacrificed so some freaky-devil-thing can have whatever he calls peace."

The charmeleon watched him with a gloomy look to her eyes. Then, she made a sad sort of smile. "I still don't understand how you can be so hopeful, even after what's happened to us."

Dillan smiled back, though he knew what she took for hope was just him trying to help a friend. The feelings in his heart were still the same as they were yesterday: he was still looking for answers through his own confusion.

Dillan tried to think of some comforting words to share with his friend, but nothing else came to him. The two pokemon sat in their own silence while the smell of the sea lingered in the air. Of course, there was the occasional sound of a wave slapping the ship's side, but Dillan found it to be calming.

"You know," Dillan began, switching gears with a small smile on his face. "I've never told anyone this, but… I love the ocean."

Hazel smiled brightly at the gabite. "Really?" she asked.

"There's something reassuring about it," Dillan said, trying to explain his own thoughts. "I don't know… I had a dream once about being on a beach. Someone in the dream told me that I wanted to escape from all my problems by taking a boat on the ocean. Maybe it makes me feel free."

"Funny to think about," Hazel said.

Dillan looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "What is?" he asked.

Hazel saw his look and smiled, this time being one of a brighter nature. "I didn't mean anything by that." She looked away from Dillan nervously. "Just thinking of you wanting to run away… It doesn't seem like you at all. I mean, I've always known the Dillan that meets his problems head-on, regardless of his fears."

Dillan didn't say anything, unsure of what she was getting at. _Is that me? I mean, I always thought I was a coward… But maybe she's right…_ In that moment, he became very aware of the fact that his claw was still on the charmeleon's hand. _Oh…_ The blue in his cheeks became a sort of purple. He was probably getting too close to the charmeleon. I mean, they were teammates. He removed his claw and stood up. He didn't want things getting awkward.

"I think I'll go check up on the others," Dillan said calmly, still wearing his smile.

"Dillan." The gabite looked around towards the charmeleon. Her cheeks were a bright red, and she wore a nervous smile. "Thanks… for cheering me up."

Dillan nodded. "That's what friends are for, right?"

"Yeah!" the charmeleon said with a bright smile. "I think I'm going to get some sleep."

"One last thing," Dillan said. "Has Fitz told you when we're supposed to hit shore?"

"Nope," Hazel stated, laying her back on the bed. "She hasn't said a thing to anyone, unless you count random orders she's shouted at me to keep the ship moving."

Dillan gave a disapproving huff. "Right…" he said slowly, trading his smile for a scowl. "I still don't know why she's such a jerk…"

"Your personalities don't mix," Hazel shrugged. "And it's not like she's the first pokemon to hate you for it."

Dillan remembered Dean the Machoke's attitude towards him. _Just as great as Fitz'… Maybe they're long-lost siblings?_

"You should hurry," Hazel said. "The sun's almost down, and I don't think Fitz is going to sail in the dark."

"Right…" Dillan said. He walked towards the doorway and waved to Hazel. As she waved back, Dillan walked out onto the ship's main deck.

* * *

(Labensian Territory: Labensian Ocean)

Dillan walked along the wooden, main deck, observing the ship in all its splendor. On the first deck, there were three masts that jutted up down the center of the ship all in a row to hold up the three main sails. There was a gangplank at the side for boarding the ship. There were also rails with a vine pattern etched into the dark-brown wood.

To either side of the gabite was a set of stairs leading up to the ship's top deck where the steering wheel sat. Behind the wheel was a wall with a three-dimensional design of a dragonite's face engraved in the wood. Fitz was on that deck, observing the ocean as vigilantly as she could. Despite her strong opinion that this was an escape route and no one would follow them, she seemed to act as though an attack could come at any time, insisting that she was the only one who could be trusted with the helm.

To the front of the ship was nothing special. Just the wooden spear-like nose that Dillan still couldn't figure out the use of. Was there some massive monster that needed to be skewered on the end, making a massive shish-kabob? Very unlikely, which is why Dillan questioned its need. Maybe it was solely to support the wooden milotic that hung off the front of the ship. He wasn't sure. Whatever the wooden pole was for, Ryan seemed to use it as a seat. He was probably isolating himself from the rest of the crew and their accusations.

Dillan knew no one trusted him. Even the gabite found it hard to do so. There were still unanswered questions about him, leading to uncertainty. Why would he join the Enemy to begin with? Every reason he gave seemed to be something that Ryan considered his second-time around the bad block. So, what about his first? He was hiding something, and it made Reya especially suspicious.

The gabite shook that thought from his mind and walked up the stairs to his left. Upon reaching the upper deck, he found Reya was laying on her back, resting her head against the wooden wall to the back of the ship. Her closed eyes and lack of a reaction to the gabite's presence made him assume she was sleeping. In front of the gardevoir stood an annoyed-looking hakamo-o who steered the ship. The gabite looked towards Reya with worry. She looked even worse than before. The gabite couldn't believe how much energy she had while they escaped. He would have assumed Reya's state had made her unable to give such a performance, but she pushed through just as hard as the rest of them. Seeing as she had been here sleeping for a good majority of the time, trying not to move too much, she pushed herself too hard to escape.

"So," Fitz began, not looking away from the gold-tinted horizon. "Did you need something?" To Dillan's surprise, the pokemon didn't seem as snippy with him as she was earlier that day. Escaping from death seemed to be a good attitude adjustment.

"I… just wanted to know where we were going from here," Dillan said slowly. "You haven't really told anyone."

"I told Reya," Fitz said, eyeing the gabite with a scowl.

"That… really doesn't help the rest of us."

Fitz stood there for a few seconds before stating flatly, "You don't want to know."

"Well… I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."

Fitz sighed in frustration. "Do you honestly think you have what it takes to save this country?" she questioned.

Dillan was confused. "How does that have to do-"

"You, human, are a sniveling coward, a pushover, and in no way are you a hero. I honestly have no idea why The Enemy even considered you humans a threat in the first place."

"Because they are the only ones who can use the Sapphire Star," Reya said from her wall, not opening her eye or facing the talking pokemon.

"I thought you were taking a nap," Fitz grumbled.

"What do you have against humans?" Dillan asked Fitz without anger. Even though he was getting frustrated with this mouthy pokemon, he didn't think being short with her would get him the answers he wanted.

"Her reason is unimportant," Reya stated simply. "Although, I do think you both should try and get along."

"Us both?" Dillan asked. _Why is she acting like it's my fault Fitz is a jerk?_

"You both have a long journey together if you hope to save this world," Reya said.

" _I_ have no intention to get involved," Fitz said defiantly, eyeing Reya irritably. "I was only making sure the Enemy did not win this one time. Once the Sapphire Star is safe and I know where Valery is, I plan on taking her and leaving Ganderosa."

"No," Reya said forcefully. Dillan looked towards the gardevoir who sat forwards from the wall, eyeing Fitz. "We both know that my master wants to keep Valery close to him, which means she'll remain in Ganderosa."

"W-whatever," Fitz said coldly, yet flustered by what Reya said. "I am still leaving this dreadful fight."

"You're seriously going to abandon the country?!" Dillan asked in shock. _Is she really this self-centered?_

Fitz looked back towards the ocean, scowling at the sky-line. "This is your fight," she said unfeelingly. "My only concern is with survival."

Dillan shook his head. He couldn't believe she was talking about abandoning them. After escaping Jarondai, she was more of a hag than he originally thought.

"In three days' time, we will hit land and travel to Snow-Point Mountain," Reya said. "That's where you'll meet them."

"Them?" Dillan questioned.

"If they did not tell you who they were before-hand," Fitz said. "Then _I_ am most certainly not saying a thing."

"Are they that secretive?"

"I can tell you this:" Reya began. "Even while you and the Sapphire Star are out of The Enemy's hands, him and his followers still remain a threat. I want you to meet the ones who are trying to stop this insanity from occurring. One of the pokemon I am referring to is my current master."

"Why are you taking me now?" Dillan questioned. "After all this time, what's truly changed?"

"Understand this," Reya began. "My master is a pokemon who hates for things to go differently than originally planned. This meeting will contradict his vision of the future, but I feel that he has lost his understanding of how close The Enemy is to destroying this world.

"As such, I feel it is necessary to meet with him directly to discuss what we do next."

"What do you mean by that?" Dillan asked.

"We were too close to defeat. I think it's time we all discuss the next step to winning this war and ending The Enemy's threat to Ganderosa once and for all."

"Why go through all of this trouble?" Fitz questioned. "To further indulge in the asinine idea that this gabite is a hero?"

"Like it or not, he was chosen to save our race."

Fitz smiled as she shook her head defiantly. "Like it or not, he is still a coward. Placing your trust in him is a mistake."

Reya gave a small laugh before she closed her eye and rested her head along the wood. "It is true that he is different from any normal hero. But that might be exactly what we all need right now."

"Sweet Maxamillian Armadine, woman!" Fitz complained aloud. "Not one more word about him being such a great pokemon!" She looked at Dillan with a snarl before shouting, "And you! Just… get off my deck!"

A part of Dillan wanted to tell Fitz off, though a bigger part of him knew that she would probably blast him off the side of the ship should he stay. Besides, he found out exactly what he came for. This was the perfect excuse to get away from the psycho-dragon lady.

Dillan walked down the stairs to the main deck where he stopped, looking towards the front of the ship. As he stared towards the wooden pole extending towards the open sea, he watched the pachirisu. Various emotions began to swirl within him. Betrayal, frustration, anger, and strangely enough, relief. There was a part of him that was thankful Ryan was safe yet frustrated himself for feeling that way.

He didn't know why his legs pulled his reluctant mind towards Ryan. There was a small part of him that wanted nothing to do with the pachirisu, yet there was also a part of him that yearned for the old times they spent with each other. Maybe, somewhere beyond the negative feelings, he still believed that they could go back to what it used to be.

"Hey…" Dillan said reluctantly from the edge of the ship, watching Ryan as he continued to sit on the small beam keeping him from plummeting into the torrent below.

"I didn't think you guys were talking to me," Ryan flatly stated, not turning to face Dillan.

"I could say the same," Dillan said, rubbing the base of his arm uncomfortably with his claw.

"Why are you here?" Ryan asked.

"I… don't really know…" the gabite said as he looked towards the wood below his feet. "Maybe… I want to know what you're not telling me. I mean, we all know you're still hiding something from us… and maybe that's why-"

"No." Ryan finally turned to Dillan, wearing cold scowl. "That's not why you guys hate me."

"I don't hate-"

"Yes, you do," the pachirisu insisted. "I've seen the way you and Hazel look at me, and it isn't the first time I've gotten that look." He turned back towards the sea before sighing. "I get it. I left you guys, and it really hurts. But I've already told you why I left."

"Because we were in danger doesn't cut it," Hazel said from behind. Dillan turned around quickly, jumping from the sudden entrance of the charmeleon. She didn't meet Dillan's eyes and was instead scowling coldly at Ryan.

"You still don't understand how powerful Thalia is," Ryan said coldly.

"That's not your reason, and you know it!" Hazel insisted.

"How does that work?" Ryan questioned in disbelief.

"Did you know about Thalia before we went after Team Armageddon?"

"Yeah!" Ryan shouted. "So?"

"If you really wanted to protect us," Hazel shouted. "Then you would have told us about her when she attacked the first time! That would have kept us out of danger! But you didn't say a thing, and I can't think of a reason why!"

Ryan merely breathed on his perch, not saying a thing.

"Ryan?" Dillan insisted.

"No one wants the truth," Ryan said flatly. "It's cold and bitter, and it isn't what you really want."

"Why do you get to decide that?" Hazel asked blatantly. She tilted her head forwards and began reaching for the knot at the back of her scarf. "You don't care about us, so what gave you the idea that you know what we want?

"Dillan and I both sacrificed our time for you: that's time we could have spent helping pokemon in need. We thought finding you before you were killed was more important. That's caring about someone!" She put her scarf into the sky and watched it wave for a few seconds. Dillan's heart dropped, realizing what she was going to do.

"Hazel-" Dillan began, but he was too late. She let the scarf float above her fingers and into the sky. Her eyes began swelling up with tears as she looked towards the ground.

"Guild Master Lawrence once told us that we brought each other happiness, and that's why we should call ourselves Team Rapture! But all you've brought to Dillan and me is betrayal and hate! So, Team Rapture ends on this sea."

"Neither of you believe that," Ryan said. "Both of you think our team ended back at the Alkan Guild."

"You don't get to say what _we_ think!" Hazel snapped, tears streaming down her cheeks as she shouted. "You don't get to say anything but the truth, and you won't give it to us! So just shut up!"

The charmeleon quickly turned on her heels and stormed off towards the back of the ship, leaving Dillan feeling even worse than ever.

"If you have something to say to me, say it," Ryan said. "If not, I want to be left alone."

"How can you treat her that way?" Dillan asked in disbelief. "She was your friend!"

"She wanted to know something that won't help anyone," Ryan said, scowling at Dillan through the corner of his eye.

"If you would just tell us-"

"That's not true!" Ryan insisted through gritted teeth. "Nothing I can do will make you guys feel any less mad or frustrated or betrayed! And if you find out, you'll hate me!"

"I won't hate you!" Dillan snapped.

"How can you be so sure?" Ryan questioned.

"Ryan!" Dillan snapped. "I won't hate you!"

"No!" Ryan roared. "Just stop acting like we can be friends if I tell you my secret! And don't tell me that you won't hate me!"

The pachirisu looked at Dillan for a few seconds before swinging over the side of the pole. Dillan's heart stopped, and he ran towards the edge of the ship, looking over the side. He merely caught a glimpse of a white, fuzzy tail – not falling, but slithering down the front of the ship towards the back of the milotic.

"Ryan?!" Dillan shouted over the side.

"I'm done!" Ryan shouted up from his perch, sounding on the verge of tears. "Just go away!"

"Please, just tell me-" Dillan pushed.

"Go away, Dillan!" Ryan shouted.

 _But…_ Dillan hung his head. Ryan was obviously trying to get as far away from him as he could. He wasn't going to say anything else. So, Dillan began walking towards the back of the ship in defeat, knowing that he couldn't get any more information from the pachirisu.

 _What could he be trying to hide from me? And why does he think I'll hate him over it? Sure, I'm frustrated with him, but helping me understand is the only way it would get better… So why won't he talk to me?_

Dillan started thinking about what could possibly be so bad that he wouldn't share it. Multiple possibilities rushed through his mind like water through a pipe. Yet every thought that passed by, the more frustrated he was that the gabite wouldn't talk with him. Eventually, he just shook his head in defeat. _This is only making me mad... It isn't helping me in any way. Just calm down…_ Yet he couldn't get his mind to relax. All the possibilities were killing him. All he could do was walk to the edge of the ship, listen to the waves, and ponder what exactly Ryan was hiding from him.

* * *

Three days had gone by before they landed on the Alkan Territory's soil: three days of uncomfortable feelings from every pokemon on the ship. When they hit Ganderosan soil, the group wasted no time readying themselves before departing for the mountain ahead: Snow Point Mountain. If Reya was right, that's where Dillan would meet whatever "good guys" this country had, though he wasn't enthusiastic. Why should he be? As far as he could tell, these pokemon had very little interest in effectively protecting the Sapphire Star, therefore didn't care about Ganderosa. Yet here they were putting their faith in strangers: possibly ones strong enough to have brought him into this world.

There wasn't much conversing from there on out. Despite best efforts to remain positive, all he could feel was confusion and depression. Hazel seemed depressed by the events leading to today, as well. She dragged her feet sadly across the dirt as they walked. Dillan wished he could at the very least act convincingly to brighten her spirits, but he was afraid it would come off as fake.

Other than Hazel, Ryan was still moping around, Fitz wasn't very sociable, and Reya seemed intent on watching Ryan until they arrived at their destination. All in all, it made for a very quiet and uncomfortable day's journey.

By the time the group had reached the mountain-side, the sun was setting. On the side of the mountain was a cave that led into a passageway with a wide-variety of crystals littering every wall. Coming into this place once more brought back memories of the horrors he endured on day one of his Ganderosan life.

 _Is this where Reya's boss lives?_ It was ironic to Dillan that this was where his journey in the pokemon world began. Maybe he was supposed to find this place of his own volition when he first woke up yet didn't because of Arlon's intervention.

"The door…" Hazel said slowly, a look of recognition dawning. "Fitz, when we were last here, Valery wanted to show us a door.

"Yeah," Fitz said. "That door is our reason for being here."

"Then the door leads to your leader?" Dillan asked, the conversation prodding at his own curiosity.

"It's more of a dimensional gateway rather than a door," Reya corrected. "As to where it leads, let me assure you both that it isn't a place as much as it is a different level of existence."

"A… what?" Dillan asked. He turned towards Hazel who seemed just as confused as he was.

"Way to be confusing…" Ryan grumbled from behind the gabite.

"If you have a better explanation," Reya suggested, though they all knew Ryan wasn't about to give one.

"Anyways," Fitz began. "Once we get to the door, Dillan is going to have to touch the Sapphire Star to it."

"Why?" Dillan asked.

Fitz sighed in annoyance. "Because," she stated, not saying any more than that.

"We should be arriving shortly," Reya stated.

Silence followed a few more minutes of walking before the pokemon reached an end to the passageway. The group walked into a massive room that stretched skywards for about twenty feet. In front of the group sat a door that was so humongous, it would give Jarondai Castle's doors a run for its money. Half of the door was encrusted with a large assortment of navy-blue crystals while the other half of the door was covered in what appeared to be purple gemstones. In the middle of the purple crystals was a filled oval of orange gems. On the opposite side, centered between the navy-blue crystals, sat a massive array of light-blue crystals which formed the shape of a star. Upon seeing this mural, Dillan's claw drifted downwards to the Sapphire Star. Both Hazel and Dillan's faces lit up with wonder at seeing this work of art.

"How has this gone untouched?" Hazel questioned.

"The door is hidden to anyone my Master doesn't deem worthy."

"This place is sort of like a mystery dungeon," Fitz said. "The two pokemon who use this cave can make this door findable to those they trust, yet it is also hidden to those they do not."

"Let's just get this over with…" Ryan said shortly, looking to Dillan. He obviously wanted the gabite to use the Sapphire Star.

Seeing as he had no reason not to, Dillan walked closer to the door. He was inches away before he stopped. He removed the crystal from his neck and pressed it to the door. Almost immediately upon contact, the Sapphire Star flashed a bright blue. The blue crystals ahead flashed in unison, as if reacting with the Sapphire Star. Dilan watched the door with wonder. But the light was all that happened.

Dillan was confused. He waited a good ten seconds, but the door didn't make any signs of movement. _Is it supposed to-_ That's when the Sapphire Star's light grew with the light from the door, creating rays of a blue, blinding glow. The sound of a tuning fork began blasting throughout the room, putting a massive amount of strain on Dillan's mind. The gabite slapped his fins to either side of his head to try and block the sound as he squinted to shield his eyes. Even though he was trying his best to keep the attack on his senses at bay, it wasn't working. It was almost as if it wasn't coming from outside of his head, but inside.

"What in Ganderosa?!" Dillan shouted over the blaring noise. But as soon as he finished his sentence, it all stopped. There was darkness in his eyelids and silence in his ears. _Wh… What?_

"Open your eyes," a proud voice beckoned.

"Who…" Dillan said, but he immediately recognized the voice from his dreams. He opened his eyes quickly, expecting to find the blue glow of that creature who had spoken to him in his dreams of the past, but instead found himself on an enormous, circular platform that was about one hundred feet in diameter. Columns shot up from either side the gabite in an orderly fashion. The floor below him was a white and grey marble. The strangest thing was there was no walls or ceiling. Instead, there was a vast sky stretching out as far as the eye could see with clouds that were barely lower in altitude than the circular platform he was currently on. The entire group was here, as well.

"Where are we...?" Hazel asked in awe.

"Reya!" a new voice Dillan didn't recognize snapped.

Upon looking forwards, Dillan was very shocked he didn't notice the two massive pokemon who floated in the sky before them: a blue one on the left while a white one to the right.

The right pokemon was a white, bipedal creature that Dillan guessed reached about sixteen feet. The pokemon's body was plump, yet it didn't seem that way due to fat as much as raw muscles. The reason Dillan knew it was muscles was the bulbous legs which seemed to permanently squat down. Its feet were flat and spread out a good distance. The white being was hunched over, yet it seemed to be natural to whatever species this was. The pokemon had multiple stripes of purple on the heels of its feet, trailing from the waist to the tip of its tail, and around the collar bone to jut up towards the middle of the neck like a mountain in the white. The pokemon's shoulders seemed to be massive disk-like pauldrons with smooth, circular, orange crystals set in their centers. Its arms hid behind the circles and only came out at the elbows yet disappeared one more behind gauntlets on the arms. Behind the shoulder-blades were a set of what appeared to be paper-thin, white wings, yet the pokemon didn't seem to use them to float. The neck was long, probably making its way towards the group in front of it at a twenty-degree angle. Its head seemed to be shielded by a knight's mask, yet red irises could be seen glowing beyond what Dillan would only guess were either shadows turning the eyes black or they looked that way regardless. It made Dillan shudder, reminding him of Jake… or Giratina.

The left one was a quadrupedal pokemon who stood at nearly twenty feet. It was a navy blue with multiple shining, light-blue lines slithering its way across its body. What appeared to be a Chinese fan with jagged ribs between the thin layer of white skin rested just above the pokemon's haunches. Its neck was like a giraffe's but with white plates jutting out from the back and a light-blue line making its way up to the side of its face. The back of the pokemon's head jutted backwards into the air while the front looked very much like its compatriot's knight-like face. It even had the glowing, red irises on its black eyes. The one thing that seemed to resonate with the gabite was the chest-plate on the pokemon. It was very smooth yet mirrored the pokemon's fan in color and roughness. Spires emerged from the sides of the pokemon's chest-plate and made their way above its front legs to the sides. Yet resting in the center of the pokemon's chest was the one thing that caught Dillan's eye more than anything else; a massive chunk of crystal that mirrored the Sapphire Star in every way except shape was imbedded in the chest-plate.

"Oh my gosh…" Hazel barely managed to utter. Upon inspection of the charmeleon, she was enamored with these pokemon. In fact, Fitz seemed to be in awe just the same. He couldn't say he was the same way. To the gabite, intimidating couldn't describe the pokemon. Even at this distance, they looked enormous. He wondered if the pokemon could squish him with a single step.

"Master Dialga," Reya said as she bowed to the blue being.

"Mr. Lambert," the blue pokemon, Dialga, stated. "You don't recall, but we have met before, and I would like to say it's good to see you're alright."

 _That voice…_ The fear in the gabite subsided when he realized who this pokemon was. "You're the creature from my dream," Dillan told the pokemon, recalling the voice. "You're the light that met me outside of the hospital when I was human. Who are you?"

"You don't know who they are?" Hazel questioned, looking at Dillan as though he was crazy. "That's Dialga. And the other pokemon is Palkia. They're the ones from legends and myths who were said to have created time and space. Remember?"

Dillan looked at Dialga with recognition. "Then is this yours?" he said as he held the Sapphire Star up for Dialga to see, yet he was shocked to see both Dialga and Palkia recoil their heads in what looked like fear.

"Why did you allow him to bring that cursed object here?!" the white pokemon, Palkia, questioned.

"We had no choice," Reya said. "As you no doubt have learned, the lycanroc tribe is gone, and The Enemy captured Mr. Lambert. Because of these events and the fact that we needed to see you both, we had no choice but to bring it with us."

"Excuse me," Hazel said, stepping up towards the pokemon. "I have a question."

"And you are Sigourney Prince, correct?" Dialga asked. "Although I have been told you go by Hazel."

"Uh…" Hazel said in awe. "How… do you know my name?"

"You work with the human," Palkia stated, now squinting at Hazel. He began scanning her body with his eyes as if observing her. "It is our job to know."

Hazel shook her head, regaining her expressionless face. "Anyways, you don't like the Sapphire Star. Why is-"

Palkia gave a roar into the air, cutting Hazel off from the conversation. Almost as soon as he did so, a pink disk formed under Hazel. She gave a quick gasp before falling into the liquid. Then, the disk vanished, leaving no trace of Hazel or itself.

"Hazel?!" Dillan shouted frantically.

"What did you just do?!" Ryan roared at the being.

"She is fine, Kasper," Palkia insisted. _Kasper?_

"Ms. Prince will no longer be allowed in this room," Dialga stated.

"And why's that?" Ryan snapped.

"She radiates the exact same aura that you do," Dialga said to Ryan. The pachirisu swapped his sternness for confusion.

"That's not possible," Ryan said.

"I did notice the unusually strong aura," Reya stated. "I merely assumed it was because we were transporting the traitor."

"What's going on?!" Dillan snapped.

"Ms. Prince is radiating with The Enemy's aura," Dialga said. "She has come into contact with Shadow Matter."

"Shadow… Matter?" Dillan asked.

"A substance found primarily in mystery dungeons," Palkia stated. "Shadow Matter is highly unstable, mutating anything that comes into contact with it."

"And what does that have to do with Hazel?" Dillan questioned.

"He knows about the second world," Reya explained. "You may explain to him where Shadow Matter comes from."

"We know," Dialga stated. He turned his attention towards Dillan before continuing. "As you know, the second world merging with our own is what created the Mystery Dungeons. But what you didn't know is that the merging created a new radioactive substance called Shadow Matter. It's what allows the mystery dungeons to shift."

"Yet it only exists deep within the mystery dungeons," Palkia stated. "Merely walking into one does nothing to you. But by wandering off a mystery dungeon's path, you enter a sort of bridge between both worlds where the Shadow Matter exists.

"Another thing you must understand about Shadow Matter is it can be used to mutate pokemon's bodies. It's what makes a pokemon turn feral in the first place. The Enemy's top commanders have all been exposed to this substance. It mutated them, enhancing their stats and natural abilities. It makes them stronger than any other pokemon in existence, and The Enemy knows it."

"How does that have anything to do with Hazel?" Dillan questioned.

"She radiates with the same aura as one who has been exposed to Shadow Matter," Dialga said. "Ms. Prince has been mutated by it."

Dillan's eyes widened, realizing exactly what they were thinking. "She's not with The Enemy!" he shouted.

"A normal charmeleon's ability is Blaze," Palkia said. "Has anything odd happened when she becomes too weak?"

Dillan hesitated. He knew what they were talking about. _Hazel's flame goes out, then turns blue… and she gets stronger…_

"You understand," Dialga stated as if knowing what the gabite was thinking.

"But she's not with Giratina," Ryan stated sternly. "A shiftree was about to torture her in front of Dillan to learn where you guys were!"

"That means nothing," Dialga stated.

"It could have been a ruse to convince the gabite she was on his side," Palkia stated.

"But-" Dillan began, but was cut off by Reya's hand jutting out in front of him.

"Dillan," Reya said, turning to the gabite. "We have more pressing concerns to attend to. We can sort this out-"

"Are you serious?" Dillan asked above Reya. "Hazel's my partner, and you want me to move on?!"

"I'm with Reya," Ryan stated.

"No," Dillan said to Ryan sternly. "I'm not going to abandon her!"

"You aren't abandoning her," Dialga stated. "She is under our protection until we find out the exact circumstances leading to her exposure."

"Sorry for not trusting you," Dillan began sternly. "But as far as I can tell, all you've managed to do is hurt Reya and sit on the side-lines while we're fighting the bad guys!"

"Dillan," Fitz said as she stepped up to the gabite.

"What-" Dillan was stopped by a slap across the face originating from the hakamo-o.

"Snap out of it!' she yelled. "Take a breath!"

"Are you really that cold?!" Dillan asked. "She's my friend, and they're accusing her of being the bad guy!"

"But that is all they have done," Fitz assured.

"She's probably terrified!" Dillan shouted.

"Give her more credit than that," Fitz said with a scowl. "From what I know about her, she looks death in the face on a regular basis."

"But they-"

"You are the human, right? Could you not threaten suicide if they hurt her?"

"Well…" Dillan began, his anger slowly draining the more options Fitz gave to him. "Yeah…?"

"Then you have no reason to worry," Fitz assured.

Dillan didn't need much time to think about it. Fitz brought up plenty of great points, which was more surprising than anything judging by her personality. Nevertheless, he looked towards Dialga and scowled.

"If you hurt her," Dillan warned, stopping there due to a lack of not knowing what else to say. Even so, leaving it to interpretation seemed more intimidating overall.

"Do not threaten us," Palkia growled.

"Still," Dialga began with a scowl, seeming more reasonable than Palkia who decided snarling was better for the situation. "We will not hurt her unless she resists. And unless she _is_ with The Enemy, she should not attack."

"That's all fine and dandy," Ryan grumbled. "But why don't we all get down to why we're here?"

"Agreed," Reya stated.

"Then tell us why you have come?" Dialga stated.

"And on that matter," Palkia said, still snarling. "Why did you bring the traitor with you?"

"This again?!" Ryan retorted, throwing his small paws in the air. "Reya's a traitor, too!"

"He is here to deliver whatever information he has gained from The Enemy," Reya said. "Whether that be willingly given or derived through force is his choice."

"Willingly!" Ryan shouted again from what seemed to be disbelief. "And for the last time, I'm not the bad guy like everyone thinks I am! For instance: I found out where the Amber Amulet is and will gladly tell all of Ganderosa if I have to!" He looked towards Palkia before saying, "Happy?!"

"Not in the slightest," Palkia spat.

"Master Dialga," Reya said with a bow, glossing over Palkia entirely. "I believe the time has come to explain everything to Dillan from the beginning as to exactly why he is here. If the gabite makes any more ill-informed decisions, I'm afraid we will lose our fight. Why, a day ago, The Enemy had all he needed to destroy the world."

"We know," Dialga stated. "The spirit informed us."

"Then she is one of you guys," Fitz said, breaking her silence.

"Spirit…?" Dillan asked Fitz slowly. The hakamo-o made no attempt at answering, seemingly intent standing there and merely chiming in.

"Your point," Palkia urged the gardevoir.

"If he knew of The Enemy in the first place, we could have avoided this incident."

"It was never needed information," Dialga stated. "Yet it was your job to make sure such an event never occurred. The information was only pertinent when you failed."

"She was left alone and defenseless!" Fitz shouted. "You gave her an impossible mission!"

"Fitz," Reya said calmly. "It's fine."

"No is it not!" Fitz argued.

"Let me handle this," Reya insisted. "As you said, this is not your fight."

Fits looked at Reya with confusion before shrugging in disbelief. "Whether you pokemon let others step all over you or not is your own business."

"Master Dialga," Reya stated. "I understand your want for secrecy, but it is being used against you on a constant basis. Sometimes secrets only hurt those around you."

Dillan couldn't help but notice Ryan's clenched fist. Those words seemed to affect him more than anyone else.

"Besides," Ryan growled from his corner. "Does it really hurt for him to know the bad guy's motive?"

"Reya," Dialga acknowledged, motioning his left paw towards the gardevoir. "Should we give our consent on sharing the past with Mr. Lambert, would you be the one to inform the gabite of the Enemy's motives?"

"Of course," the gardevoir stated.

"Then your proposal is rejected," Palkia said on behalf of the two pokemon.

Reya grimaced as she looked towards the ground. "I beg of you to reconsider-"

"We both know you would sacrifice the human if it meant achieving peace," Dialga said.

"No, she wouldn't," Dillan interjected. "She's a good pokemon."

"If you believe she values your life over her ideals," Palkia began. "You have no concept of ideology."

"If Reya believed it would bring about world peace," Dialga stated. "She would sacrifice many lives. Simply deciding that the world is too great a sacrifice means nothing."

"But she's fighting that-" Dillan tried to argue.

"Dillan," Reya stated flatly, turning to him with a commanding gaze. "That's enough."

Dillan stopped talking. He didn't understand what these pokemon were doing. Why wouldn't they trust Reya with explaining the past? He might have understood if they thought it was too complicated for her, but their words and attitude made it obvious that they didn't trust her for other reasons. Yet she'd done so much: sacrificed her life. Were they that distrusting? Or did they see something in Reya that he didn't?

Dillan's mind went back to the question Reya had proposed to him days ago. How much was Ryan willing to give up for his friends? As the gabite looked at Reya, he began to think about her question, yet this time it wasn't about Ryan. _Is Reya still holding on to world peace? And would she kill to get it? Would… she sacrifice him?_

Dillan mentally scolded himself. Now he was questioning Reya's heart. The Enemy had put her through a physical hell and intended to keep doing so had they not escaped. She had no reason to turn now. And he had no reason to believe that she still intended to go through with her old plan. She hasn't given the gabite any inclination this whole time. The only thing she seemed set on was saving his life. So why did he question her loyalty for even a second? Were the events of this week making him question someone who he relied upon? He shuddered with the thought. _I can trust her. At the very least, she's my ally, and that makes her trustable._

"Master, he needs to know," Reya pleaded. "I refuse to acknowledge the fact that he will think badly of you for-"

Reya stopped when she saw Dialga roar into the sky. A horror-stricken grimace slapped itself to the gardevoir's face as she bowed swiftly, clutching her right arm.

"This is exactly why we do not trust you to explain," Palkia snapped. "Letting information slip means you can't follow simple orders. How do you expect us to trust you to tell the gabite the truth without letting your old ideologies slip into the conversation, tainting the truth?"

"Give me a break!" Ryan snapped. "Don't you think that there are other reasons for Dillan to hate you other than screwing up?"

"Be silent!" Dialga snapped.

"Make me!" Ryan countered smugly.

"Hang on!" Dillan shouted over the arguing. All eyes set on him, but he still couldn't afford to be shy. "If you don't trust Reya, isn't there someone else you can rely on?"

"What about that spirit?" Fitz suggested, reminding the room of her presence.

"You are referring to the Spirit of the Sapphire?" Dialga questioned.

"Who?" Dillan asked. The gabite was surprised to see Reya mirrored his expression, seeming to know nothing off the current topic. She turned to Dialga as if expecting an answer.

"Yeah," Fitz stated, leaving Dillan in ignorance. "She seemed to be on your side when we last spoke."

"She would be a worthy candidate," Palkia stated. "We would even be able to monitor what she says directly, as well as speak through her if needed."

"What spirit?" Dillan asked a little more forcefully this time.

Dialga looked towards Reya and said, "Do you truly think that a lack of knowledge is an issue?"

"If Dillan knew about you both beforehand," Reya started. "Then perhaps he would have never gone to see King Judah and would have come here instead."

Both Dialga and Palkia stared at each other, contemplating what had been said. After a few minutes of awkward silence, the two nodded.

"We agree with the proposition," Dialga stated.

"The spirit will tell the gabite what he needs to know of us and our history."

"In the event that you have a question about us," Dialga said to Dillan. "Ask the spirit, and she will clarify on our behalf."

"You will have to be briefed on how to communicate with her through the Sapphire."

"Not a pleasant experience," Fitz grumbled.

"What spirit?!" Dillan demanded. He was sick and tired of being kept in the dark. He needed to be in the know.

Dialga and Palkia both looked at Dillan with confusion. "You don't know of the Spirit?" Palkia asked. "Surely the Lycanroc Tribe would have explained this to you."

"They weren't really supportive of me," Dillan said, still scowling at the pokemon. He wouldn't be satisfied until they told him exactly what this spirit is.

"The Sapphire Star is an odd crystal," Dialga began. "As you might know, it was once a part of me." The big pokemon tapped the massive, blue rock imbedded in his chest. "Even so, I do not know much about it. But what I do know is that there is a spirit that inhabits the Sapphire Star. It is one that leads the creature who safe-guards it against evil: whether that be through a simple pull on their hearts or through words. Although, the spirit may only speak to the pokemon guiding it when they are ready to do so."

"So, there's a pokemon living in the Sapphire Star?" Dillan asked, looking down at the rock that hung on his neck.

"Technically, yes," Palkia said. "Although, things are different for a spirit. It has no body; it is not bound to the laws of the world as you are. As a result, it can transfer its consciousness between here and the world of pokemon."

"That doesn't make any sense…" Dillan said.

Palkia sighed in annoyance. "Explaining such things to lower beings such as yourself is a hassle," the pink creature said in a hushed annoyance.

"Where is _here_ exactly?" Fitz asked. "We appear to be in the clouds, but from what I understand, that is highly unlikely. Which leads me to believe that this is some sort of pocket dimension between yours and ours."

"You would be right in that assumption," Dialga said. "This place is merely a dimension created to bridge the gap between the dimension we live in and the world you call home."

"You may refer to this place as Elysia," Palkia stated.

"Are you being serious?" Fitz asked with a look of disbelief.

"They're presumptuous that way," Ryan said, rolling his eyes.

"Do you have any more questions of us?" Dialga began.

"Yeah…" Dillan said. "What's the Eevee Tribe? Are they the same thing as the Lycanroc Tribe?"

"The Eevee Tribe is a nomadic tribe in Kerroshia," Reya explained. "They are never in the same place for very long due to the harsh environments of the Kerroshian Desert. As a result, they are very difficult to find.

"As for whether they are the same thing as the Lycanrocs, I would say they are both based around the concept of protecting Ganderosa's Crystals: one being the Sapphire Star and the other being the Amber Amulet. Although, seeing as The Enemy is in possession of the Amber Amulet, I am not confident they are even alive."

"They are," Palkia assured. "The Eevee Tribe had lost the Amber Amulet to a thief a log time ago. To this day, The Enemy has had no imperative reason to go after them. They will have been devoting their lives to survival, meaning they will be alive."

"Are you sure that's the best use of our time?" Dillan asked. "I mean, if The Enemy has the Amber Amulet, all they'll need is the Sapphire Star. That's not a very good position to be in."

"Even if they have it," Fitz said. "You would not be able to take it from them." The hakamo-o walked towards Dillan, eyeing him maliciously. "The Enemy has the Guild and all of its resources at his disposal. That means in order to take the Amber Amulet, you would need to fight the country itself. You need an army to do so."

"Agreed," Dialga and Palkia said together.

"If that is all, I would like you to get some rest," Dialga said to Dillan.

Behind the group, to the back of the circular floor, a set of what appeared to be stairs rose out of the clouds. They came to rest at the base, adjoining it to whatever was below their feet.

"Tomorrow, you will meet with the Spirit. She will instruct you on how to use the Sapphire Star to communicate with her. From there, Reya will accompany you on your journey to Kerroshia in search of the Eevee Tribe. Once you arrive, report to us through the Spirit."

"Uh… Alright," Dillan said with a forced confidence.

"Is something wrong?" Palkia questioned.

"It's just…" Dillan began. "I don't really know you guys… and not to be rude, but it kind of… feels weird to be taking orders from you. I guess it's all just so sudden."

"They are the good guys," Reya assured Dillan. "At the very least, trust me."

Dillan looked into Reya's eyes for a sign of assurance that this was the right call to be making. As far as he could tell, she showed no signs of deception. And based on the way she talked to these pokemon, she seemed to trust them. Maybe that was enough.

Then again, what choice did he have? Who else was he going to turn to? There was literally no one else who was trying to combat The Enemy in all Ganderosa. These random behemoths of pokemon seemed to be the only ones who noticed the evils that wanted to destroy the world.

"Alright," Dillan nodded, not seeing any other option.

"Good," Dialga said. "Then take those stairs at the back of the room. They will lead you to a room you should feel comfortable in. Rest there, and tomorrow, you will meet the Spirit. Afterwards, you will take the next steps to ensure Ganderosa's safety."

"Actually," Dillan said. "I have one last thing I want you to do for me."

"Go on," Dialga said.

"If I'm going to trust you, I want Hazel to be let out."

"Out of the question," Palkia stated. "We have no clue where her loyalties lie. Therefore, the charmeleon is an unknown factor."

"No, she isn't," Dillan said. "She would never do anything to hurt her friends." The pokemon stared at Dillan for an uncomfortable amount of time, obviously not willing to back down from their positions. "At least let her stay with me in my room and not in a cell." At this point, it seemed more plausible to not convince them to let her go entirely, but at least get her out of jail so the gabite could talk to her.

The two pokemon turned towards each other and thought about the proposition. Dillan began to wonder whether they were having some sort of conversation that he couldn't witness.

"We have considered your proposal," Palkia said. "And we accept. You and Ms. Prince may share a room until we have identified why she has been exposed to Shadow Matter."

"Thank you," Dillan said.

"You should get some rest," Dialga urged the gabite. "In fact, all of you should."

"Forgive me," Reya said. "But there is one last thing I wish to speak with you about."

"Does it concern Mr. Lambert?" Palkia questioned. Fitz shook her head from side to side.

"Then you are excused," Dialga said to Dillan.

Dillan took that as his cue to leave. As he walked towards the stairs, his curiosity began to itch at his brain. He was giving up information by leaving the conversation, though to him it wasn't the most important thing. He was exhausted from the past few days and laying down sounded like ecstasy. There was also the fact that he wanted to make sure Hazel was fine and explain to her the plan. If that meant giving up some information, it didn't matter. Besides: he was confident Reya would explain later. There wasn't really any reason to stay.

As Dillan descended the stairs and out of ear-shot, Palkia moved forwards towards the remaining members of the group. Each earth-shaking step seemed louder and more forceful than the other. Palkia stopped in front of Ryan and the tiny creature with hate.

"Why did you return, traitor?" he asked. "Last I recalled, you refused to see my face ever again."

"Why do you think?" Ryan questioned, not allowing Palkia's size to intimidate him. He stared up with a scowl and a clenched fist as if readied for a fight. "I came to set things right."

"What is going on between the two of you?" Fitz asked calmly. She looked to Palkia before saying, "How does a legendary such as yourself even consider such an insignificant pawn such as him?"

Ryan looked back towards the stairs as if expecting to see some issue, but all he saw was the cloud-filled skies on the horizon. "What does it matter?" Ryan asked Fitz. He looked towards Reya before saying, "You wanted to talk to them?"

"Of course," Reya nodded.

"In a minute, girl," Palkia said to Reya. He still seemed determined to continue questioning Ryan. "Have you given up on your old family, Kasper?"

"You don't get to ask that question!" Ryan snapped at Palkia. "After taking me away from them, you don't get to ask that!"

"What are you talking about?" Reya asked with concern. She looked towards Dialga with worry. "Did you hurt his family?"

"They're fine," Dialga stated.

"How can you be sure?" Ryan asked. "You've been checking up on them?" He didn't wait for an answer before walking towards the back of the room. Just then, a new disk of pink liquid much like the one that consumed Hazel appeared out of thin air. Ryan stopped before entering, knowing very well that it would just put him back in the middle of the room. "You do know that it's really irritating to do that, right?"

"Answer the question," Palkia said sternly. "Why did you return? If you are so insistent on going back to them, why did you return?"

"I don't know!" Ryan shouted. He stood there, shaking with rage at each breath he took in. It was obvious Ryan couldn't take much more of this without exploding in rage. "I tried to find your Amber Amulet! I tried to be the hero you wanted me to be! I tried desperately to achieve the goals _you_ set for me! I tried to get back to my family again! And when I thought I could do it, I realized I'd be trading too much for them!"

"Wait…" Reya said softly. Her eyes widened as she pointed towards Ryan. "It's you. You're the first. You were the human who failed."

"No duh, Sherlock," Ryan snapped.

Fitz' jaw dropped from pure shock as she stared at Ryan. "You… You were the first hero? You were the one who was supposed to save Ganderosa?" She then looked towards Palkia. "That is the reason you have such an interest in him."

"You still haven't answered my question," Palkia said. "Why did you come here knowing full-well that we would never send you back to your world? Why come back after everything you've sacrificed?"

"Because Giratina's right about this world!" Ryan snapped. "It's filled with hate and death! And maybe he's right! Maybe the world has to die for world peace!"

"How dare you!" Palkia roared.

"Save it," Ryan replied. "All I'm saying is that in all my time here, I've felt is hate and regret. And maybe there was something else with Adelina, but I destroyed that when I kept _this_ part of me a secret." Ryan waved his arms wildly, seemingly gesturing everything around him. "But then I found two friends who supported me! I found a new family! And I may have left them, too, but I came here to support them to try and rebuild what I broke, just to endure their rejection time and time again! But even so, if you tell them anything about me being human – if you take what little relationship I have away from me – I promise that I'll take the Sapphire Star and run to the farthest corners of the earth with it! So, don't you dare say a word to them!"

As Ryan finished his rant, he began panting. Palkia looked at Ryan with a distasteful gaze. Threatening the pokemon like this warranted death in some radical countries, maybe imprisonment. Palkia toyed with some of the more violent ideas in his head. Hurting him might offset the gabite to the point where he would betray them. Killing him means they wouldn't be able to acquire the information about Giratina that the small creature had. And frankly, he was getting tired of constantly snapping at the disrespectful squirrel to no avail. So merely scowling as menacingly as he could would have to do.

"Enough of this," Dialga demanded. "It's getting us nowhere to argue like this. The fact of the matter is that Kasper is here, and even though he may still be a traitor, he is apparently willing to co-operate. Fighting like children gets us nowhere, so I suggest we stop."

"Any other suggestions?" Palkia asked Dialga smugly. "Perhaps you would consider going out for tea."

"Shut-it, Space Face," Ryan shouted at Palkia. "You know he's right."

"Maybe it _would_ be beneficial to teach you the meaning of respect through fear."

"Alright," Fitz said. "I no longer have time for any of this, and I could care less. Why not have Reya interrogate the traitor and tell me where Valery is, then I can be on my way."

"I give my permission," Palkia stated as he turned away from Ryan and walked back to Dialga. Reaching the end of the platform, he began floating back towards his original position.

"I had something to discuss with you, Master," Reya said with a look of malice towards Ryan.

"We can speak later," Dialga said sternly to Reya. "For now, I want you to interrogate Kasper _without_ harming him."

Reya hesitated, then bowed to Dialga. "I will not disappoint." She walked to Ryan and commanded him to walk with a scowl.

"I'm not finished," Ryan said coldly to the gardevoir.

"Yet they seemed finished with you, _human_ ," Reya said.

Ryan grimaced at the comment. "If you tell them a word-"

"You have no need to worry. I have no intention of breaking Dillan's spirits."

"You, too," Ryan said to Fitz.

"What makes you think you have power over me?" Fitz asked sternly.

"Keep my secret and I'll keep yours."

Fitz didn't grimace. She knew this was going to be his threat. So long as she kept quiet, Ryan wouldn't reveal anything. She only said what she said to make sure Ryan knew that they both had equal control of the other.

With one final scowl between of the pokemon, Ryan and Reya walked off, the later keeping a very close watch on her prisoner as they walked.

"Now about Valery," Fitz said to Dialga. "Where is she?"

"She is here resting," Dialga said. "You may see her whenever you wish."

"Then I shall be taking my leave," Fitz said. She turned quickly, not even bothering to bow to the pokemon, and walked down the stairs, leaving Dialga and Palkia together.

"What do you think of the hero?" Palkia asked.

"I think what I have always thought," Dialga stated. "His heart gives him the will to persevere through the darkness and find the light."

"And his leadership skills?" Dialga pondered the question, staring towards the stairs as he did so. "You know as well as I do that they are lacking."

"What do you propose?" Dialga questioned.

"He needs severe training," Palkia stated. "He also needs to abandon his hope for friendship with the two tainted pokemon."

"You know that his kind doesn't give up their ties so easily," Dialga said, looking towards Palkia with a neutral expression.

"Of course," Palkia nodded. "Though I know that things will not work out in our favor if they stay together. Kasper will eventually taint him with his beliefs: the same beliefs we sought to avoid."

"I know," Dialga said. He raised his head and roared. Out of nowhere, a blue portal appeared. It looked exactly like Palkia's portals, except for the fact that Dialga's were blue. "I doubt we can keep that much from him even if we tried. Although, is that not the reason we took his memories to begin with?"

Palkia shook his head. "Of course, it is. Yet Kasper will destroy our efforts."

"Ignore him, Palkia," Dialga stated. "I understand your frustration with the fact that he is not the Paladin you wanted, but I doubt that even we can keep him out of this fight whether we can intervene or not."

Palkia slashed out at the air in front of him with his hand. As his hand moved through the air, it seemed to rip open reality itself, revealing a pink, water-like portal. "I know there isn't anything we can do. Yet it still gets on every one of my nerves."

Dialga investigated his own portal and heave a sigh. "To think this could have all been avoided if we had done things properly."

"He would have escaped whether we liked it or not," Palkia stated. "The world is just too unstable as it is."

"Yet we still could have kept this from happening," Dialga said.

Silence followed Dialga's words. The two pokemon simply stood there, considering what could have been and what would occur next.

"The next step will be training Mr. Lambert to be a leader," Dialga said. "In his current state, he is unfit."

"We still haven't decided who will be the one to train him," Palkia said.

"Yes, we have," Dialga stated.

"I refuse to have three of them here," Palkia stated.

"It isn't about you," Dialga stated. "Besides: one of his followers is an expert on Shadow Matter. He would solve our second issue."

Palkia grimaced at Dialga. "This is a horrifying idea."

"Yet it is the only one we have, correct?" Dialga questioned.

"Give me some time to consider the option." With that, Palkia floated through the portal and out of sight.

Dialga sighed once more, thinking about the past he wished he could change. Maybe it was impossible to change it, despite his best efforts. But he could still work to preserve whatever future was left. He could still hope that day they tried to prevent a millennium ago would never come to pass.

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Well, it looks like the momentum the story has had for a year now which followers and favorites has recently died, which is fine! I just wanted to say really quickly that since we haven't had any recent followers or favorites to mention, I will have chapters from here-on-out without Author's Notes. The only time I am going to have these is to thank new follows/favorites with a shout-out, to say something that's on my mind, or to say something about the story. For instance: I have been removing parts of the story and compiling them in a special chapter that will be released at the end of the story as a sort of, "Last Hurrah/What Could Have Been" for you guys (Being serious here)! Stuff like that.

Anyways, that's all for now! Thanks for reading the story! Have a great week, guys! I'll see you in the next chapter!


	45. A Parting Wave

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 45

A Parting Wave

* * *

(Unknown Territory: Elysia)

The gabite lied on the purple-sheeted bed with his weight pressed against his arm. He recalled the previous day when he walked down the steps and away from Dialga and Palkia. Upon reaching the bottom, he as confronted with a door. Walking into the room beyond was one of the strangest things he had ever done.

Behind him was the vast expanse of sky filled with orange clouds and the smell of fresh air. Through the door was a square, cobble-stone-walled room that, since the second he entered, reminded him of Palando's Guildmember Quarters. To the back of the wall was a metal-framed bunk bed with purple sheets on both bunks. Each bunk had their own metal shelf jutting from the frame for objects to be placed. In the middle of the room was a round, purple carpet with the Ganderosan Symbol etched into the center. At one of the walls was a fire place with a purple couch that sat in front: supposedly to warm whoever wanted to sit down. Hazel was currently situated on the couch, staring at the fire with a sort of unrest about her. There was also a wooden desk with a matching chair, though the table-top seemed to be empty.

The strangest fact of the room would have to be that nothing like the cloudy lands beyond the grey walls. Instead, the room smelled like dirt and sweat. Sounds of playing children and walking feet could be heard. Everything made this fake room feel like a real Palando, despite the fact that Dillan knew in his head they were in some kind of alternate dimension, though that thought seemed to make it all that much harder to wrap his head around.

Even though the gabite had nearly a day to think about the room – to make himself at home and relax – he knew this entire setting was fake. No matter how real it felt, he still knew it was made to feel that way. Besides: how can he relax when Hazel felt so alone?

The gabite stood up from his bed and walked towards the couch. The charmeleon didn't seem to take notice of the gabite. Instead, she seemed content staring into the dying flames before her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Dillan asked.

"About what?" Hazel asked emotionlessly.

Dillan shrugged. "You've just been staring at the fire ever since I got here. You're obviously thinking about something." He sat down next to the charmeleon and stared at her crimson-scaled face. "Hazel?"

"I'm not sure what to say," Hazel stated simply. "I mean, from what you've told me, Dialga and Palkia aren't sure whether I'm the good guy or the bad guy. And frankly, I'm not…" Hazel trailed off at the end of her sentence. He instinctually looked towards her tail which was currently being strangled by the charmeleon's left hand.

"Having a weird ability doesn't make you a bad guy."

Hazel chuckled lightly. "Doesn't it?" Hazel questioned. "They said 'Shadow Matter' is what causes this, right?" She pulled her tail to the front, showing it to the gabite. "They also said Giratina uses it to strengthen his forces."

"That only gives them a reason to be suspicious," Dillan assured. "That's all. Eventually, they'll realize hat it doesn't matter, and that you're trust-worthy."

"That's not true," Hazel stated quietly, scowling at the flames ahead. "You don't understand at all."

"What's bothering you about this?" Dillan prodded. "I can help if you-" Dillan stopped himself as he felt a sort of tingling sensation at the back of his mind.

 _"Mr. Lambert and Ms. Prince,"_ A voice called in the gabite's head. It sounded like Dialga's.

"Yes?" Hazel questioned.

 _"I would like the both of you to report to me and Palkia. From there, the Spirit will meet with you both and your respective missions will be assigned."_

"You're sending me on a mission?" Hazel asked. "Why? Neither of you trust me, right?"

 _"I will answer your questions during our meeting,"_ Dialga stated simply. _"I look forward to seeing you both shortly."_

As Dialga finished is words, the tingling sensation from before ended. The gabite looked towards the door as if expecting a massive, blue head to peer in at them. Instead, he simply saw the wood.

"We should go see what he wants with us," Hazel said as she stood up from the chair.

"Hazel," Dillan began, standing up as well. "Just tell me what's bugging you."

Hazel stood there for a few seconds, not facing the gabite. "Dialga's more important," she stated quickly. _Is she trying to dodge answering?_

"You know you can tell me what's bothering you, right?" Dillan asked the charmeleon. "I mean, we're partners."

"I know," Hazel assured the gabite, yet she still wasn't facing him. "But Dialga wants to speak with us. It can wait."

"You're sure?" Dillan asked.

"I'm positive, she said, finally turning towards him with a bright smile. "I mean, this probably means he trusts I'm not the bad guy, anymore. Plus, if he has a mission to take down Giratina, then shouldn't we deal with that?"

Dillan didn't answer her. Now it was as plain as day. _She's putting on a fake smile to try and get me to stop worrying. Does she not trust me?_ Part of him was about to call her out on her act: tell her she was being cruel for not trusting him to be there for her. But another part of him felt that would be a cruelty in itself. She's hiding something from him. Pushing Hazel to tell him wasn't going to help anyone. If anything, it might damage their friendship.

So, the gabite nodded and walked towards the door, dropping the conversation.

"Alright," Dilan said as he reached the exit. _If she doesn't want to tell me, I guess that's her choice. And as much as it hurts that she won't talk to me, I can't force her to._

"Well then," Hazel said as she reached the gabite's side. "Let's find out what he wants."

* * *

Upon climbing the massive flight of stairs and reaching the circular platform from the previous day, Dillan found Ryan and Reya were standing in the center of the marble floor staring ahead at the floating gigantic beasts that had summoned them. Dillan stood next to the scowling pachirisu while Hazel found herself next to the gardevoir who wore the face of a businessman: void of all emotion.

Dialga and Palkia looked down from their throne of air and stared at the pokemon ahead, not making a single move to speak. Dialga seemed to be simply observing the group with a calmness about him while Palkia took on a harder, more commanding look.

"Master," Reya said as she took a bow. "I have interrogated the traitor as you had instructed me."

"Interrogated?" Dillan asked worriedly. He found himself scanning the pachirisu's unclean, brown-tinged fur for any signs of torture.

"You have no need to worry," Reya assured. "He was very co-operative in surrendering any information he had." The gabite looked at the gardevoir for any sort of deception in her facial features, though all he saw was a nervousness in her wandering eyes.

"You seem troubled," Palkia said, calling Dillan's attention to the gardevoir. He had to admit; her wandering eyes and furrowed brow radiated feelings of unease.

"We have a pressing issue," Reya stated. "The Traitor has… informed me that him and Thalia of the Enemy have released Akuji from his slumber."

Dialga's eyes widened and Palkia's scowl grew even deeper. "You idiot!" the pink being spat at Ryan. "Do you have any idea what you've released upon Ganderosa?!"

"I had to gain the Enemy's trust," Ryan said as calmly as he could. "Releasing him would have happened regardless of whether I helped or not. I would consider it a win if anything."

"Silence!" Dialga ordered.

"Who's Akuji?" Dillan asked. "And why is he such a big deal?"

"You were in Poltress Town, correct?" Reya questioned.

"When we first joined the Guild," Hazel stated. "They tried to sacrifice us."

"Well," Ryan began. "They were doing it to revive Poltress' leader, a spiritomb named Akuji."

"A spiritomb?" Hazel asked nervously.

"You know of the pokemon?" Palkia questioned.

Hazel nodded slowly. "Spiritomb is a ghost pokemon who is said to be a combination of hundreds of souls – all of which committed horrendous crimes in their lives before they died. As a punishment for their misdeeds, they were all locked in a stone acting as a medium to keep them forever in this world." She looked Dialga in the eyes before asking, "If Akuji is a spiritomb, then how is he able to move around? The stone is only supposed to keep whatever souls that make him up trapped in the world. He shouldn't be able to move."

"The stone acts as a sort of perpetual darkness to confuse the souls trapped in the soul," Dialga explained. "More than a century ago, Giratina found a way to lead one of those lost souls out of the darkness by infusing the stone with Shadow Matter. With that, all that is needed are two lights set in the eyes of the stone to guide a soul out of the darkness. That soul becomes the leader of the hundred that reside in the stone."

"So why is that a bad thing?" Dillan asked.

"Akuji is the Enemy's strongest pokemon," Reya stated.

"Even stronger than Thalia?" Dillan questioned slowly. Reya didn't answer the gabite, but the look she gave him was enough. It was one of the most serious looks he had ever received. It made the gabite take an involuntary gulp. _That's not good…_

"And you released him!" Palkia snapped at Ryan. The pachirisu scowled at Palkia, but that was it.

"What's done is done," Dialga grumbled.

"That doesn't excuse the action!" Palkia argued. He stared at Ryan with a look of malice. "Spiritomb should not be taken lightly in the first place what with their natural abilities and life experiences. Shadow Matter being used as an enhancement makes them even more of a threat."

"I agree, but it isn't the reason we're having this meeting. Mr. Lambert still hasn't met with the Spirit."

Palkia looked at Dialga for a few seconds before sighing. "After this, we will need to discuss how to go about dealing with Akuji."

"Agreed," Dialga stated. "If there are no other matters that need attending to," he prodded Reya. The gardevoir shook her head, allowing Dialga to continue. The massive, quadrupedal pokemon looked towards the sky and roared. Then, the sound of a tuning fork rang throughout the room, vibrating throughout all of their heads. Dillan and Hazel pressed their respective appendages to their ears to block out the noise, yet they were the only ones. Ryan merely grimaced at the noise while Reya didn't seem affected whatsoever. Then, a massive flash of blue erupted before the pokemon, blinding them all for a second. Little spots littered Dillan's vision, hiding whatever was before him.

Then, a sort of ticklish feeling filled the front of Dillan's mind. It was almost as if someone in front of him was reaching into his brain, feeling it with its light touch. It was unsettling to say the least.

"Spirit," Dialga regarded.

"Yes, Master Dialga," a rough sort of voice said. Strangely enough, Dillan recognized the voice.

The gabite looked ahead with wide-eyed shock as the spots began to dissipate. There, standing in front of him, was a bipedal pokemon with red fur and a white underbelly. Its white paws with black claws reached out towards Dillan in a friendly gesture. A friendly smile with soft, blue eyes greeted the gabite with familiarity.

"My Paladin," Lily regarded Dillan.

"Lily?" Dillan asked in a mixture of pure joy and relief.

The lycanroc nodded at the gabite. "It's me," she said.

Dillan was about to say something along the lines of, "It's great to see you", but he stopped himself. Upon closer inspection of the lycanroc, he noticed a wide scar along the bridge of her muzzle. _Did she… fight with Thalia?_

"How did you get away from Thalia?" Dillan asked the lycanroc. "I thought you were going to sacrifice yourself to save your tribe."

Lily looked towards Dillan with a sad smile. "Did they make it out alive?" she questioned.

"I… don't know…" Dillan admitted.

The lycanroc gave a stifled laugh before looking towards the floor. "Don't feel bad. I didn't truly expect you to know of their fate. It was only wishful thinking." Lily took a deep breath and closed her eyes, seemingly steeling her emotions. "To answer your question, I went straight to Thalia and confronted her as I said I would. From there, I distracter her and hopefully bought my tribe enough time to escape. From there, Thalia ended my life."

"But… you're here," Dillan said slowly. "You can't be dead."

"I am as dead as all of the keepers before me," Lily stated.

"It is as I told you before," Palkia stated. A spirit is not bound by the laws of the mortal world. Here, it is able to move freely. In your world, it exists as an inhabitant of the Sapphire Star."

"Lily's body is dead," Dialga stated. "Yet her spirit is still needed in this world."

Dillan looked at Lily with confusion, expecting her to say it was a joke or something. But she merely smiled sadly at him. _Then she's really dead…_ Guilt rushed into Dillan's mind. He turned away from the lycanroc, not being able to face her. _If I stayed, I could've helped… Maybe I could have saved you…_

" _That isn't true,"_ Lily's voice echoed in Dillan's head. Looking downwards, he noticed the Sapphire Star began to glow as she spoke, then stopped when she fell silent.

"Are you speaking through the Sapphire?" Dillan asked, still not looking Lily in the eyes.

"Dillan," Lily began. "You must understand that the Sapphire Star and its Paladin are connected just as much as a lycanroc's howls with the night sky. They are meant to be with each other, communicating on a personal level. Although a simple howl in the dark pales in comparison to the Sapphire and its Paladin."

"She can't be the spirit," Hazel stated flatly. "From what Dillan's relayed to me, you guys said that the Spirit can guide him through a pull, and that's happened while Lily was alive."

"That is making the assumption that I was the only spirit to have inhabited the Star," Lily stated. "The one who previously inhabited the Star was my predecessor and grandfather: Edward Raksha. He guided you back to Poltress. He was also the one who urged you to leave Howling Plains."

"Then is he still in the Sapphire Star?" Hazel questioned.

"No. The old spirit leaves when he or she can be replaced by the successor. This time, I was the one replacing the old Spirit."

"Spirit," Dialga stated.

Lily didn't make any hesitation, turning quickly on her heels from the group to face Dialga before saying, "Yes, Master Dialga?"

"First of all, we need you to teach the gabite how to communicate with you using the Sapphire Star. You have been informed of your role in this fight, correct?"

"I am to inform the Paladin of whatever he wishes to know regarding the Enemy," Lily said, continuing to bow to Dialga. "I am also to relay any further orders either of you wish to carry out."

"She is a smart one," Palkia said to Dialga.

"Thank you," Lily said with a smile curled at the end of her lip.

"In that case, you are dismissed." Dialga looked at Dillan before stating, "As for you, your mission is still to find the Eevee Tribe and recruit them for the cause. Reya will accompany you on this task and-"

"Master Dialga," Reya interrupted, stepping ahead of the group and bowing. "If I may be so bold as to interrupt, I need to speak with you about my continued support of the cause."

The whole room fell silent, looking at Reya with confusion. Even Dialga and Palkia seemed befuddled by Reya's statement.

"Yes?" Palkia asked.

"I must inform you that I have no intention of going back to Ganderosa."

"What?" Dillan asked in shock.

"This is arrogance in its finest!" Palkia said with resentment. "You think you have a say in this matter, even after what you did for the Enemy?! You should be thankful that we even considered your proposition to join in this cause!"

"Excuse me for saying this," Reya began calmly. "But for nearly a year, I've done nothing but sacrifice for this cause, constantly putting myself in jeopardy. Before, it was being hunted by Thalia. Then it was the Guild. And then, enduring torture and refusing to give up the door's location. I have done nothing but sacrifice and put my own life on the line for this cause. I even lost my left eye for you both. And it isn't like I don't want to fight for a better world. What I want is to live the remainder of my life in that world. I want to live my life in peace."

Dillan was shocked. She talked about quitting on the ship, but she seemed so serious. Earlier, she was submissive with these pokemon. But today, she challenged them openly, even after Palkia's scolding. It just further enforced in the gabite's mind how broken she was.

"And what would you suggest doing?" Dialga questioned forcefully. "You are supposed to protect the gabite and make sure he doesn't fall into the Enemy's hands! You are to safe-guard Ganderosa's future through Mr. Lambert, yet you want to quit!"

"If I may, Master Dialga," Lily said, walking to Reya's side. "From hat I understand, Reya has given her mental and physical wellbeing to this cause to try and pay for her wrongdoings during her time with the Enemy. In my opinion, she has done exactly that. If she wishes to preserve what ever future she has left, why take that from her?"

"We are not taking it if she has already given it to us," Palkia said.

"Master Palkia, if I may speak freely." Lily walked further towards the pokemon, reaching the edge of the circular platform. The lycanroc began speaking with the pink and blue pokemon in a barely audible voice. No one could hear what they were saying, though the two giant pokemon seemed to be taking whatever Lily said into consideration, talking it over with each other in a hushed tone.

 _What are you saying to them?_ the gabite wondered, not expecting an answer. Then the Sapphire flashed, and Lily's voice echoed in Dillan's head.

" _If Reya no longer wishes to give her all, then she becomes a liability. Forcing her to continue on this path is reckless. That is all I am saying."_

 _I… didn't expect you to answer that…_ Dillan couldn't tell, but somehow, he could almost guess Lily found that comment amusing. Was she enjoying being in his head?

Lily bowed to the pokemon and began walking back to the group. Dialga waited for her to rejoin before he spoke, saying, "We have come to a decision."

"Reya," Palkia began. "We have decided that if you wish to stay back from the fight and remain here, you may do so."

Reya smiled slightly at this statement. Giving a sigh of relief, she bowed to the pokemon before stating, "You misunderstand. I only wish to remain here, but I still want to fight."

"And I thought _we_ were the confusing ones…" Palkia grumbled. "Turns out mortals are even more mind-boggling…"

"I have a plan," Reya stated. "Although, I do not wish to reveal it at this point in time." She shot Ryan a quick glance, making it clear to Dillan that she didn't want the pachirisu to know about whatever idea she had.

"That is another tangent as it is," Dialga said, closing his eyes and lowering his head in annoyance. "For now, why don't we decide who will be going along with-"

"I'll do it!" an energetic, cheery voice shouted from behind the group. Upon turning around, Dillan found a tan, marsupial pokemon with brick-red arms, whiskers, and rounded ears bound up the stairs towards the group.

"Valery!" Fitz' voice shouted from below the stairs.

Valery ran towards the group and tackled Dillan in a hug. "Dillan!" she shouted. "I'm glad you're alright."

"V-Valery?" Dillan asked nervously, recalling the mienfoo from the Alkan Islands. "You're here?"

"Of course, I am!" Valery said with a smile. "Where else would I be?"

"Val!" Fitz shouted, her head poking up from the steps. When she reached the top, she walked forwards towards the group. "What are you doing?"

"I'm volunteering for duty!" Valery shouted at Fitz.

"A war is no place for a child," Dialga said.

Valery looked around and pursed her lips together in irritation. "Well, _excuuuse_ me!" she said sassily. "But in case you're just that thick, no one here's even eighteen: therefore, all children! And I'm tougher than Dillan! Might I remind you that _I_ was actually trained!"

"Valery," Hazel began, shaking her head. "I'm not sure it's such a good idea for you to go."

"I'm going whether you like it or not!" Valery said.

"No, you are not!" Fitz shouted.

"Why not?" Dillan asked. "I mean, this is her world, too. Shouldn't she have the right to fight for it?"

Fitz stopped for a few seconds, staring at Dillan in disbelief. "You do realize that she could die if she goes with you, making her life your responsibility? For a pokemon that does not even trust himself in a fight, _that_ should scare you more than anything."

 _Oh…_ Dillan felt the back of his neck getting hotter. She made a great point.

"It doesn't matter!" Valery shouted. "It's _my_ life, and I refuse to sit back anymore!" She turned towards Fitz and said, "By the way, you can come if you're _so_ worried about me."

"I concur with the idea," Palkia stated.

Dialga turned to his compatriot, wearing a look of murder so fierce, it made him seem like even a practical joke could set him off on a murderous rampage. Palkia met his gaze, creating what seemed like the first titan staring contest.

 _They have to be having some sort of psychic conversation._

 _"Telepathic, actually,"_ Lily said in Dilan's head. Dillan looked over at her with a bit of confusion, but also some fascination. Lily met his gaze and smiled once more. _"Just ask me anything and I will probably have the answer."_

 _Then how about… what are they fighting about?_ Dillan looked back towards Dialga and Palkia, staring at them with curiosity. Their facial features continued shifting as they had what could only be viewed as the most silent shouting ever.

 _"I'm sure that if they wanted you to know, they would be having this… debate… vocally."_

Dialga and Palkia both faced the group simultaneously, neither of them looking happy with whatever was said: or in this case, thought.

"She will not listen to us, will she?" Dialga asked.

"Not likely," Fitz said with horror. "But that is why you would force-"

"Valery," Palkia said over Fitz. "You may join Mr. Lambert in his search."

"Not happening!" Fitz roared.

"Uh…" Dillan began. "I'm… not sure that's-"

"Have some faith in me!" Valery said cheerfully to the gabite, winking as she did so.

"This is not up for debate," Palkia stated. "She will join the journey, but she will not be caught up in any fight. If a fight does happen to arise, Valery will stand back and let Mr. Lambert and Ms. Fitz fight. I'm sure the two of you will be enough to fight anyone who-"

"N. O," Fitz said flatly. "Firstly, you were the ones who said Valery was to be kept safe. Secondly, I did not sign up to fight for this country!"

"Come on, Trin," Valery urged, grabbing Fitz by the arm. "I'm going whether you like it or not! If you want to protect me, come with!"

"Hang on," Hazel interrupted, squinting her eyes as she waved her hands for everyone's attention. "Why didn't you include me as a pokemon who can fight?"

"You will not be a part of the group," Palkia said.

"Not part…" Dillan began. "No, Hazel's coming with us."

"I agree," Hazel stated.

"Well, we don't," Dialga and Palkia said together.

"You are still a rogue element," Dialga stated. "We still have no clue how you achieved your ability, meaning we have no idea whether it is harmful or not."

"I'm going on that mission whether you like it or not!" Hazel insisted.

"No, you aren't," Lily stated. "Three is enough for this menial task. Besides: the masters have another use for you."

"Alright," Hazel said reluctantly, scowling at Dialga and Palkia. "Let's hear it."

"Mr. Lambert needs training in how to be a leader," Dialga began. "He also requires lessons in fighting. The best way to achieve both is to bring in a pokemon who is skilled in both aspects."

"And you want me to find someone who can do it?" Hazel asked. "That's not going to be possible considering we're probably outlaws as-is. I can't think that everyone qualified to teach a beginner to lead an army would dumb enough to overlook us being traitors."

"Yet there is still one who would not care, correct?" Palkia asked.

Hazel looked at the pokemon like she was confused for a few seconds, then a look of wide-eyed realization took over, followed by shock. "You're insane! He'll never help after what we did to him!"

"Who?" Dillan asked in confusion.

"Aw, son of a… beedrill!" Ryan exclaimed loudly.

"We have talked it over, and Ignitus Blaine is the only option left," Dialga stated.

Dillan adopted Hazel's look of horror as he realized what they wanted. "The leader of Team Armageddon?" he asked. "That Ignitus Blaine? You want _him_ to train me?"

"Ignitus is a skilled leader," Dialga stated. "He has also taken an obvious stance against the Enemy, giving us a common goal."

"Aw!" Hazel groaned, pressing her paws to the sides of her face. "Does that mean Team Armageddon's real purpose was to fight Giratina?"

"From Ignitus' stand-point," Reya stated. "It may very well have been the case. Then again, I don't pretend to know what swirled around in that infernape's brain. But I doubt his followers ever truly knew of such a fact. They probably believed the same thing about their group that you did: they were fighting oppression in their country."

"This is all too confusing to me…" Hazel sighed. "But I guess that's beside the point. Anyways, I'm not finding Ignitus."

"You don't have a choice," Dialga stated. "You are still seen as a threat to this group. As such, you won't be joining Mr. Lambert on his missions. Finding Ignitus jeopardizes nothing considering the Enemy is already hunting for him. Besides: it has come to our attention that one of his followers has a sense for Shadow Matter. As such, he should have no trouble with identifying you as a threat if given the proper resources."

"You can't expect her to go through with this!" Ryan snapped at Dialga. "You'll be sending her to an early grave!"

"Why do you say that?" Hazel questioned harshly, making Ryan look towards the floor in shame.

"Akuji is the one tasked with hunting Team Armageddon," Reya said grimly. "Having you search for Team Armageddon with be putting you on the same path as him, making what could be a simple search a threatening path."

"It is true that Akuji is hunting them," Palkia said. "But the way I see it, you only have two options: stay here as a prisoner until the unlikely event that we find an alternative way to learn of your allegiances, or you can find Ignitus and his remaining followers and bring them here to help in our fight, clearing you to work with Mr. Lambert. Those are your only two options. I suggest you choose."

The option was a no-brainer. Choosing Team Armageddon was too big of a risk. They couldn't risk losing Hazel. And having Ignitus on their side seemed like an awful decision. The last time he'd seen Ignitus, the infernape had a look of murderous intent. It was a shock he left the gabite alive. He didn't want to consider what kind of awful circumstance Hazel would find herself in if she found them. He might actually kill one of them this time around.

"Who's the other pokemon you want me to find?" Hazel asked calmly.

"You're considering this?" Dillan asked in shock. "Ignitus will kill you."

Hazel sighed and shook her head. "I haven't agreed to it," she explained. "I only want all of the information."

Dillan opened his mouth as if to say something but didn't. She was considering this which made him feel very uneasy, but she was right in saying she hadn't agreed to it yet. "Alright," he stated.

"The other pokemon is one you have met before," Palkia began. "A shiny charizard that goes by the name of Titus."

Dilan felt his heart skip a beat. His eyes drifted towards hazel's scars that were etched across her chest. Hazel's paw seemed to find its way over the scars, as well. Her upper lip began to twitch ever so slightly at Titus' name.

"You think Titus is an expert on Shadow Matter?" Hazel asked slowly.

"No one ever said he was an expert," Palkia said. "We only said that he was able to sense Shadow Matter. His abilities to sense Shadow Matter are unrivaled."

"As we stated before," Dialga began. "With the proper resources, Titus will be able to tell us what we need to know."

"And why would he give up that information freely?" Hazel questioned. "What makes you think Ignitus is even going to say yes and train Dillan?"

"Achieving goals," Dialga stated. "Ignitus' only motivation is to rid the world of Giratina. With the collapse of Team Armageddon, any hopes of achieving that goal on his own have been quashed. Joining us will be the only option he has.

"As for Titus, we believe he will come of his own volition. The pokemon has, in fact, shown an interest in Shadow Matter. Coming here will be the fastest way to gain the information he seeks."

Hazel stopped, contemplating what the pokemon had said to her. "Is there anything else I need to know?" she asked, her tail-flame flickering wildly as she thought.

"There is nothing that we haven't already told you," Palkia stated.

"Then give me some time to think about it," Hazel asked. "It's… a lot to consider."

Palkia raised an eyebrow at Hazel before saying, "Very well. Take all the time you need."

"In that case, we should be off," Lily stated with a bow. She turned around and walked towards Fitz and Valery. "Come along if you wish. Otherwise, don't follow." She then turned to Dillan and smiled at him.

"What?" Dillan asked nervously. "What's with that look?"

"I'll explain later," Lily stated. "For now, all you need to know is that I will not be physically accompanying you from here on out. If you wish to speak with me, it will have to be through the Sapphire Star."

"How does that work, again?"

"All you need to do is tap it twice, then concentrate. At that point, I will be connected with you for a short period of time before you need to repeat the process."

"That's not really what I meant," Dillan admitted as he rubbed the shaft of his claw nervously.

"I know," Lily said with a bow. With that, she vanished in a flash of blue light.

Dillan looked on in wonder at where the lycanroc use to be standing. This was all too weird for him. Magic crystals was enough. Now he had to deal with spirits inhabiting stones, beings from alternate dimensions, and a fight that's lasted centuries that he still didn't fully understand.

"If that's finished," Valery said quickly turning on her heels to face a scowling hakamo-o. "You still haven't said whether you'll be joining us or not!"

"Because I have no intention of going," Fitz said defiantly, crossing her arms and sticking her nose into the air.

Valery looked at her for a few second of disbelief before shrugging and walking towards Palkia. "Fine," she said. "Don't come."

"That _is_ the plan," Fitz said.

"Good," Valery said.

"Fine," Fitz stated as though it was a counter.

"Palkia," Valery said. "A portal to Kerroshia, if you would be so kind."

Palkia scowled at Valery. "I don't take orders from commanding little girls," he said shortly.

"Don't be like that!" Valery said with a smile. "Haven't we had enough fun with each other to know that I don't really mean to be bossy?"

Palkia stood there for a few seconds before his arm began glowing pink. He slashed through the air, and almost immediately after, a pink circle with what appeared to be a pink liquid inside, formed vertically out of thin air.

"That portal will take you to Oasis City in Kerroshia. From there, I suggest traveling north towards Quicksand Coast. At this time of year, it is the preferred hunting ground of the Eevee Tribe. If you're lucky, that's where they'll be."

"So just walk through the portal?" Dillan asked.

"And the journey begins!" Valery answered the gabite. She darted towards the portal and jumped at it, flipping as she did so. Right before she entered the portal, she made an upside-down wink at Fitz who wore a look of horror.

"Val!" she shouted after the mienfoo, but it was already too late. Valery faded through the pink liquid and out of sight. Fitz stared at the portal for a few seconds before sighing. "Dang it…" she said through a sigh.

To Dillan's surprise, the hakamo-o walked towards the portal and into it, disappearing in a less-impressive fashion that Valery, yet still to the same results.

"We wish you luck on your expedition," Dialga said to the gabite.

"May Arceus smile upon you," Palkia stated.

 _They expect me to go through the portal… but…_ The gabite stared at it with a mixture of fear and dread. He looked towards Hazel who stared back with a look of sadness.

"This is good bye, isn't it?" Hazel asked.

"I… guess it is…" Dillan said, looking downwards with discontent. He knew this was the only option, and at this point he was prolonging the inevitable, yet he didn't want to leave Hazel. This time, he'd be without Team Rapture. Sure, it wasn't the first time, but he still couldn't imagine what hardships were ahead of him and how he would be able to deal with them without his teammate. They'd relied on each other so much over the past few months that he didn't know if he could stop.

Dillan felt a calloused, scaly paw squeeze his arm lightly. "You'll be fine," Hazel said to the gabite.

"Yeah…" Dillan said half-heartedly to the charmeleon.

"No, I'm serious," Hazel insisted, squeezing harder. "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for, Dillan. You might not see it, but everyone else does."

"Fitz?" Dillan asked.

"Fitz has reasons for attacking you," Reya began. "But none of them are valid. I've seen you leave everything behind for the hopes of doing something good. That alone should show you that you _are_ strong enough to do this."

Dillan said nothing. Their reasons sounded valid, but they didn't seem to ease his worries. _I… I'm not sure…_

 _"No one else understands you better than yourself,"_ Lily's voice echoed in Dillan's head. _"Therefore, you are the only one who can cure your self-doubts."_

 _Uh… how?_ Dillan thought nervously, looking down at the glowing crystal around his neck. _How do I go about… doing it?_

 _"Throw yourself through the portal. Any challenge that you face will present a new opportunity to prove to yourself how strong you are. It may take time but continuing to do so will build your self-confidence."_

Dillan thought about Lily's words. _You're right… I'm not trusting myself. And no one seems to think I have a reason not to… so I'll do it. I'll build my self-confidence and fight on._

Dillan nodded in an attempt at looking confident, though he felt nervous about the whole thing. He was to embark once again on a journey without the pokemon he relied on. But it was fine. If he needed to, he could rely on Lily for advice and turn to Valery or Fitz for help. Sure, it would be completely different. Their personalities and attitudes would probably create an entirely new team dynamic: one Dillan wasn't used to. But he needed to trust in himself that it would turn out alright.

"Hazel-" Dillan started, but he was cut off by the sudden and tight squeeze of Hazel's embrace. She had to stand on the balls of her feet to meet his height, but that didn't concern Dillan. In fact, the warmth of Hazel's body seemed to sap all of his worries away leaving a fuzzy feeling inside of him that he couldn't explain. He looked down at her with a little awkwardness, unsure of what she was doing.

"You'll be fine," Hazel assured the gabite. "And don't worry about being alone. I'll make sure to finish my mission fast, alright?"

Dillan's eyes widened as he realized what she was saying. "Hazel-"

"You can't convince me to stay here," Hazel said calmly. "I've… been keeping this a secret, but I'm terrified of whatever this 'Shadow Matter' stuff did to me…"

"What are you talking about?" Dillan asked.

"Don't worry about it," Hazel said. "It's probably nothing, but I need to be sure, and Titus is the only one who can tell me whether I should be scared of this or not."

"He'll kill you," Dillan said to Hazel.

"Do you trust me, Dillan?" Hazel asked.

"Of course, I do."

"Then trust me to do this." Hazel pulled her head back, looking into Dillan's yellow eyes with a pleading gaze. "Tell me that you won't hate me for doing this."

"I'm not going to hate you for this," Dillan assured. "I just… think it's an awful idea…"

"I promise you I won't die," Hazel assured.

Dillan stared into her chestnut-brown eyes and saw nothing but sincerity. He knew she couldn't sit back and do nothing. That wasn't Hazel. She was a pokemon of action, and he understood that.

"Alright," Dillan said with a nod. "I trust you."

"Thank you," Hazel said with a bright smile, hugging him tighter than before. She then let go of the gabite and – not turning away from him – walked away with a thankful look.

 _"You should head through the portal, now,"_ Lily's voice said.

"Alright," Dillan nodded. He waved good bye to Hazel and Reya but stopped when his eyes set on Ryan. The pachirisu looked at him with sadness and a sort of longing in his eyes. He began to wonder whether Ryan wanted to come. He did look sad to be paring, but he hadn't said anything to the gabite since the ship. Dillan began to wonder whether he'd pushed him too hard.

 _No…_ He turned from the group and looked towards the pink portal before him. _Ryan's on Dialga and Palkia's bad side. Coming would risk his life. And besides… could I completely trust him after what had happened?_

"Alright…" Dillan repeated. He took a deep breath, readying himself one more for the journey ahead. Finally, he took his next step, plunging his body into the portal, leaving his old group behind.

* * *

As soon as his foot touched the liquid, Dilan was consumed in a mass of pink, shining liquid. Each nerve in the gabite's body tingled from the moment he stepped into the portal. It was as if a thousand feathers were brushing against every inch of his body. The strangest thing about it all was the feeling of falling, but it wasn't pulling him down. Instead, it felt like gravity was dragging him forwards.

He couldn't say how long he was in the pink expanse. It could have been seconds, minutes, hours. For some reason, this portal was messing with his internal clock. Then, everything stopped as the warm feeling of the sunlight bounced off of his navy-blue scales.

"Woah…" Dillan exclaimed. His head spun from the experience and he was wobbling back and forth.

"Fun, right?" Valery exclaimed.

When the dizziness stopped, Dillan found he was in the middle of an alley-way. The only light that fell through the cracks of the surrounding, yellowed-stone buildings were touching his head and ending just below the shoulders. Looking skywards, Dillan found the sun was very bright, forcing him to shut his eyes despite not even looking directly at it. Behind the gabite was the pink portal he had just gone through.

"Kerroshia?" Dillan guessed, looking at the sand-stone buildings surrounding him. "But we were just in the Alkan Territory." _Does that mean… Palkia's strong enough to teleport us across Ganderosa itself?_

"I mean, yeah," Fitz stated as she squinted to the sky, holding her left paw above her eyes to block the sun. "The lack of moisture in the air should tip you off. Though I guess you would not notice it seeing as you are a ground-type. And all that is said ignoring the fact that this is the exact place Palkia said he would send us."

"So, what now?" the mienfoo asked with delight, looking towards the end of the alley-way.

As soon as Valery finished, a massive vibrational hum started emanating from the portal. Looking behind, the gabite noticed the pink waves beginning to ripple wildly.

"What's… it doing?" Dillan said cautiously.

"Fitz?" Valery asked, looking to the hakamo-o for answers.

"No one is supposed to be following us," Fitz said with a grimace. She brought her paws out, her scales glowing as if readying herself for an attack.

Then, a loud, "Pop" sound came from the portal and out rolled a dirt-covered, white ball with a light-blue stripe down the middle. It continued its path before coming to a stop at Dillan's feet, where it opened up, revealing Ryan's dizzy body.

"I'll never get use to that…" Ryan complained aloud.

"Ryan?" Dillan questioned with surprise, feeling conflicting emotions of confusion and joy flow through his head.

"You little…" Fitz snarled, shoving Dillan to the side before grabbing Ryan by the shoulders and pressing him against the wall forcefully. "You weren't supposed to be here!"

Ryan looked at Fitz with a massive scowl. "Get your hand off of me right now or-"

"Try me, you little whelp!" Fitz said coldly.

"Hey!" Dillan and Valery both called out.

"Stay out of th-" Fitz began before a gush of blue electricity surrounded her body. She grimaced and shook from the jolt, dropping a sparking Ryan to the floor. He quickly moved around her and towards the opposite end of the alley-way.

"Y-you…" Fitz stuttered, holding her head as she tried to recover from the sudden shock. She gave a quick shake before she reared on Ryan, pouncing towards him with a glowing fist.

Dillan instinctively threw himself in front of Fitz' attack, focusing on his fins as he did so before blocking her strike. The two attacks collided, sending white particles of energy towards the walls around them.

"Stop!" Dillan shouted nervously at Fitz. But she didn't seem ready to listen. She seemed to be intent with pushing on Dillan's attack, forcing him to brace himself with his left leg.

"He is _not_ supposed to be here!" Fitz shouted. "He is going against the plan and is putting us all at risk doing so!"

"Get out of the way, Dillan!" Ryan demanded, getting into a readied stance. "If she wants to fight me, then let her!"

"Ryan!" Dillan yelled. "Not helping!"

"Trin!" Valery cried. "Knock it off!"

"This does not concern you, Valery!" Fitz scolded. "Stay out of this!"

"But-" Valery began.

"Everyone just calm down!" Dillan yelled, feeling the strain in his arms as he continued to hold Fitz in place.

"I am not afraid to hurt you," Fitz snarled. "So get out of my way!"

"Fitz!" Valery screamed, squinting as she did so. "Stop!"

Fitz looked away from Dillan and towards Valery. As she did so, her expression softened into a look of horrific realization. Valery was snarling with the rest of them, pointing her anger towards Fitz. The hakamo-o looked towards Dillan, then around to Ryan. She snarled before dropping her attack. She then stamped her foot in anger before sticking a finger towards the gabite. "This is the last time I want to tell you! He is a loose-cannon, and a threat to all of us! It would be better to kill him where he stands rather than allow him to become a liability!" Fitz dropped her finger and walked away towards the end of the alley-way.

"Where are you going?" Dillan asked.

"I have no allegiances to Dialga or Palkia," Fitz said coldly. "Therefore, I am choosing to opt out of this suicide mission before it kills us all."

"Trin!" Valery called. But Fitz had no intention of listening. She just continued to walk down the path before turning the corner and fading from sight.

Valery was about to go after her, but hesitated. She then looked backwards towards Dillan before her head and ears drooped. She then looked towards the end of the alley with sadness.

Dillan shook his head, directing his attention towards Ryan. "Why are you here?" he asked.

Ryan shook his head before stating, "You really think I'm going to sit this one out?"

"Dialga and Palkia will kill you," Dillan said. "You're risking your life."

"It's mine to risk," Ryan shrugged. "Besides: I know them better than you. Unless they're told to interfere, they won't. So as long as I don't go to their 'Elysia' again, I'm fine."

"You drove her off!" Valery shouted at Ryan, looming above him by a foot. "Why'd you even come?!"

"And you are?" Ryan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Valery G," Valery stated shortly. "The G. stands for 'get out of here'!"

"Hang on," Dillan said, putting himself to the side of the two smaller pokemon. He felt awkward as he stood there, towering above the pokemon.

"Trinity's right!" Valery said to Dillan. "This guy's a delinquent and a… liberty…" She looked down at the floor in thought as she tried to recall the word Fitz had used before shaking her head. "You know what I mean!"

"And Fitz isn't?" Ryan asked. "She's constantly mad at Dillan to the point of attacking him here and now just to get to me. If you ask me, she's one shove away from killing him. It's probably for the best that she's gone."

"Th-that's different!" Valery shouted nervously. "And… And Trin wouldn't abandon me like that! She cares about me too much to leave me with _you_! She'll be back!"

"Sure, she will," Ryan said with a sarcastic roll of his eyes.

"Hey, you three!" a pokemon's voice rung out.

The three pokemon looked towards the voice. There, blocking the end of the alley-way, stood three pokemon Dillan didn't recognize.

The first one was a small, quadrupedal, brown lion-like pokemon. Its short muzzle, rounded ears, small paws, and puffy tail were all tan. The pokemon's big-round eyes were centered on the group of pokemon with concern.

Behind the litleo stood a tall, quadrupedal, purple pokemon with yellow spots that's centers were filled with purple. The pokemon had to have had the longest tail Dillan had ever seen in his life, stretching upwards about two feet above the pokemon before curling downwards to what appeared to be a scythe hanging on the end. The pokemon's paws, underbelly, and muzzle were all yellow while it had flares of pink fur just above its whiskers, centered around the eyes before stretching up towards its pointed ears.

The third pokemon who stood just to the left of the liepard was a quadrupedal that, for some reason, made Dillan feel very uneasy. It was the strangest thing, considering the pokemon's entire body seemed as smooth as silk what with the pastille colors. Bows were tied to the pokemon's neck and left ear, yet the ends stretched around its body, floating in the air in a strange, almost mystical fashion. The bows themselves were white with light pink touching the middle and striped at the ends before fading with a blue. The pink mirrored the pokemon's tail, paws, long ears, and the fur on the pokemon's head, making it look as though it had hair.

The litleo, liepard, and sylveon each had a red and polka dot buff tied to their front, left ankles. Dillan felt his heart stop as he noticed the explorer's badges pinned to their buffs. _Guildmembers…_

"You three are disturbing the peace," the liepard stated with a voice as smooth as silk, yet as demanding as Thalia's. "I suggest you take your squabbling elsewhere." Dillan saw the litleo's eyes widen before he got down on his front paws, the small tuft of fire on his head growing brighter.

"Yeah?" Ryan asked, eyeing the group cautiously.

"I know you guys!" the litleo said with a snarl. "You're the two traitors who escaped Jarondai!"

Dillan grimaced at the statement. He knew it probably wasn't the best reaction given the circumstances, but how else was he supposed to react? _Not five minutes outside of Dialga and Palkia's dimension, and we're already targeted?! How did they even know what we looked like?!_

The liepard's expression grew into a smile as she realized her friend was correct. The sylveon decided to take on a more defensive expression as she realized her friends were correct. She mirrored the litleo in stance as her ribbons stretched outwards.

"They have a hostage…" the sylveon said as she looked towards Valery.

"Hostage?" Valery said with annoyance. "I'm not stupid enough to be a hostage to these bozos!"

"Then she's with them!" the litleo called out. "Fine by me!"

"Hang on a minute," Ryan said to the guildmembers, holding out his paws. "We're not who you think we are."

"You are Ryan Simon and Dillan," the liepard stated. "Both of you are guildmembers who turned on the monarchy. That makes you traitors to Ganderosa itself."

"Uh…" Dillan began. "I'm… shocked you know about us…"

"You know," Ryan began. "Technically, the monarchy turned on us-" A flash of white light shot out of the sylveon's ribbons, striking the ground at Ryan's feet. The pachirisu looked at the sylveon with a bit of annoyance. "Seriously?!"

"You've got a lot of nerve showing your faces here!" the litleo said with spunk. "Didn't you hear? This is the town of Team Dark Flare!"

Valery looked at the group with a raised eyebrow. "That's gotta be the dumbest, most unoriginal name I've ever heard."

"Get use to it," the liepard said. "Because I imagine you'll be cursing it frequently when you're behind bars."

Ryan began pressing his paws against each other as he popped his knuckles. "If you know who we are, then you should also know that you're gonna lose."

"And why is that?" the liepard asked.

"Ever heard of the Team Armageddon attack on the Alkan Island's Guild?" the pachirisu questioned.

"That isn't possible!" the sylveon shouted.

Ryan shook his head. "Then I guess you _wouldn't_ know how powerful we are…"

"Hang on," Dillan said, raising his claws in a passive stance. "We haven't done anything!"

"Sure, you haven't," the liepard stated. "Just like you weren't invited personally to Jarondai Island as potential Royal Guards before attacking the King in a badly planned assassination attempt. You also didn't kill three royal guards, steal Judah's personal ship, and escape justice?"

"I-I mean, we did take his ship… But we never killed anyone!"

"Lies!" the sylveon shouted.

"Look," Valery stated. "If they've really killed three royal guards, what makes you think three guildmembers are going to be any better?"

The three pokemon all looked at Valery with shock. Looks of recognition hit their faces before they turned to themselves as if questioning whether this was truly the right call to make.

"Stop!" the litleo shouted. "They're just trying to psyche us out!"

"No," Ryan said. "The girl has a point."

"Enough of this useless banter!" the liepard demanded. "We of Team Dark Flare will end you here and now."

"Once we do," the sylveon began. "We will be declared heroes of Ganderosa!"

"That's not how this is gonna work," Ryan said, dropping to his front paws as he readied himself for battle.

"Try us!" the litleo called.

"There's no escaping this, is there?" Dillan asked the pachirisu."

"Consider them a warm-up," Ryan said confidently to the gabite.

"I'll take the liepard!" Valery stated. "Dillan, you take the litleo while Ryan can take the sylveon."

"I thought I was leading this," Dillan said as he focused on his fins, crating his "dragon claw" attack.

"You are," Valery said. "But I wanna give the leader thing a whack!" The mienfoo walked up towards the guildmembers before turning her body, raising her paws in a stereotypical karate stance. "So, bite me!"

Dillan shook his head. As much as he felt he should be taking charge, a bigger part of him could care less. He had bigger issues to deal with: namely the enemy team in front of them. He was shocked and frustrated that word had gotten out so quickly about them being against Judah. It just further enforced the ever-lurking fact that the entire world was against them. But what more could he do?

The gabite brought his fins up in front of him, readying himself for the fight ahead. As the sun disappeared behind the buildings, casting their shadows across the group, the two opposing teams rushed in, ready to beat the other senseless to achieve their goals.


	46. Fears of the Flame

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 46

Fears of the Flame

* * *

Hours had passed since Hazel had taken her first steps though the pink portal and into the harsh, unforgiving world. She found herself on the familiar stretch of road leading to the town ahead. With her usual brown bag at her side and the black cloak over her head, the charmeleon recalled the conversation with Reya before she had entered the portal.

"I have to go back," she told the gardevoir. "The only pokemon who have the slightest chance of finding Team Armageddon is in Palando."

"And what of the Guild?" Reya's words echoed through her head. They seemed stuck to her brain like a catchy tune about dread.

 _What about them?_ she thought, wringing the strap of her bag as grim feelings threatened to force her in the opposite direction. _They're only pokemon I use to work with; pokemon I ate with, laughed with, made memories with._

Hazel looked ahead at the buildings encircling Palando's border. She was close enough to the town that the hollering shop-keepers and laughing of children ringed through her head, if only barely. With these sounds came sadness. These were the pokemon she protected, yet they would probably see her as an outlaw: another guildmember-turned-traitor, just like the Armageddons.

It curved her thoughts back towards the Guild and its members. _Wallace would probably turn me in to get closer to becoming a Royal Guard. Jess would probably turn me in for a laugh. And after backstabbing me in Ferricia, I'd be surprised if Dean and Hailey thought twice about turning me in. Adelina isn't a part of the Guild anymore… But Bolt…_

She recalled the upbeat pikachu and his confident grin. _I can trust Bolt… which makes him my only way to find her._

Hazel glanced towards the east, noting the setting sun. Its crest wasn't low enough to possess the blue skies with orange hues, but it was noticeable enough to tell the daylight was reaching its end. _Judging by the time, Bolt's probably fighting in the Palando Arena. But with the amount of pokemon that go there to watch him, someone's bound to recognize me talking to him, then identify me as an old guildmember. After that, I'd probably be reported, then the whole Guild would be on top of me. I need another option._

Hazel racked her brain as the dirt road beneath shifted to the cobblestone paths of Palando. She was then surrounded in Palando's buildings and bustle of its many of pokemon hat walked the streets. There weren't enough pokemon to completely surround Hazel, but there were enough that the charmeleon had to divide her attention in order to keep from bumping into anyone. She let go of the strap, allowing it to catch on her shoulder, before pulling the sides of the worn cloak loosely around her body with one hand, preventing anyone from knowing who she was. The other hand was gripping her tail: partly from worry, but mostly to make sure it didn't trail under the cloak, instantly revealing her species.

The charmeleon glanced at each stranger who walked by. Some gave her side-ways glances before continuing onwards with their daily routines, while others were oblivious to her presence, though it didn't stop Hazel's heart from thumping against her ribs. She recalled all of the books she had read on hunting fugitives, knowing that she was now one of those pokemon she had sworn to stop.

 _Focus!_ Hazel scolded herself, scowling at her wandering thoughts. _I need to find Bolt!_ She continued to walk whilst thinking vigorously about a solution. _The Guild's no-good. The Arena is only slightly better. So where can I find him?_

Hazel stopped in the middle of the road, looking around for any sort of clue to the answer she sought. But all she saw were passersby, shops, and an assortment of buildings whose roofs were tiled with yellow. Nothing of value could be seen.

Hazel took a hard gulp, realizing she had one option. _The only places I can be sure to find Bolt in are the Arena and the Guild. Which means… the Arena…_

"And then I kicked him in the teeth!" a strong voice called from behind the charmeleon.

"No way!" a second voice rung out above the rest.

Hazel's heart stopped beating as she realized those voices were too familiar. She merely peeked towards the rear, looking at the group of three through the corner of her eye. There, walking straight towards her, was a machoke who wore a pompous smirk. Hanging off of his shoulder was a starry-eyed haunter. They were both trailing behind a big, black and white bird with an orange beak that's head reached a little below the machoke's beefy neck. It also had a tuft of red feathers jutting from its forehead before gravity pulled them over the pokemon's left eye like bangs.

The staraptor in front threw Hazel off for merely a second before fear of recognition overtook her. The charmeleon ducked in a dark and damp alley-way to the left to avoid being seen by Team Force. What felt like minutes went by with the charmeleon trying desperately to keep her worry in check. She stared out at the pathway before Team Force passed her completely, not aware of her existence.

As they left her view, she felt relief's warmth spread through her body. She began taking deep and steady breaths. _Calm down, Hazel… They didn't recognize you. You're fine…_

Hazel's shoulder loosened for only a second before what felt like a rough paw grabbed her, thrusting her deeper into the alley-way. She struggled to keep her balance, only managing three steps before diving head-first into a small puddle of water. She felt her chin scrape against the rocky floor before she came to a stop.

"Alright, buddy," a voice called from behind. It was a deep voice, but it sounded forced: faked. "Just give us your valuables, and we won't break your legs."

Hazel pressed her paws to the stone before cocking her head backwards, finding the way to the street was being blocked by a blue pokemon who's body seemed comprised of a middle section, arms, and legs. Its eyes formed just above its body, curving slightly upwards before reaching the shoulders. Its bulbous arms and gloved-hands were rested at its sides as it walked upon short and stubby legs towards Hazel. In the middle of the pokemon, just below its slit-like nostrils, was a white blot that looked as though it was in the form of a massive, slack-jawed mouth. A black swirl curved from the center of the white blemish before reaching the edges.

"Look," Hazel said forcefully, scowling at this poliwrath-turned-attacker. "I don't want any trouble."

"And we don't want to give you any," a new voice called from Hazel's front, sounding as though it was a few feet from her form. She looked ahead just in time to see a green, yellow-toed foot collide with her lower jaw, sending her onto her back. The spike on the end of Hazel's head hit the stone, causing Hazel to shout from the tremendous amount of pain.

The charmeleon tried to ignore the pain, scowling nervously at the new pokemon. It was shorter than its companion, only about three feet in height. It was a green, bipedal pokemon with a red zigzag across its chest. The pokemon looked like a lizard with a yellow pattern around its black, marble-like eyes before stretching down to the front of its face. This pokemon also had disk-like appendages with jagged teeth where the ears might have been. The pokemon also had a long tail coiled into a swirl.

"Move again and I'll do worse," the kecleon said menacingly, getting closer to the charmeleon.

Hazel gritted her teeth, pushing through the pain. She looked down at the approaching kecleon, watching as his feet walked passed her feet towards her head. _I can't give them my bag,_ she thought worriedly through the pulsing feeling in the back of her head. _I need the supplies too badly! That leaves one option._

She swished her tail forcefully at the kecleon's feet, knocking him onto his knees before the charmeleon sprang to her feet. She barely felt the stone on her heels before the gloved fist of the poliwrath jabbed Hazel's shoulder, forcing her into the wall. Hazel managed to bring her palms ahead of her, bracing her impact. Yet as soon as she did so, she felt a grasp take hold of her head-spike before slamming her face into the wall before her. Her nose felt like a buzzer: each time it was slammed into the stone, pain shot into her body. She panted every chance she got, feeling her body lock from the hurt.

The poliwrath brought her head back once more, allowing Hazel a chance to look him in the eyes before speaking. "You think we're messing around?!" the poliwrath hissed. "We're not average thieves, kid! We're notorious criminals! And now, we're going to kill you!"

Hazel opened her jaw, allowing a blast of purple flames to douse the poliwrath. He let go of Hazel, stumbling backwards from the Dragon Pulse. Hazel took it as her chance to lunge her shoulder into the poliwrath's chest, forcing him to stumble onto his backside.

Hazel then screamed from what felt like hands grasping her brain before molding it like dough. Looking ahead, she found the kecleon was on its feet, shooting a beam of multicolored rings at the charmeleon's head. She slammed her closed fists to her head, yet she felt nothing but the overwhelming pain from the "psybeam" attack. She fell to her knees, cradling her skull to stop the agony.

"Feel that?" the kecleon snapped. "That's what you get for ignoring our warnings!"

"Say your prayers!" the poliwrath shouted as he raised to his feet. He walked along the beam of rings towards Hazel, raising his fist above her head.

Hazel felt her tail-flame flicker, about to die out. Her last bits of energy were fading with the onslaught of the two pokemon. The poliwrath drove his foot into Hazel's stomach as the kecleon continued to wring her brain like a rag. She shut her eyes tightly, grimacing in anticipation of the worst. She couldn't stop them like this. They were going to force her hand. "Please!" Hazel shouted weakly through the pain.

Then, her flame died, leaving them in the shadows of the alley-way. Her eyes widened as fear overtook her. She stared through the pain at her unlit tail as a new burst of energy exploded from her heart, bathing her body in its warmth. Hazel's eyes widened from the sudden power coursing through her body as her tail reignited in a blue burst of light and heat, driving the shadows around towards the edges of the cobblestone. The pain in her body died as a numbness seemed to overtake her. The poliwrath looked towards the flame with a bit of shock, caught off-guard by this oddity, if only for a second: though it was a second more than he could spare.

Despite the current, unending attack, Hazel leapt up, driven by this new-found vigor, and drove her fist into the poliwrath's chest. As the air was expelled through the blue pokemon's nostrils, the charmeleon let a surge of purple flame-like energy grow in her chest until it flew through her open jaws, slamming into the poliwrath. It drove him backwards into the wall, scorching an impression around him into the stone. The poliwrath gave a short cry before Hazel stopped, allowing the pokemon to fall to his knees.

She then turned her attention towards the kecleon. Hazel hadn't noticed until she looked upon the horror-stricken face, but it had stopped its attack. Its eyes darted between its comrade who was struggling to remain upright and Hazel.

"Th-that's not possible!" the kecleon stuttered. It took a quick step backwards. "We… we-"

"I didn't want any trouble," Hazel said coldly, snarling at the pokemon.

"This isn't over!" the poliwrath's voice called from behind. Hazel felt a couple of arms wrap around her arms before locking behind her head, holding her in place. Hazel grimaced upon seeing the kecleon darting towards her with its fist coiled backwards. Hazel took a deep breath, fueling the flame within. When she let the stream of flames out, it was bigger tan she had ever seen before, consuming the entirety of the alley ahead. Passersby barely managed to see the blast of heat, narrowly avoiding it as it scorched the floor. The sound of a thousand flaring candles echoed in Hazel's ears, drowning out any scream that might have been caught.

Hazel felt the energy that had flowed through her begin to vanish. She closed her mouth, allowing the flames to die, revealing the kecleon laying on the floor, barely breathing from the attack.

The arms around Hazel fell, allowing her to break away from the assailant. She looked backwards at the poliwrath who was eyeing her with the widest eyes she had ever seen.

"Wh…" the poliwrath slowly said, barely managing to get even that out.

The charmeleon continued to eye the poliwrath coldly, waiting for its next move. It took a few steps backwards before turning around and running away.

Hazel took a deep breath, allowing herself to relax now that the fight was over. As the adrenaline left her body, her legs gave away as she fell forwards onto her knees. A sudden feeling of weariness began overtaking her. _What… What's happening?_ She thought worriedly. Her eyelids grew heavy as her sight began to fade. Hazel tried to stand up, placing her paws on the ground to push herself up, but her muscles felt like jelly, surrendering to gravity as she fell onto her chest. Hazel's vision began fading into darkness. The last thing she saw was the blue light along the walls fade away as her flame died with her vision, plunging her into mental darkness.

* * *

As a blur of light came to Hazel's eye-lids, she began regaining some sense of awareness. Sounds were quiet and merged together in a whispering amalgamation of incoherent gibberish. There was also a feeling of all-consuming cold that chilled her to the bone. Hazel slowly opened her eyes, still feeling very weary: she assumed from the fight.

She found herself laying on a white, cloth-covered bed stuffed with hay. There was a white pillow rested under her head. She found her hooded cloak was draped over the back of the bed. Next to her bed was an empty, wooden chair. A lone, open doorway was in the left, cobblestone wall.

Her eyes trailed the entire room once more. Even with a second look, she couldn't identify where she was. With a bewildered expression, Hazel sat up, but her head began spinning once more. Yet she didn't let that stop her. She needed to know where she was.

The charmeleon sat up slowly this time before pulling her legs to the edge of the bed. As she did so, she realized a constricting feeling around her chest. Looking downwards, Hazel felt her heart stop. Wrapped firmly around her chest was a set of white bandages. Panic began filling her head as she realized exactly where she was.

A figure caught Hazel's widened eyes, drawing her attention back to the doorway. A quadrupedal pokemon with short, vanilla-colored fur stood there with a ruby jewel embedded in its forehead. Whiskers came off of its cheeks just below its stern eyes.

Dr. Valentine the persian seemed to be trying to say something to Hazel, but noises were still a soft blur. Even so, she was starting to panic. Valentine being here meant she was in the one place in all of Palando she didn't want to be: The Guild.

Hazel stepped off of the bed for merely a second, knowing she couldn't stay here, before falling from a lack of energy. She felt the persian's paw touch her shoulder, but she ignored it as she made a second, hasty attempt at standing, yet Hazel was met with the same result as before. Just then, Valentine looked out the door, stating something else. That's when the small, yellow form of Bolt Raimi rushed into the room wearing an expression between scared and worried.

The charmeleon looked at the pikachu before her with a clenched jaw, yet also with relieved eyes.

"Bolt," she said desperately. Despite not having the ability to perceive her own voice, she was determined to talk with the pikachu. "Whatever they're saying about me isn't true!"

As she talked to the pikachu, he attempted to say something in response to her. She watched his tightened eyebrows of fear mixed with continuous glances backwards with every other word he said.

"I can't hear you," Hazel explained quickly before attempting once more to stand. This time, Doctor Valentine got under Hazel's left arm, supporting her with his back like a living crutch.

Bolt looked at Hazel for a few seconds before registering what she said. He then looked towards Doctor Valentine as if for confirmation of what Hazel was saying was true. Valentine seemed to bark something towards Bolt, to which he looked sheepishly. He then turned to Hazel and made a pushing motion with his hands as if directing her backwards towards the bed.

"I can't stay here!" Hazel said shortly. "I need to-"

Bolt raised a finger to his mouth as he parted his lips as if baring his teeth. _Does he want me to be quiet? So, he's hiding me._ He then took another glance backwards before turning to Valentine and saying something. Valentine said something in return, to which Bolt nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Hazel pleaded, yet Bolt only turned around and made the same gesture with his finger. Then, the pikachu was off for only a second before walking into the room with a handful of papers and a piece of coal. Bolt laid the papers across the floor before writing on one. When he was finished, he brought it up to show the charmeleon.

" _You need to stay quiet."_ Hazel read to herself. _"Or the Guild Leaders gonna find out you were here."_

"Are you helping me, then?" Hazel asked in a whisper just to make sure. The pikachu nodded before writing down another sentence on the sheet.

" _Bandages says you got pumeled, so he wants you to rest."_ Hazel felt a short burst of breath on her leg as Valentine huffed supposedly at Bolt's nickname.

"I can't rest," Hazel said. "I need to talk to Tracey."

Bolt gave a side-ways glance towards Hazel at that response, but Valentine didn't seem to share in his bewilderment. Instead, the persian walked away from Hazel, driving her to stand on her own. She stumbled a bit, but managed to stay upright: that is, until Valentine pushed on her chest with a paw, causing her to fall backwards in the bed. She was about to call the Doctor out on his behavior before he rolled his eyes at the charmeleon. He then forcefully took the charcoal from Bolt's paw and scribbled down a message on a new piece of paper.

" _I don't like the idea of you being here,"_ it read. _"Yet you can't seem to stand on your own two feet in your current state._

" _Like it or not, you need rest, and no one else is going to take you in seeing as you've been accused of committing treason."_

Hazel looked towards the ground with a bit of frustration. "But I can't stay here," she said.

Valentine placed a paw on the charmeleon's shoulder before pushing the same piece of paper towards her. Bolt then jumped up onto the bed next to Hazel and looked at her with a frown of sympathy. He wrote down a message and showed it to her.

" _As long as no one hears you, you'll be safe in here. No one comes in here unless their hurt, meaning we'll be alone."_

"I… guess that's true…" Hazel said. She looked towards Valentine and stated, "What about you, Doctor? You don't have a reason to keep me a secret."

The persian scribbled down a few new sentences which read, _"Bolt has told me stories about how you risked your neck to fight Team Armageddon in the Alkan Islands. After doing that, I don't see any real reason to compromise your morals and assassinate the King."_

"Is that what they're saying we did…?" Hazel looked downwards at the floor with a bit of sadness, though she didn't know why. Maybe there was still a part of her clinging onto the idea that this was all some sort of bad dream. She then felt a soft, furry paw lightly touch her left shoulder. Turning, she noticed Bolt had a new message for her that read, _"What happened to you and Dillan? One minute, you're searching for Ryan; the next, you guys are traiters."_

"Well," Hazel said, and found she was starting to regain some hearing, if only little by little.

Hazel went on to explain what had happened to them. She tried to summarize the events as best she could as to save on time. She didn't want to take too long, seeing as Tracey would probably want to know more than Bolt if she was going to be convinced.

After what felt like a half hour of summarizing everything form Dillan being human to Judah being in league with Giratina, she stopped talking, allowing the information to settle. Although, she did omit to explain Ryan being a bad guy, as well as the Shadow Matter. To be honest, both of those occurrences seemed too difficult to explain, and would be best suited as separate conversations.

During the conversation, Bolt's expression morphed further from worry to severe disgust. Valentine, however, continued to look at Hazel with concern. That same troubled gaze offset the charmeleon.

" _Are you sure you're feeling alright?"_ Valentine wrote.

"I'm fine," Hazel said, being able to clearly hear everything around her. "And you can talk to me, now. My hearing's back."

"That's precisely my point," Valentine stated. He jumped onto the bed opposite to Bolt and began turning Hazel's head with his paws. "Did you receive head trauma in any way?"

"You didn't see any bruising on her head," Bolt said drearily. "Besides: we've known Judah was a scum bag this whole time. We just didn't know how bad he was."

"But why?" Valentine asked, pulling away from Hazel. "Even though most of the world sees him as a good pokemon, a good few of us know that Judah's always been a power-hungry individual."

"Your point being?" Bolt asked.

"What would he gain from helping to achieve such a future? Killing everyone would mean he has no kingdom, therefore no power. And even if he doesn't know about it: what would he have to gain from world peace? I just don't see him following this Giratina pokemon."

"Speaking of which," Bolt began. "What's Judah to Giratina? Like, is he a commander? Is he a partner?"

"I'm not sure what his relation to Giratina is," Hazel admitted. "But does it really matter? Judah tried to torture me for information on Dialga and Palkia."

"The two pokemon you're working with, now?" Bolt asked.

Hazel nodded to bolt before continuing. "Either way you look at it, Judah's not the good guy, and he's working with Giratina."

"I'm still not convinced," Valentine stated.

"Then explain the traitor thing?" Bolt questioned. "It fits with Hazel's story."

"I don't agree," Valentine stated. "You're trying to tell me that two pokemon from myths that haven't been heard of in centuries are taking creatures from a different dimension to fight our battle against another pokemon named after a lake and its army. And on top of that, King Judah and the Guild itself are in league with this enemy, helping them to end the entire world for peace."

Hazel was at a loss for words. "When you… put it like that…" she said slowly.

"It's madness," Valentine stated flatly.

"Well, maybe it is," Bolt stated as though in thought before jumping off of the bed. "But you can't deny it explains some things. Like… that nidoqueen back in the Alkan islands calling Dillan a human. And it also explains that weird green flash back in Palando's Arena before I came back to the Guild."

"Wow…" Hazel said in shock to Bolt's seemingly undoubting belief in only her word.

"How was that supposed to convince me?" Valentine asked confusedly.

"I don't know?" Bolt asked with a snarky tone. "Maybe because your friends are telling you it's true?"

"It doesn't matter," Hazel said. "I just need to talk with Tracey."

"Alrighty," Bolt stated, smiling at Hazel. "I'll take you to-"

"Stop right there," Valentine ordered, jumping from the bed. He walked up to the pikachu, standing up straight as he moved. He began whispering in Bolt's ear, just quiet enough to be a murmur to Hazel. Seconds after Valentine's whispers, Bolt backed away from Valentine in shock.

"You're serious?!" he shouted.

"Quiet down," Valentine stated. "Unless you want the Guild Leader to hear you and take Hazel to be executed."

"Is that any better than what you want?" Bolt questioned.

"What is he talking about?" Hazel questioned.

Bolt looked to Hazel quickly and said flatly, "Doctor Skeptical thinks you're making this stuff up."

"I didn't say that," Valentine interjected.

"I'm not crazy," Hazel said defiantly, standing up from the bed. She felt herself sway a bit, yet she managed to stay on her feet.

Valentine took a deep breath and stated, "I never said that… But you are clearly suffering from delusions, possibly caused by the events of Armageddon. You were obviously heavily injured during the time, and I believe you internally blame King Judah. So, you came up with an elaborate story to cope with the traumas you sustained during your time there."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this," Hazel said in disbelief. She took a few shaky steps towards Doctor Valentine and pointed accusingly towards him. "This is not in my head!" Hazel spat through gritted teeth, attempting to make her point clear without shouting.

"I'm sorry to say this, but it is my professional opinion that your subconscious created this story to cope with what happened in the Alkan Islands, and you might not even realize it. I think you attacked King Judah because you truly believe this story is true."

"And what about Dillan?" Hazel questioned.

"He clearly has mental problems of his own. We've seen him imagine the pokemon Arlon before. He probably shares your delusion."

"That's the most B. S. statement I've ever heard!" Bolt snapped. "And you know it!"

"It makes more sense that a battle for peace that instead would end up causing utter destruction to Ganderosa."

"I'm not taking this," Hazel said simply. She walked back towards the bed and grabbed the cloak from the back-board. She then draped it over her shoulders and made her way towards the door. "I don't care whether you believe me or not, but my whole world collapsed the day Judah tried to have me killed! And I'm not sitting down and taking this, 'It's all in my head' nonsense! I'm finding Tracey, and I'm going to talk with her whether you like it or not!"

Hazel pushed passed Valentine and was about to exit the door when Valentine grabbed her by the tail. Hazel turned around quickly and looked hi in the eyes: both their stern expressions meeting as though an exchange of intimidation was occurring.

"Ms. Prince," Valentine stated. "You're sick and need help. As a Doctor, I cannot allow you to leave and hurt anyone."

"Let go of me," Hazel warned severely, but Valentine's grasp remained firm.

"Explain your tail, then?" Valentine hissed. "When they found you in that alley, your flame went out! You should be dead right now, but somehow it reignited!"

"What does that have to do with anything?!"

"It isn't natural! You should stay here until I can identify what it is and help-"

"This war isn't natural, either," Hazel snapped above the doctor as her heart thumped against her eardrums. "Yet for some reason you believe in my tail reigniting just fine!" She yanked her tail from the doctor's grasp before turning around, making sure no one was in the next room, and rushing quietly towards the guild's exit.

* * *

The charmeleon walked out of the Guild and into the sunny day, pulling the cloak over her head as she walked. She turned a corner before storming down the street. As she walked, the doctor's words continued to ring in her ears.

" _When they found you in that alley, your flame was out! You should be dead right now, but somehow it reignited! It isn't natural!"_

 _Don't you think I know that?_ She shouted internally, squinting her eyes from fear as she walked. She turned a corner into an alley-way and fell to her knees. _Don't you think I know that I'm… unnatural? That I'm a danger to everyone around me?_

She felt her eyes swell up as all of those fears and self-doubts began to bubble in her chest. She began grimacing to swallow them down. She didn't think stopping them would be an option if she opened herself up now.

"Sig," a familiar voice called out from the alley's entrance.

The charmeleon took a deep breath and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes before facing the voice. "I'm fine, Bo-" She stopped herself upon seeing the figure before her. New fears began taking form as she gazed upon the black-and-white form of a staraptor.

Hailey stood there, staring down Hazel with her usual scowl. The staraptor didn't make a move. Hazel's mind began racing with thoughts about why she was here.

Maybe it was to turn her in for some sort of bounty? Treason usually made for a high-stakes criminal. But that on top of an assassination attempt would make her one of the highest-ranked felons in Ganderosa, along with a pretty hefty bounty on her head.

She continued to stare at Hailey cautiously, expecting the staraptor to make a move at any second. But she merely stood there and continued to eye the charmeleon. Hazel then looked behind the staraptor towards the abandoned street.

"You came here alone?" Hazel questioned.

"Pretty much," Hailey stated.

"So, what now?" Hazel asked. "You found me. Are you going to fight me: turn me in?"

"You wouldn't be able to fight," Hailey said, looking down at Hazel's chest. "You're injured."

Hazel grabbed the side of her cloak and pulled it shut, covering the bandages she'd neglected to remove. "I can still hurt you," she warned.

"I know," Hailey stated. To Hazel's surprise, Hailey took a step backwards, opening the alley-way to the charmeleon. "But we only want to talk."

"We?" Hazel questioned.

"Dean, Jess, and I saw a crowd of pokemon running from a street we'd walked down due to what they described as a blue flame-thrower attack," Hailey explained. "When we got there, we found scorch marks leading to a kecleon who was pretty messed up. But there was also a bruised charmeleon with three scars across her chest.

"Once we found you, we took you back to the Guild so Valentine could take care of you. Wallace managed to spot you, then tell the rest of the guildmembers, including Tracey."

"Tracey's in the Guild?" Hazel asked suspiciously. "But she hates it."

"She asked you to join your team, didn't she?" Hailey asked. She then looked down the street as she continued. "Anyways, everyone except the Guild Leader knows about you being here. As a result, we thought it would be a good idea to have a meeting at Harley's when you woke up to find out exactly what happened. Then, we would decide what to do about it."

"Meaning whether you turn me in or not?" Hazel questioned.

Hailey closed her eyes and gave a sigh. "No one really believes you turned on King Judah," Hailey stated. "Not after following his orders and risking your life in the Alkan Islands."

"Why should I trust you of all pokemon?" Hazel asked harshly. "You were one of my best friends. Back then, we were going to make an unstoppable exploration team and save pokemon." She stood up and walked right up to the staraptor. "We were going to follow our dreams together! But you and Dean left me behind and never said why!"

Hailey said nothing in response. She just continued to stare into the street with her usual scowl. She then took a deep breath before stating, "I know."

"Then why should I trust you?!" Hazel demanded. "Give me a reason to trust you! Give me a reason to feel like I'm not going to be stabbed in the back again and again!"

"I can't," Hailey stated.

Hazel scoffed at the staraptor. "Then what makes you think I'll come with you?"

"I didn't know what you would do, Sigourney," Hailey stated.

Hazel contemplated what the staraptor said in disbelief. She couldn't believe the sheer audacity that Hailey had to ask her to trust her after what she did to her. And on top of that, it looks like Dean may have had a part of it but didn't have the guts to come with Hailey.

"Who's waiting?" Hazel asked.

"Everyone but Bolt," Hailey stated.

"Meaning?"

"He insisted to be with you and not at the diner.

"As for who is there: Dean, Jess, Bob, and Tracey."

Hazel shook her head. "Fine," she stated coldly. "I'll go with you. But only because I need to talk with Tracey. After that, I'm leaving the town."

"I won't stop you," Hailey said.

"You go first," Hazel said. "And don't try leading me anywhere but Harley's. I know where the diner is, so I'll know if you're taking me somewhere else."

Hailey took a few seconds as if it was her own way to let Hazel know she was heard before walking down the street. The charmeleon stood up and began following the staraptor to their destination.

* * *

As they walked, Hazel watched everything closely, making sure Hailey was leading them the right way. She also watched the staraptor for any tells that could possibly lead to the assumption that she was being led into some sort of trap. Yet whenever she looked at Hailey, she seemed determined to focus on the goal ahead, and nothing but. It was scary in a way, but from their few encounters, Thalia seemed to be very much like Hailey.

After a few more minutes of walking, the group found themselves on the doorstep on Harley's Diner. Hailey looked backwards towards Hazel as if she was expecting some sort of distrustful remark, but Hazel simply walked cautiously passed the staraptor and into the cool air of the diner.

This time, there wasn't any sort of greeter waiting at the front pedestal. Instead, there was a welcome sign, bidding them to find a seat to sit down and make themselves feel welcome. The place was nicely lit from the wooden chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The tables around were filled with chatter of either joyous pokemon or energetic ones. There were even those who seemed to treat this as a place for love, but hazel could care less about all of that.

The charmeleon looked towards the back corner of the room where a group of familiar pokemon were all sitting at the booth. Dean had his chin rested in his palm as his elbow was set on the table as support. Jess was currently doing barrel-rolls above the group as she looked as bored as a brick, pulling on her lower eye-lids as she flew. Wallace the watchog was also there, talking with Tracey who was seated at the opposite end of the table right next to a set of purple eyes that barely managed to peek above the rim.

"You weren't lying," Hazel noted as Hailey walked into the diner and passed her towards the booth at the back. Hazel followed Hailey, pulling the sides of her cloak nervously to prevent any of the diners from recognizing her.

As they approached the table, Jess stopped flipping in the air and flew right down to Hailey.

"Hailey!" she squealed with joy, directing the attention of the other guild members towards their group. Jess began floating joyously around the staraptor, bombarding her with a massive amount of questions.

"Calm down, Jess," Dean said with a scowl towards Hazel. "We've got more important issues."

"Dean," Hazel regarded.

Dean didn't make any move to acknowledge Hazel's existence other than his cold stare. Hailey, ignoring the floating ghost who insisted upon flying around her head like a bat, sat down in the booth opposite Dean, sandwiching Wallace, Bod, and Tracey further into the booth.

Hazel grabbed a chair from one of the empty tables around them and sat on the end of the booth, facing the other pokemon. Everyone then sat in silence, looking at Hazel as if she were a foreign object.

"Hi, guys…" Hazel said slowly and half-heartedly. "Been a while."

"If you're expecting some short-talk," Dean began coldly. "Take it somewhere else. The only reason we're here is so you can explain what Judah's been hiding from the rest of the world."

"Alright," Wallace said hurriedly. "I'll be the first to say it: this is an awful idea. If Guild Leader Athil learns about this, then we'll all be branded as traitors!"

"Well, this is a show-don't-show kind of meeting!" Tracey snapped. "So, if you're so intent on being a baby about it, go back to the Guild!"

"Yeah!" Bob chimed in.

"Fight! Fight!" Jest chanted from above Hailey.

The staraptor rolled her eyes at the ghost before giving a sigh and nudging Dean with her wing.

"Everyone shut it!" Dean said as he pounded his fist on the table. To everyone's surprise, the machoke managed to break the end off. "Th-that'll happen to anyone who speaks over Sigourney, got it?" he stuttered, though he sounded fierce; he was obviously playing it off as though it was intentional. Thankfully, it seemed to quiet everyone down, including Jess.

"Alright," Hazel said nervously, still feeling very off about this entire thing. She looked towards Tracey before saying, "Out of everyone here, I want to talk to Tracey. So, if anyone has any questions, you'll have to wait until she's done asking."

"Here's one for you," Tracey began, sitting up in the table. "What the hell happened to you three? I thought you guys supported the Guild. Now not only do I find out that you guys found Ryan, but that you three tried to assassinate King Judah! It doesn't make any sense seeing as you three were the ones who told me that the Guild was meant for good!"

"Well," Hazel began, staring at the berry-stained table before her. "To start off, we were wrong. The Guild's not the good guys we thought when we joined."

This time around, Hazel didn't leave out any detail. She explained everything from Howling Plains to Judah being in league with Giratina. Telling the group that Dillan was human seemed to be the most difficult thing for them to wrap their heads around.

"What are you talking about?!" Tracey repeated in utter confusion.

"I'm with Adams," Dean stated. "What the hell do you mean the Guild's been bad for years?"

"I'm not sure how long it's been," Hazel stated. "But Dialga and Palkia said that the Guild's been with the Enemy since the Ganderosan Civil War."

"What do they want?" Hailey asked.

"Hang on," Tracey said, slamming her paws on the table. "I'm still confused about Dillan! You're trying to tell us that he's not a gabite – not even a pokemon – but a creature from another dimension entirely? And they picked him because…?"

"They want him to save Ganderosa," Hazel stated. "I guess something about him being human makes him a candidate."

"No way," Dean said flatly.

"Judah knew," Hailey said, seemingly thinking aloud.

"You can't be buying into this crap!" Dean said with a smile of doubt.

"He picked Team Rapture because he knew about Dillan," Hailey said. "He probably sent you and your team to fight Team Armageddon because of it."

"Dillan said that Judah told him it was as a test," Hazel stated.

"This is too much…" Wallace said, clutching the sides of his head in disbelief.

"Dillan's a freak after all!" Jess said joyously.

"Fine," Dean stated. "Let's say the coward _maybe_ isn't a pokemon, and he _somehow_ got to this world. Why isn't he with you?"

Hazel hesitated to explain. Her paw drifted downwards to her tail, clutching it with her paw. "I…" she managed to get out while fear and worry attempted to hold her words back. "I'm… sick…"

"Sick?" Dean asked, shaking his head. "You look healthy to me."

"Don't be an idiot!" Tracey snapped. "Some illnesses aren't visible on the outside!"

"Sick?" Bob asked Tracey worriedly.

"What do you mean by that?" Hailey asked.

Hazel closed her eyes as she tried to find the best way to explain this. "Well…" Hazel began. "There's… this thing called Shadow Matter. Apparently, it exists deep in a mystery dungeon. You can find it if you wander far from the path."

"Alright," Dean said. "So?"

"So, if you're exposed to it… it changes you: most of the time for the worst."

"You're being confusing," Wallace said. "Are you saying you wandered off the path and were exposed to it?"

"Yeah…" Hazel admitted, wringing her tail.

"But that would mean you'd wandered off the path," Hailey said. "Yet you can't come back from that: no one does."

"The theories say you come back as a feral pokemon," Dean interrupted.

"Unconfirmed theories," Tracey pointed out.

"Dillan… had a crystal with him when it happened," Hazel said slowly, recalling the events of that day. She looked towards Tracey with worry before saying, "When we went to Lantern Fields, your dad drove us off of the path."

"Excuse me?!" Tracey snapped, taking personal offense in that statement.

"Something was different about him," Hazel continued, ignoring Tracey's change in emotion. "We didn't say anything because your dad didn't seem to remember anything about that time… but he was… feral."

"But he isn't!" Tracey shouted, pounding once more on the table. "He's fine, and he's well!"

"I'm not sure what turned him back," Hazel admitted. "But for a while, he wanted to kill us, and all he said was, 'Die'."

"That's not my father!" Tracey demanded.

"Let her continue," Dean snapped.

Tracey pursed her lips together before resting her head on the table, still scowling at Hazel. "Go on," she urged coldly.

"Shadow Matter turns pokemon into Ferals, but it also gives them enhanced abilities.

"Since my ability is 'Blaze', my fire attacks are powered up in a fight when I'm weak. Well, ever since that day, when I'm getting ready to fall over from the pain or exhaustion, my tail-flame goes out, then reignites as a blue flame. After that, my fire attacks become blue, and destructive. I also think my regular attacks get an attack boost, but my fire attacks are even stronger."

"That's why the pokemon back in the alley-way said they saw a blue flamethrower attack," Dean noted with a nod.

"That sounds great," Wallace began. "And you're obviously not a feral pokemon, so how is that a bad thing?"

Hazel took a deep breath. "Well," she said slowly, squinting her eyes. "Shadow Matter turns pokemon into ferals… and since I know I've been exposed to it based on my flame, I'm worried I might turn into a feral pokemon."

"That's… possible?" Tracey asked as all the color drained from her face.

"I'm not sure…" Hazel admitted. "But Dialga and Palkia seem to think it's a possibility."

"That's why you're not with Dillan?" Wallace asked.

"Dang…" Dean said as he slumped back in the booth.

"Which is why I need to talk with you, Tracey," Hazel stated.

"Why exactly…?" Tracey began slowly, scanning the surface of the table as though deep in thought.

Hazel took another deep breath, knowing her next words would most definitely be taken the wrong way, yet there was no way around it. "I need to find Team Armageddon."

The entire table became void of noise as everyone's widened eyes fell upon Hazel. Even Jess had stopped her nonsense to stare intently at Hazel.

"Why?" Jess asked in a curious tone.

"Might I remind you," Dean began in a hushed, yet aggressive manner. "They tried to kill you!"

"I remember," Hazel said to Dean. "But let me explain.

"This Shadow Matter thing inside of me… I've been worried about it for a while. I'm not sure if I can be around anyone without being afraid that I'll hurt them. Finding out that Dialga and Palkia have the same fears… it just further enforces the idea that I'm a danger to everyone. And the only one who can help is a charizard in Team Armageddon."

"Titus…" Bob whispered to himself fearfully. The ditto began shaking from fear at the mention of the dragon.

"He'll want to kill you more than anyone else!" Tracey shouted across the table.

"Keep your voice down!" Wallace snapped, glancing around the room. "Do you want everyone in Palando to join the conversation?"

"I don't have a choice," Hazel tried to explain. "Titus is some kind of expert on Shadow Matter… I need to find him. I need to make sure I won't turn feral so I can help Dillan."

"Screw that!" Tracey blared. "You want to find the very pokemon that want you dead even more than the Guild itself! Helping Dillan shouldn't be worth finding Team Armageddon and killing yourself!"

"She only wants Titus," Hailey corrected calmly. "So, relax."

"Actually…" Hazel said slowly.

"Oh, come on!" Dean shouted, absolutely dumbfounded by what hazel was suggesting.

"There you guys are!" a new voice called from behind. Hazel had barely enough time to glance back before a yellow blur dove under the table and popped up next to Tracey and Hailey. Bolt squirmed a bit as if getting himself situated in the booth. "I was wondering whether Hailey found you." Bolt looked around at the mixture of shock and disbelief, leaving a confused look on his own face. "So, what did I miss?"

"Siggy here has some kind of shadow sickness," Jess summarized energetically as she drifted just above Bolt's head. "It gives her blue fire, but she's scared of it. So, she's going to see Team Armageddon about it."

Bolt looked to Tracey for confirmation. She nodded slowly, still eyeing Hazel with confusion.

"Someone can explain later," Hazel said. "Right now, I just need a point in the right direction."

"I'm not some kind of death tour guide!" Tracey snapped.

"Wait wait wait!" Bolt said hurriedly as he put his hands in the air. "You wanted to talk with Tracey to point you towards Team Armageddon?"

"I don't have a choice," Hazel said flatly. "I'm sick, and Titus is the only one who can tell me if I'm a danger to those around me." The charmeleon stood up and leaned over the table towards Tracey. "I need to talk with him! And I need you to point me in his direction." Hazel reached down into her bag and pulled out a map. She spread it across the table in front of Tracey. "You're the only one in Team Armageddon I know and can trust. You had to have heard of some sort of secret hide-out Team Armageddon would go to if the attack on the Alkan islands failed."

Tracey looked down at the map, her eyes tracing the surface as she looked. The glaceon closed her eyes, then took a deep breath. "Is Titus the only one you can go to?" she asked. Hazel was surprised to hear a bit of fear in her voice.

"I don't know anyone else," Hazel said.

"You can't be considering this," Dean said coldly.

The glaceon stuck out a claw from her teal paw before touching a mountain range west of Palando labeled, "Palando Mountain Range". "There was a rumor that was pretty hard to miss even in lower ranking Team Armageddon grunts that there was a secret base hidden in the Palando Mountain Range that was to be used in case the Guild tried to kill us all once and for all. Other than that, we never had any secret bases that I knew about. Then again, I wasn't in Team Armageddon for too long."

"That's fine," Hazel said, pulling her map back towards her before folding it up and setting it in her bag. "It's a start."

"I'm coming with you," Tracey said.

"Wh…" Hazel said, processing what the glaceon had said. Her mind seemed to have a hard time wrapping itself around what was just said. "You want to come with me?"

"I have to," Tracey said before leaping over the table with ease before her feel thumped against the wood next to Hazel's chair. "My dad was in Lantern Fields with you. If you're exposed to this Shadow whatever, then he is, too. And if you're right about all of this, then I need to find Titus."

"I'm coming, too," Bolt said as he dove under the table to meet them.

"Hang on a minute!" Dean shouted.

"What?" Tracey snapped. "Are you scared of the big bad dragon?"

"You're talking about treason!" Dean hissed.

"So?" Bolt said with a smirk. "If Hazel's in trouble-"

"Don't you understand?" Dean pushed. "The entire Guild is against her!" he said as he pointed to Hazel. "Going with her is fighting against Ganderosa itself!"

"My dad comes first above anything!" Tracey said. "Screw the Guild if they want to keep me from helping him!"

"Bolt," Dean said. "What about your mom: your sister? Going with Sigourney is putting them in danger! And no one's going to notice if some red-strip family goes missing or dies in an alley-way!"

Bolt's joyous expression began fading at those words. He took on one of a grim tone as his fist clenched.

"Dean," Hailey said from her seat. "That's going too far."

"Oh, come on," Dean said, leering at Hailey. "You know better than anyone what going with her would mean!"

"Death!" Jess chanted.

Hailey scowled at Dean for a few more seconds before turning her gaze towards the table. But Dean wasn't finished. He looked towards Bolt and said, "I'm not doubting what Sigourney says is true, but at the same time, going with her isn't just risking your own life: it's risking your family's and friends', as well."

"Can't we just take it to the Guild Leader and explain what's happening?" Wallace asked. "I mean, I'm sure he could help us fight Judah."

"No," Hazel said flatly. "Judah has too many friends in the Guild."

"But if they don't know what's happening, then they'll help with an explanation," Wallace continued.

"I trust Hazel more than some creep who just came into the position!" Tracey snapped. "And my dad's the only family I have left, and he can take care of himself! But if he's sick like Hazel says, then I'm sold on going!"

"What about you, Butterfingers?" Dean said.

"Uh…" Bolt began. "I mean… I… I don't-"

"It's fine," Hazel said to the pikachu. Bolt looked up at her with worry. "I get it. Your family needs you more than me."

"That's… not true…" Bolt said. "If you're trying to find Team Armageddon, then you'll really need everyone you can get."

"But Dean's right," Hazel said. "Going with me is going to put your mom and sister at risk. I'm glad you care enough to at least consider it, but you need to stay here."

"She's right," Tracey said. "Besides: we'll be fine together."

"You're sure?" Bolt said. Tracey gave him a scowl that said, "Really?" It seemed to lighten Bolt's mood ever-so-slightly. "Alright. But I'm not going to just leave you guys to fight alone. I'm going to try moving my family to a safe place. I'll catch up wit you guys when I can."

Hazel smiled brightly at the pikachu. It brought a lot of joy to know that she could still trust him to help. "Thank you, Bolt," she said.

"No problem, beautiful," Bolt said with a smirk and a wink. Tracey gave a huff at that comment.

"We should go before it gets dark," the glaceon said.

Hazel nodded to the glaceon before facing the guildmembers once more. She looked on at the horror-stricken Wallace who continued o stare at the table in shock. Dean was currently crossing his arms as he scowled at the group while Jess chanted "Death" above his head, but Hailey was staring at Hazel with a sort of desire to her.

The charmeleon shook her head, knowing that no one else would join her. So, she turned around and began walking out of the pub.

"Wait," Hailey's voice called out to them.

Hazel turned back to see the staraptor had stood up from the booth and was walking towards her.

"I don't believe this," Dean said, astonished by Hailey.

"I… I'm coming with you."

The entire room fell silent as Hazel's jaw hung open in shock. This had to be the one thing she didn't expect to see coming here.

"Hailey…" Dean said, his voice trailing off as a lack of words held his tongue prisoner.

"Hailey?" Hazel asked with surprise.

"We were friends at one point," Hailey said. "Best friends."

"What the hell?!" Dean said as he marched towards the staraptor to meet. "We're a team!"

"Quiet, Dean," Hailey said to the machoke.

"You can't just leave us behind like it's a simple task!"

"Why?" Hailey questioned. "We've done it before, right Sig?"

The entire room was silent as Dean huffed behind Hailey. "Whatever," Dean grumbled through clenched teeth. He walked passed Hailey and towards the door. "Die for all I care!" Dean then exited the diner, leaving Jess floating above no one.

"Hailey?" Jess asked sadly as she floated to Hailey's side. "What about Team Force? Does this mean we're disbanded?"

"Jess," Hailey said to the ghost. "You know that I'm not going to leave the team. Right now, I just need to help an old friend, alright?"

Jess looked towards Hazel and smiled. "Alright," she nodded before giving Hailey a massive hug. "When are you going to come back?"

"I'll be back when I come back," Hailey said. "Just make sure Dean doesn't do anything stupid, alright?"

"Sure thing!" Jess said joyfully before breaking from the hug. She then floated towards the door before giving a final wave and exiting the diner.

"Wait…" Bolt said as though in thought. "Was Jess just… not crazy?"

"Sig," Hailey went on, ignoring Bolt's comment. "I'm sorry I left you back then."

"I didn't think you cared," Hazel said accusingly.

"I've never stopped caring about you," Hailey stated.

"Then why?" Hazel asked sharply. "Why did you leave me back then? I thought I wasn't good enough for you guys. But now you're telling me that you still liked me? So why did you leave me? Why did you follow _our_ dream without _me_?"

"Because we were scared…" Hailey said. Hazel was surprised to find that her voice was quivering. "We were scared of dying."

"What-"

"When your mother was killed, our parents were convinced it was the King trying to send a message that they needed to stop conspiring against him. So, me and Dean's stopped, but your dad didn't want to. He was sure that you were destined to overthrow Judah and continued to push you. Our parents were terrified that if me and Dean stayed in Labensia, Judah was going to think we were still planning. So, they sent us to Ferricia, and away from you.

"But then you showed up in Ferricia. When you explained that you'd come to form a team with us, we didn't think much of it. But about a week later, Dean got a letter from his parents telling us we'd be killed like your mother if we made a team. It tore us apart. We didn't want to distance us from you… but we were also terrified… for each other, and for you."

"And eventually you left…" Hazel said sadly.

Hazel noticed a small tear escape from the corner of Hailey's eye. She watched as it slithered down her feathery cheek before breaking away towards the ground below. _She really does care…_

"I can't really justify it, Sigourney," the staraptor said sadly. "I knew it was wrong… and so did Dean… And maybe I can't repair my friendship with Sigourney. Maybe I hurt her too much… But can you at least give me a chance to be friends with Hazel, instead?"

Hazel looked to Hailey, observing the features on her face. Her eyebrows were knitted into a hopeful gaze as another tear ran down the opposite side of her face. She really was hurting from what she had done. But could Hazel truly blame her? She still woke up in cold sweats from night terrors of that ghost. Knowing that could have happened to her or her friends simply because they made a team probably would have made her question whether she truly wanted it, as well.

Hazel walked towards Hailey and hugged the staraptor. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Hazel said as tears began falling from her cheeks.

"I was scared of what you'd say to me…" Hailey said as more tears fell from her cheeks and onto Hazel's shoulders. "I was afraid you'd think I was a coward."

"I wouldn't have ever thought that…" Hazel stated.

It was a sad moment to be sure, yet it was also one of immense happiness. This morning, she felt lost and betrayed. She felt like she was about to take on the entire world afraid and alone. Now, she had friends who would take on the world with her. On top of that, one of her best friends who she thought had turned her back on the charmeleon had turned out to still care for her. Hailey still wanted to be there for her.

Hazel heard a huff from the glaceon behind her as she began tapping her front paw impatiently. Bolt smiled and raised an eyebrow to the pokemon. He nudged her with his elbow playfully.

"You can't tell me that this isn't cool," Bolt said with a smirk.

"The word you're looking for is _sweet_ ," Tracey corrected. "And whatever."

Bolt gave a chuckle. "I'll be off," he announced as Hailey and Hazel broke away from the hug. "I need to tell my mom we're moving."

"We'll wait in the mountains for a few days for you," Hazel stated.

"Come looking for us when you're done," Tracey said to Bolt, not facing the pikachu.

"Will do, Snowflakes," Bolt said with a wink as he gave a final wave.

Tracey seemed to wince at the comment, but her cheeks turned a rosy color. Bolt then began walking towards the exit.

"And take care of Bob for me!" the pikachu called out. "I imagine he'll be wanting to see Molan again!" With that, the pikachu exited the diner.

"Bye, Boss!" Bob called out as he squelched next to Hailey.

"Alright, then," Tracey said energetically, her cheeks a rosy color. "We should move out before it gets dark: try and cover as much ground as we can before we have to rest."

"What about you, Wallace?" Hailey called out to the watchog who was still situated miserably at the booth. He had his hands resting on his forehead.

"I'm... still processing…" Wallace said slowly. "You know… not every day you find out that your dream to be a Royal Guard is really… there to help end the world… I don't know what I'm going to do…" he admitted as he scanned the ceiling. "I thought I'd come here and get some answers… but now I seem to have more questions."

"Wallace-" Hazel began.

"He'll be fine," Hailey told the charmeleon. "Just give him some time to make sense of it all."

Hazel looked at the watchog with sympathy. Days ago, she was right there with him. _She's right… He just needs some time to think about it all._

"Alright," Hazel said. "But Wallace, come looking for us if you want to fight."

Wallace didn't answer the charmeleon. He seemed too wrapped up in his own thoughts to do anything more than breathe. All hazel could do was hope the guy would be alright.

The group of four began walking out of the diner. As her cloak began whipping around in the draft that blew by her, she didn't pull on the ends to conceal herself. She wasn't afraid anymore. She had friends to back her up, now. As Bob, Tracey, Hazel, and Hailey took to the streets, they looked towards the west: towards the mountains. The group went onwards in search of Team Armageddon.

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Before anything: Shout-outs to the new follows/favorites!

Shout-out to, "ctran03931", "LunarFrost56", "Valaran", "Ori and Sein", "Mageinblue", "dragonlord74", "Valaran", "Ori and Sein", and "o3Isabella" for following/favoriting the story! These guys were supposed to get a shout-out almost a month ago, and I messed up. Something happened to the "Author's Notes" section of Chapter 45, and I'm disappointed I messed up.

Another round of Shout-Outs to, "xXThunderXx", "RyChu0130", and "OmegaEdgeXII"! Thank you guys so much for helping the story to grow! It means a lot to me!

And now for some important news! I'm taking a hiatus! I really meant to do this last month, but since the "Author's Notes" section of that chapter got cut, I wasn't able to announce it. It created a lot of stress in me because by the time I realized, half of the regular readers had already read the chapter and updating it wouldn't help them in any way. So, I wrote this chapter at half-steam (speed-wise, not quality-wise). So, I'm taking a hiatus: a break, in laymen's terms! The story will not stop here, I promise. Just give me some time to regain my lost momentum, and I'll be back. Promise.

That's all for now, guys! I can't think of anything else I want/need to say. Other than expect me to be back around May 16th (more or less).

Thanks for reading! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!


	47. A Shadow of a Doubt

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 47

A Shadow of a Doubt

* * *

As the final bolt of lightning was thrown, the litleo fell to the floor, barely conscious enough to cradle his wounds from the fight. The scuffling sounds of the desert town around them contrasted the held breaths within the sandy alley-way.

Dillan stood there, cautiously eyeing the three guildmembers before him. He panted whilst supporting his left arm which now had a light burn across the front. The gabite couldn't take his eyes off of the enemies, even while they lied before them in a disheveled manner.

"Dang it…" the litleo cursed as he managed to plant one foot below him.

"Don't try it," Valery advised triumphantly as she crossed her arms whilst wearing a smug face of proudness. "You've already lost. You should just stay down and accept that you're just not strong enough to fight Valery G."

"If we're done here," Ryan said.

He walked towards the litleo – who snapped his fangs at the pachirisu - before he whacked the litleo swiftly with the blunt side of his hand. The litleo's eyes curled up inside of its head and passed out. Ryan then walked passed the rest of the unconscious guildmembers towards the end of the alley-way. He turned slightly to face the gabite through the corner of his eye.

"We should get out of the town while there's still light," the pachirisu stated.

"Wait a minute," Valery said slowly. "What about Trinity?"

"What about her?" Ryan said with a shrug. "She said she didn't want any part in what we're doing."

"She's just saying that," Valery argued, huffing at the pachirisu.

"It's fine," Dillan said as he walked towards Valery. "We'll go to the edge of town and wait there. If she doesn't join us by sundown, then we'll leave without her."

"Y… You're kidding, right?" Ryan asked, this time facing Dillan completely.

"Do you think she'll come by then?" Dillan asked the mienfoo.

Valery looked to Dillan with a blank look on her face before her eyes began to well up. She nodded quickly before whipping away the tears. "Y-yeah," she said.

"Then that's what we're doing," Dillan said.

"This is crazy!" Ryan argued. "She's made it clear that she doesn't want to come with us! Waiting for her is wasting time!"

"We have time," Dillan said. "The Enemy is after the Sapphire Star." The gabite tapped the crystal around his neck. "As long as we have it, then they can't do anything but look for us."

"Plus, we need her," Valery said as she straightened her back. "Trin is one of the strongest pokemon I know!"

Ryan looked at Dillan for a few seconds with a muddled look before he shook his head and walked towards the end of the alley-way. "Fine." He stopped at the end and stood motionlessly as if waiting.

"Alright," Dillan said as he nodded, walking towards the end of the alley.

* * *

The group of pokemon made a quick pace from the alley-way through the streets. As they walked, Dillan seemed to feel the nervousness radiate off of him like the heat-waves on the stones beneath their feet. He tried his best to look inconspicuous – natural – but it was hard when you had bruises and marks across your body and a fresh burn on your arm. He would have wrapped it up in something, but they didn't have the supplies.

Ryan seemed to be back to his cold-self, not really talking with anyone or meeting their eyes. His brow was tightened as he seemed to be thinking. Dillan assumed it was about the mission, though he couldn't be certain. Maybe he was just worried, the same as he was.

Valery walked on with a sort of childishness about her. She didn't seem as nervous as Dillan or as cold as Ryan. Instead, she wore a cheerful smile. It was as though she was completely ignorant to the chaos they were in the middle of. And even after Fitz left the group – left her – she acted as though she knew the hakamo-o would not be gone forever. It made Dillan wonder what drove her to remain so cheerful: what made it possible for her to keep her innocent mind-set in a world that seemed to force most to grow up instantly for survival's sake.

Then he began to wonder once more about the reason for Ryan to have come. Dillan may have been on the verge of believing Ryan was done with Giratina. He was ready to believe the pachirisu cared. But still…

The lies and secrets buried his mind in doubts. He could look at Ryan and feel he was a friend, but he could also feel worry and a fear of betrayal. He wished the pachirisu would give him something to work with: something to show a trust between them.

As Dillan continued to wonder about his group and its members, he realized it seemed to take away some of his nervousness on the mission ahead. It also made the walk much more bearable. Pretty soon, they were met with parting buildings, allowing the three to look upon the vast expanse of the desert. Cacti shot up from the desert's ever rising and falling landscape. The sun was towards their left, casting shadows across the sands. It would be a few hours before the sun fell behind the town and out of sight, and a few more before the sky turned dark.

"Alright," Ryan said as he sat on the sand, leaning against the back of a house. "You wanted to wait, so that's what we'll do."

"Ryan," Dillan said. "Why are you here?"

"Because I wanted to help," Ryan said simply.

"That's not the only reason, is it?" the gabite asked.

As Valery took a spot on the ground near Dillan's feet, she watched the two of them with curiosity. A gust of wind blew through Ryan's dirty fur and against Dillan's burn. Ge winced, but did nothing to take his eyes off of Ryan. The pachirisu looked between Dillan and Valery before smirking and shaking his head.

"What makes you think I'm here for any reason other than to help?" Ryan asked.

"I think…" Dillan began slowly, sitting down in the sand himself. "I think if you really cared about me to only be here to help… you wouldn't have left Hazel and me in the first place."

The pachirisu continued to look on a the gabite with a small smile. "There's no other reason."

"He's not stupid," Valery spat. "And neither am I or Fitz. We all know you're here to take the Sapphire Star."

"If Dillan believed that, I wouldn't be here, would I?" Ryan questioned.

"I'm not sure what to believe…" Dillan admitted, looking towards the ground. "You won't tell me anything, Ryan."

"But if I really wanted to take the Sapphire Star, would I have let you out of Judah's dungeon?"

"If it was a trick," Valery offered. "If you only did that to get close to Dillan."

Ryan rolled his eyes at the mienfoo. "Who is she again?"

"She saved me in the Alkan Islands during a snow storm," Dillan said.

"A White Hole," Valery corrected.

"None of it matters," Dillan said, a bit annoyed with the tangent. "I just want an answer, Ryan. Why are you here?"

"I told you," Ryan said.

"Well, I don't believe it," Dillan said coldly. "I'm sorry, but I can't wrap my head around what you're saying."

"What does it matter?" Ryan asked harshly. "If I'm being honest, I'm not sure what you guys want from me."

"The truth," Dillan said. "I want the truth. I want to trust you – I really do – but I don't see how I can do that if you won't at least try to help me understand what you're doing here. Because I honestly don't believe you came here solely to help. It just… doesn't add up to me."

"What if I'm not ready to tell you?" Ryan asked through gritted teeth. "What if you're not ready to hear?"

"Then…" Dillan said, struggling to find something to say to get him to understand or, at the very least, talk to him. "Then… Then you… Then I can't…"

"You can't 'what', Dillan?" Ryan shouted. "You can't 'what'? Just tell me what you can't do?"

"Then I can't trust you: not… to be on a team with me, or to be on this mission with us."

There. He said it. He said the one thing that had been on his mind since the moment Ryan had made his choice to betray them, then come back without explanation.

Silence followed. Valery held her breath at the tension in Dillan's voice while Ryan just scowled at Dillan. It all made the gabite's heart beat in his chest.

He didn't want to continue like this. Causing conflict wasn't him. He would rather skirt by without fighting with the people he cared about. But now that it was out, it was clear that avoiding the topic was impossible to begin with. This was bound to happen.

"It's just…" Dillan began, trying desperately to keep his nerves in check. "I… don't think I can trust you to have my back in a fight… And if it came down to trusting you to save me…"

Ryan stopped looking at Dillan, scanning almost everything but. His face seemed to morph an intense stare. "I did save you," he stated.

"I want to believe that…" Dillan admitted. He took a deep breath, his heart beating his ribs as he knew his next words would sting. "At the very least, I need you to tell me why you came… or I can't trust you to come with us…"

Ryan stood up, placing his paw under his chin in deep thought. He stayed like this for a long time before saying, "Give me some time to think about it…"

"How much time?" Valery questioned.

"As long as it takes," Ryan snapped at the mienfoo.

Valery scowled at Ryan before sticking her tongue out and humming. Otherwise, she remained silent.

"Until Fitz gets here, or until sundown," Dillan stated. "That's when we're leaving."

Ryan smiled coldly before nodding. Seeing the pachirisu's reaction sent his heart spiraling downwards further than before. He felt ashamed.

"Alright…" Ryan said as he stood up, slouching from Dillan's words. He turned from the two pokemon and began walking into town. Dillan felt very confused. He was about to ask Ryan where he was going before the pachirisu spoke up, saying, "If I'm not back by the time you have to go, then leave without me."

Dillan watched as Ryan walked into the town behind them and out of sight. The last thing he saw was the pachirisu's hunched shoulders as a single drop of water drenched some sand below.

* * *

A few hours went by since Ryan had left the group. Since then, there had been no sign of the pachirisu or Fitz.

In those hours, Valery had taken to try multiple games for entertainment such as tic-tac-toe in the sand, skipping around Dillan as she hummed a catchy tune, or making impressions in the sand with whatever was available: whether that be a few pieces of trash from the town or her paws. As of now, she was counting what few clouds were passing overhead with a droning expression plastered to her face.

Dillan had taken to his usual place to be occupied: his thoughts. He began contemplating multiple things about his situation. For instance: Why were Dialga and Palkia afraid of the Sapphire Star when they first met? Why were they not doing more to help the world around them? Why leave this task to a human? Who was Giratina? Why was he trying to achieve world peace?

It seemed to the gabite that the more he thought, the more unanswered questions he had. He then recalled what Lily had said to him:

 _"Just ask me anything and I will probably have the answer."_

Dillan pondered those words. She did seem pretty knowledgeable. The lycanroc may have the answers to his questions.

"Alright," Dillan said as he took a deep breath, eyeing the crystal below.

"Alright 'what'?" Valery questioned hopefully.

"I'm going to talk with Lily," Dillan explained.

"Oh…" Valery said as though Dillan had just let her down.

"What?" Dillan asked.

"Nothing," Valery shrugged as she went back to her cloud counting. "Just thought you'd have something a little more interesting in mind is all."

Dillan looked at her for a second, taking a bit of offense in her words before shaking his head. "So, I just need to tap this a few times… right?" he asked himself.

He looked down at the crystal, hovering his claw before it for a few seconds. Dillan had to admit: he was a bit hesitant. What would happen the moment he touched the crystal? Would he pass out? Would it be like a dream? Or would it feel more real than that? Would it hurt?

 _I doubt Valery would have any answers to those questions… Guess there's only one way to find out, huh?_

Dillan tapped the crystal around his neck twice, then winced. He waited for his mind to explode or something: maybe turn off like a switch had been thrown. But nothing happened.

"You have to concentrate," Valery said as she giggled at Dillan. "That's what Lily told you."

"Right…" Dillan said, the back of his neck growing a bit hotter from embarrassment. He looked back down to the crystal before tapping it twice. He then closed his eyes and formed words he could focus on. _Take me to see Lily…_

Within seconds, there was a feeling as though something was pressing against the back of Dillan's mind. Soon after, a set of three quick knocks on his brain echoed through his head before the world around him grew dark. In a split second, Dillan felt as though the world had been pulled out from underneath him, forcing him to fall forwards, spinning uncontrollably. His eyes shut themselves as an all-consuming darkness overtook him. The sounds of the desert wind and shifting sands ceased in almost an instant. Then, the gabite opened his eyes.

It was almost as if he had blinked away the surroundings of Kerroshia, replacing the world with a white-walled room accompanied by black-and-grey, marbled floors and a blank ceiling. In front of the gabite was a long wall plastered in paintings: each one with a gabite surrounded by various, familiar scenes.

The right wall was filled with paintings as well: most being blurred beyond recognition, yet a couple being barely distinguishable. The first one he could make out was of a hallway with machines being carted around a grief-stricken gabite. The second was of a beach which rested behind a teal light that seemed to shine radiance across the entirety of the picture.

The left wall was covered in blank canvases. Each one seemed to sing with possibilities of colors or images that would soon be created. Every painting in the room seemed bordered with a smooth, golden frame.

There was one more item of interest in the room: a crimson form standing in the middle of the room, looking between the pictures along the front wall.

"The mind is a fascinating place," Lily noted, tracing the picture before her with her claw. The one in question was one of a horde of ghosts seemingly surrounding the gabite on all sides. "Yours, to be specific, seems to have created a place where you can gather all of your memories in one place." She nodded slowly before continuing. "Maybe it decided to create this room to remind you of hardships and achievements. It may be a way to remind you of your memories in an attempt at subconsciously combatting what forced you to lose your memories in the first place."

"It's been a while since I've been here," Dillan admitted, unable to recall the exact circumstances of the last time he had dreamed of this place. "I think Reya was here last time… and Jake… or… Giratina, I guess."

"Do you remember what this place is?" Lily questioned.

"It's my mind," Dillan said. "Those paintings are my memories… but…" His voice trailed off at the end.

Lily turned quickly to face Dillan before smiling. "But this room isn't why you've come, is it?"

"No… it isn't," Dillan admitted. "I have some questions for you."

"I know," Lily stated. "You wish to learn about Giratina, no?" she asked, gesturing to a picture further towards the right. It was one of a sky filled with smoke, only being pierced by deep, glowing, red eyes.

"I want to know about a lot more than that," Dillan said. "Like… why is a human here?"

"To save Ganderosa," Lily said simply.

"That's not what I meant…" Dillan said slowly.

"Why you specifically, then?" Lily asked. "Or do you mean, why a human and not a pokemon?"

"I guess the second one," Dillan said, knowing full-well why they picked him. He had to admit: it still made him a little mad that Grace's death was why he was chosen specifically. But that was another talk for another time.

Lily walked towards a blank canvas along the left wall. "It has to do with he crystal around your neck."

Dillan's claw instinctually went to the Sapphire Star, yet it wasn't there. Instead, there was only his purple bandanna with the white sun. It immediately sent him into a miniature panic attack. As his eyes tore across the ground of the room in a frantic search, Lily snapped her claws together, pulling his attention towards her.

"It's safe," Lily said, smiling at the gabite. "You're not in the actual world, remember?"

"Then it's not here?" Dillan asked.

Lily shook her head, still smiling at Dillan. The gabite felt a bit of relief come to him. He began breathing slowly, trying to force his heart into calmness.

The lycanroc reached out towards the canvas before her, stopping about an inch from the surface. "Let me show you something about the Sapphire Star I've been meaning to for a while now."

"What is it?" Dillan asked.

"Truth."

With that final word, Lily touched the blank sheet with the tip of her claw. Almost instantly, the walls of the room seemed to break away from the two. Dillan watched as darkness engulfed everything around them. Within the darkness, Dillan noticed sparks of red light arching off of what he could only assume were black clouds that surrounded them on all sides. Dillan listened to the sparking clouds whilst watching them in wonder at the lack of familiarity. Wasn't this his mind? Should he not recognize anything and everything in it?

"Where are we?" Dillan asked in wonder. He walked forwards towards the clouds to give them a closer inspection when he noticed that the cold feeling of smooth marble was missing from the soles of his feet. Instead, there was a roughness accompanied by the crunches of dead grass. Dillan looked downwards to witness what was below him but saw nothing.

"This is the world Giratina created," Lily said grimly.

Dillan immediately looked towards Lily with shock. "The second world?" he asked.

"My ancestors who previously inhabited the Sapphire Star referred to this place as Alterum. You're welcome to do so, as well."

"And the clouds?" Dillan asked, turning his attention back to the sparking objects. "What are they?"

"That is Shadow Matter had it been given a physical form." Lily reached out and grabbed a bit of the cloud. Dillan watched as she held it in her palm like a pile of jelly. The miniature cloud began to spark wildly, sending red jolts into the air and up Lily's arm. "This is what resides in your friend Hazel."

Just then, the cloud began contorting and sparking more sporadically within Lily's paw. To Dillan's horror, it stretched over her paw, covering it entirely.

"Lily!" Dillan shouted in wide-eyed shock.

"This is what it does," Lily said with a sickened tone whilst allowing the cloud to squelch its way up her arm before stretching across her chest. "It surrounds you – covers you like a parasite." As the blob-like-smoke covered her chest, it wrapped itself around her other limbs. Pretty soon, the entirety of Lily Raksha was covered in black, red-sparking smoke. Her red eyes glinted through the smoke.

Dillan took a step back from the lycanroc and her intimidating gaze. He looked up and down her body with absolute horror. _Is… Is this what Hazel's been going through…? Is this why she's so terrified?_

"The entirety of Alterum – the second world – is enveloped in Shadow Matter." Lily reached towards Dillan with a paw. Her claws extended in an instant into what appeared to be blades of red lightning. "It enhances natural abilities, stats, physical strength, and, in rare cases, a pokemon's attacks. If used in the correct doses, it could be considered a gift to enhance a pokemon. If not…"

Lily looked towards the sky and shook her entire body. Her fur waved through the air with each twist. The smoke broke away from Lily, flying in lumps every-which-way back to the corners of the circle. Dillan watched as a clump began sailing towards his own face. He brought his fins up in a defensive stance, but the smoke seemed to pass through his own body and back towards the bigger, encircling mass. There, in place of the smoke and lycanroc, was a shadowy figure with deep, red eyes, long, white claws, and razor-like fangs.

"You know as well as I that it turns you feral," Lily stated. Her voice was much more growly than usual.

"How does… that have to do with Giratina's motive?" Dillan asked cautiously.

Lily stared at Dillan for a few seconds before walking towards him. With each step, the gabite felt like retreating, although those feelings quickly left him when he realized that the lycanroc was turning back to normal with each inch that was closed between them. "I can't say," Lily stated, looking and sounding normal once more.

"Why not?" Dillan questioned.

"Dialga and Palkia," Lily said. "For now, they wish to keep that a secret."

"Don't you think I should know?" Dillan asked.

"What information you are entitled to is not my priority. The only thing I am allowed to teach you as of now is why you are here and not anyone else.

"The Sapphire Star and Amber Amulet are pieces of bigger crystals which are imbedded in Dialga and Palkia's bodies. You also know Giratina used them to create Alterum."

"Okay," Dillan began. "So?"

"In doing so," Lily started, "Giratina managed to make an unstable world filled with Shadow Matter. And since Shadow Matter is always trying to consume everything in contact with it, it tried to consume the Sapphire Star and Amber Amulet.

"But instead of consuming and altering them as Shadow Matter normally does with what it comes into contact with, it somehow bonded with the two crystals. It hasn't changed a thing about them, but it has made them extremely dangerous for any normal pokemon to use."

"It bonded with the Shadow Matter?" Dillan repeated.

"See for yourself," Lily stated as she held her paw out in front of Dillan. In a flash of blinding, blue light, Dillan winced. He watched as the light died, revealing the Sapphire Star which balanced on its tip in Lily's palm: but it was strangely different.

Dillan observed the four-cornered star with a disturbed look. He watched as red sparks within the smooth, crystalline walls of the Sapphire were flaring wildly around a black cloud.

"Shadow Matter is… inside of it?" Dillan asked slowly, feeling as though his chest were growing heavier with every breath. "I've been carrying Shadow Matter on my chest?"

"Yes," Lily said. "And anyone who carries it comes into contact with a low concentration of Shadow Matter." Lily reached out and grasped Dillan's right arm with her spare hand whilst smiling reassuringly. "It isn't enough to hurt anyone while shielded."

"So, it won't hurt anyone," Dillan said.

"Not necessarily," Lily said calmly.

Dillan stared at the lycanroc, his nervousness increasing with every word she spoke about this new secret of an object he thought was something from a fairy tale. Now it was looking like an object from a nightmare.

"How does that work…?" Dillan asked, unsure he truly wanted to know. He was starting to worry whether he was being exposed to Shadow Matter while wearing the crystal. "Will it make me feral?"

"No," Lily said. "You're a different case, though I'll get to that later.

"As I was saying before, the Sapphire Star has become bonded with Shadow Matter. As of now, most of it remains trapped within the crystal. A small amount does escape, though it's not enough to drastically change a pokemon. Although, if exposed to the Shadow Matter for long periods of time, it will give you an enhanced ability.

"The Shadow Matter from the Sapphire Star is why I had the ability to strike at my opponents without touching them. It's why I had an enhanced ability.

"Although…" Lily continued as she brought both paws over the Star, though the tips did of the Sapphire breached her grasp. "It makes the power of the Sapphire Star very deadly to ordinary pokemon."

"Deadly how?" Dillan questioned.

"You ask too many questions," Lily said with a smirk. "Just allow me to show you."

Dillan watched with a mix of fear and anticipation. The Sapphire Star began to shine from within Lily's claws. The light pierced through the cracks in her fingers, but so did red sparks. The gabite looked on as the clouds around them began to slow to a halt. Sparks that had been shot out randomly now sat in the empty air, suspended in time. Yet the sparks between Lily's claws didn't stop. Instead, black, bubbly sludge began seeping through Lily's grip, spreading all around her as the smoke did before. It encroached once more across her entire body until she was practically bathing in Shadow Matter.

"The power of the Sapphire Star is not to be taken lightly," Lily began. "You know of its ability to distort time, no?"

"Judah explained it to me in Jarondai…" Dillan stated slowly, feeling unnerved by Lily's shadow-covered form. "He said that I could use the Sapphire Star to warp time if I wanted to."

"He was right," Lily said. "Although he neglected to explain that using the Sapphire Star releases a high concentration of Shadow Matter that consumes the user."

"But I think I've used it before," Dillan said. "Back when I first got here, I was in a diner and everything stopped in place. If Shadow Matter was released, why don't I have an enhanced ability?"

"Humans are physiologically different than pokemon," Lily explained. "It would be too simple to believe that your body is completely pokemon."

"You mean… I'm still part human?" Dillan asked. He looked over his body with wide eyes as if expecting to see different appendages than he was normally use to. Yet he still looked like a pokemon.

"Your mind and aura are both human," Lily stated.

"Aura…?" Dillan asked.

"It's like an energy that every creature emits from their body," Lily said. "And as a human, yours is different than a pokemon's. It is why Dialga and Palkia chose your species to help us defend the Sapphire Star. You see, your aura – the human aura – allows you to repel the Shadow Matter."

In an instant, a flash of light erupted from Lily's chest from underneath the smoke. It blinded Dillan for merely a second before revealing Lily once more as her usual self.

"Your aura makes you immune to the effects of Shadow Matter," Lily said.

"So, it won't hurt me," Dillan said. "Meaning I can use it without being attacked by the Shadow Matter."

"That is the idea." Lily opened her paws, revealing the Sapphire Star to Dillan. "Now, then. I think that is enough explaining for right now."

"Hang on," Dillan said. "I still have some questions."

"For another time," Lily insisted. "As for right now, I believe it is necessary for you to learn how to use the Sapphire Star." Lily let the crystal slide out of her paw before closing it around the string. She held it before Dillan, spreading her fingers to allow the loop to open.

Dillan reached for the crystal, allowing it to catch on the edges of his arm-fins before lifting it over his head and around his neck.

"Alright," Dillan said. "How does this work?"

Lily smiled. She walked around the back of the gabite before pushing on his shoulders. "Relax yourself," she said as she rubbed the edge of Dillan's back-fin. He was surprised to feel his shoulders loosen from the simple motion. His heart began to slow.

Dillan looked back at Lily to see if she had done anything other than rub his fin.

"Eyes to the front," Lily said calmly as she snapped her fingers together.

"Alright," Dillan said, putting his attention ahead.

"Now take deep breaths and focus."

"On what?"

"On anything that calms you," Lily answered. "Being calm is the first step to controlling time."

"Alright…" the gabite said slowly, unsure of how that would help. "Then what?"

"When you complete the first step, I will tell you more," Lily said as she strolled back to Dillan's front. "Before then, it is merely a distraction. So, for now, focus on relaxing. Take deep breaths, breathing in and out."

Dillan watched the lycanroc. He watched her with a stillness about him before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"There," Lily said through the darkness of his eyelids. "Now think of a place that most calms you. Imagine that place as though you were there. Hear the surroundings. Feel the air. See the sky."

Dillan took one more deep breath before imagining Tom's boat. He listened the rocking of the waves as they lapped over the side, spraying him with droplets of salt water. The sun upon his blue scales brought heat while the wind delivered a chill. It seemed to be a perfect temperature to the gabite: not too hot, but also not too cold.

Dillan seemed to forget about breathing entirely. He began to feel as though he was actually there on the boat. It was almost magical. Maybe being in his own head stimulated his imagination much more, making images even more vivid than before?

"Focus on the Sapphire Star," Lily's voice called from above the waves. "You know flame-thrower, correct?"

"Yeah," Dillan said.

"It is the same principle. You need to feel the Sapphire Star within you. Let it call out to you. When you locate it, grasp onto it. Let those positive motions that you have inside of you fuel the Sapphire until everything around you becomes drowned out in silence. That silence will be the cue that you have frozen time."

"Alright," Dillan said.

He began searching his body: not physically, but through his own mind. Just like he would when searching for the flame within his stomach, he looked for a new feeling: something unfamiliar.

Dillan continued his inner search for a few minutes before confusion stated building up inside of him along with a bit of frustration.

"Where is it supposed to be?" Dillan asked. "What is it suppose to feel like?"

"That is for you to learn," Lily stated. "The Sapphire calls out to a pokemon in many different ways and places. Sometimes, the call is as simple as a word or a feeling. Other times, it may call out to you on an instinctual level. Eventually, you will be able to merely breath and connect with the Sapphire. But as a pokemon who has very little experience when dealing with one of the crystals before, will need to learn from stage one: that being an inner search for that call."

"That's confusing," Dillan said. "And it doesn't really answer my question."

"Just search," Lily said.

"And what if I can't find it?" Dillan said, opening his eyes and looking at the lycanroc.

Lily's calm demeanor fell into a tensed look of annoyance. "You just broke your own calm and concentration," she sighed.

"But what if I can't find it?" Dillan asked.

"I don't expect you to find the calling on the first try," Lily stated. "And neither should you."

"But I'm supposed to be this hero, right?" Dillan asked. "What if I can't ever find it?"

"You are the hero," Lily said. "But at the same time, it takes time to evolve into the hero you want to be, correct?"

"Y-" Dillan said, stumbling on the first syllable. "Wait… What do you mean by the hero I want to be?" he asked.

"Exactly that," Lily said with a raised eyebrow.

Dillan looked at Lily for a few seconds before his eyebrows tensed. He looked towards the floor, scanning it with a bit of confusion. "The hero… I want to be…"

Those words stood out to him like a sore thumb. The phrasing seemed a little odd. Though it made him wonder: what kind of hero did he want to be? Was there another kind?

"What I meant is by being the hero you want to be," Lily began. "Is choosing to be a hero and going with it."

The two pokemon stood in silence. Lily had a concerned look on her face as she watched Dillan.

"Dillan," she began. "You do want to be the hero, right?"

"I…" Dillan began. "I mean, yeah." he said.

Lily looked at the gabite with a bit of confusion. Obviously, she didn't think he was being confident with his answer. "This is what you chose… correct?"

Dillan didn't answer. He began thinking about that question. "Why wouldn't it be?" he asked. "I mean, being a hero is why I came to this world, right?"

"Dillan," Lily urged. She walked up to him and took his shoulder. "Is this what _you_ want?"

"Pokemon are in danger and need to be saved," Dillan said. "That's all that matters, right?"

Lily looked at Dillan with shock. She sighed, wearing a look of pity. "Is this what you want? Or is this what others want from you?"

"Why does that matter?" Dillan asked, meeting the lycanroc's eyes.

Lily looed at the gabite and shook her head. "Why are you fighting?" she asked.

"Because there are pokemon who are suffering," Dillan said as he shook his head. "Because my friends are hurting…"

"Is that really it?" Lily asked. "Or is it because this is what your friends want from you?"

Dillan was about to answer her but hesitated. Her words seemed to cut into something deep inside of him. It was almost as if with a single word, it started making him question why he was here. _Do I… really want this?_ He shook his head fiercely.

"What are you trying to do?" Dillan asked suspiciously. "Why are you making me doubt myself?"

"If you doubt yourself over this," Lily began. "It's because you don't truly want any part of this."

"No," Dillan said, forcefully shaking his head. "I need to do this. I'm the only human here. Dialga needs me. The world needs me!"

"The world needs you because you are human," Lily said. "But if you truly wanted to, you could be replaced."

"N-no…" Dillan said slowly.

"Why are you here?" Lily asked once more. "Is because pokemon have set expectations on you: expectations that you don't have the confidence or the mind to deny? Have you been going along with this entire thing solely because you feel you have to?"

"Th… that's not true…" Dillan said.

"Then deny it," Lily stated. "Tell me a fact that would make me believe otherwise."

"I…" Dillan said, searching his brain for something.

"You might have had control of what you were doing when Reya talked to you," Lily said. "You may have listened to her because of her knowledge on your past… Yet I don't think you have had the chance to truly ask yourself why _you_ are here in this world: why _you_ want to be here."

The gabite looked at his surroundings. He watched the crackling of the red lightning. He looked on at the abys of black clouds, veiling him from the world around.

"I…" he said once more. "I… don't… know…"

"Dillan," Lily began. "A hero is a great thing when they put another's needs above their wants and desires. But if you don't know what that is-"

"That's enough!" a powerful, booming voice echoed throughout the entire room. Dillan clasped his ear drums with his fins to block out the ear-piercing voice.

Lily looked up towards the sky with confusion. "M-Master Dialga?" she questioned.

Then, a flash of blue light from the Sapphire Star blinded the entire room. Dillan felt his mind squeeze within his brain as he lost all sense of feeling. With a final shout, the blue light enveloped the entire room.

* * *

The gabite shot up, panting from a pounding heart.

"Dillan?" Valery questioned worriedly from the gabite's side. "Are you alright?"

Dillan looked around quickly, observing the desert before him. He looked the darkened sky as he touched the back of his neck with his fin. He felt sweat moving down his spine. He took a hard swallow before attempting to steady his breath.

"Dillan?" Valery asked once more, shaking his arm. "Talk to me, please!"

"I'm… alright…" Dillan lied.

"Are you sure?" Valery asked. "You were shaking and moaning in your sleep."

"Yeah…" Dillan said, finally catching his breath. "I'm fine…"

He felt a sharp pain race up his arm. He winced and yelped before looking over at a frustrated mienfoo whose fingertips were currently digging into Dillan's scales. She crossed her arms before scowling at the gabite.

"Don't scare me like that!" she chided as though this was his fault. "As your guardian, I'm supposed to make sure nothing bad happens to you, and I can't do anything about a nightmare! So don't act like you're dying in your sleep, alright?!"

"Alright," Dillan said with a nod.

"Good," Valery said.

Dillan took his eyes off of Valery and directed his attention back to that dream. _If that's what it was…_

 _Why would Lily say those things? She's supposed to be encouraging me. She's supposed to be helping me through this thing… But why would she say all of that? Why would she make me doubt why I'm doing this?_

 _And… why am I doing this? I mean, she's right about my friends not really needing me… I mean, there's not much I've been able to do for either of them. I can't help Hazel with Shadow Matter… and I can't help Ryan when he keeps lying to me… and I'm not sure he'll ever tell me the truth at this rate. Even then, I don't think I could ever help him with his problems…_

 _As for helping the world, Lily's right. I could easily be replaced by another human. Someone else could do a better job than I could ever do… So, if I can't help them or anyone… then why am I really here?_

Dillan took his eyes from the mienfoo before looking off into the horizon. He watched the darkened sky. A shadow was currently cast over the two pokemon. As a gust of wind blew by, Dillan felt just how chilly the desert was.

 _We should probably be heading out by now…_ Dillan told himself. He looked around the area and found no sign of Ryan or Fitz, only Valery and what looked like circles of footprints.

Dillan shook his head slowly before standing up. _Alright…_ "We should probably head out now," Dillan stated.

"Wait!" Valery said. "What about Trin?"

"I don't think she's coming, Valery," Dillan said slowly. _They're probably long gone by now…_

"But… Trin wouldn't abandon us!" Valery insisted swiftly.

"We've waited too long," Dillan said. "I think those pokemon we met before are looking for us… and I don't think we'll have much time to wait, anymore."

"No!" Valery insisted. "Trin wouldn't leave me!"

"Then stay here," Dillan said calmly. He didn't want to argue with he mienfoo. If she didn't want to come, then he would do this himself.

But would he do this himself? Could he do this himself? Doubts he hadn't considered before began flooding his mind. Why was he even on this path? Was Lily right? Was I because of expectations? Was it even his choice in the first place?

"Fine," Valery said sadly. "But Trin will find-"

"Find what?" a voice called out from down the path into town.

Valery looked down the path and jumped with excitement. "Trin!" she screamed joyfully as she ran towards the hakamo-o.

Dillan watched the two pokemon as they hugged each other in a warm embrace. Then, behind the group, Dillan noticed a tall figure standing behind them.

It was a krookodile: a big, brick-red and white crocodile with black stripes along its head. The pokemon stood up straight. It eyed Dillan with an intimidating glare.

"C. C!" Valery cheered as she hugged the krookodile. She climbed up the pokemon's back and began hugging its massive head. "I missed you!"

"This is the human, mistress?" the krookodile asked.

"Yes," Fitz answered. She walked towards Dillan before gesturing towards the krookodile. "This is my associate, Fremont Conner. My hope is that he will accompany us and give us enough strength to take on the Eevee Tribe, should things take a turn for the worst.

"Are you coming with us, then?" Dillan asked, trying to keep his eyes off of the krookodile's gaze.

"I would never leave Valery with that traitor," Fitz said. "I merely left to acquire some back-up for our mission." She looked around quickly, scanning the immediate area. "Speaking of the pachirisu, where is he?"

"He…" Dillan began slowly, guilt filling his throat. "He left… and I don't think he'll be back…"

"Good," Fitz said pompously. "Then he will not interfere."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Ryan's voice asked as a whit form came bounding down the pathway towards the group. He slithered underneath the krookodile's feet as he darted up towards the group of three.

Fitz closed her eyes as her brow tensed into a scowl of disapproval. She then sighed audibly and conspicuously.

Dillan looked towards Ryan with a bit of hope, but also with a worried fear. "Ryan-"

"It's fine," Ryan said. "I thought it over, and you're right. You can't really trust me if I'm keeping secrets from you…"

"Then you're going to tell me what's been going on with you?" Dillan asked.

"I mean…" Ryan said nervously. "Not entirely… I'm not ready to tell you everything…"

"Then forget it!" Valery shouted from atop the krookodile, Fremont.

"Hang on!" Ryan shouted, glaring at the mienfoo. The krookodile bared his teeth at the pachirisu before Ryan shook his head and backed down. "I'm not going to tell you everything right off the bat," he insisted. "But I do want to build more trust between us. So… I need you to make a promise to me."

"What is it?" Dillan asked.

"Let me join," Ryan said. "I promise to eventually tell you everything… but I just can't right now."

"And in exchange?" Fitz asked with a glare.

Ryan looked at Fitz then towards Dillan. He smiled lightly before sighing. "I'm here to help you on this mission," he began. "But you were right when you said it wasn't the only reason I'm here." Ryan gave a confident stare into Dillan's eyes before saying, "I came here to fix a mistake I made a few years ago."

"You are being vague," Fitz stated shortly. "Care to elaborate for the gabite?"

"Alright, Ryan," Dillan said with a nod. "You can come with us."

Fitz looked at Dillan with a glare. "He's admitting to wanting the Amber Amulet for himself!"

"I didn't say that," Ryan snarled through gritted teeth.

"It's fine," Dillan assured Ryan. "Do you promise to tell me everything eventually?"

"Yes," Ryan said without hesitation.

"Why are you agreeing to this?" Fitz questioned.

"Because he gave me something," Dillan said. "And right now, that's all I asked for."

Fitz wore the most infuriated look on her face before she huffed and walked onwards towards the horizon. "Fine," she stated. "But we should leave now before the desert becomes unbearable."

"High ho, C. C!" Valery chanted, pointing forwards.

The krookodile walked onwards, passing the two pokemon.

Ryan looked at Dillan with a thankful smile. He opened his mouth to form words but couldn't seem to get any out.

"It's fine," Dillan said with a nod. "I get it… but I just need you to tell me everything. Even though it isn't now… I want to believe that you will eventually tell me."

"I will," Ryan said. "I promise that I will."

"Alright," Dillan said with a nod. He looked towards the desert, watching the orange tints of the sun touch the rest of their group. He was about to take a step forwards… but he found his feet seemed planted to the floor.

"Come on," Ryan said as he dropped to all-fours and began running to meet their group.

Dillan watched the pachirisu, dropping whatever confidence and calm he had. He felt so lost. As he took a step towards the group, his ankles felt weighted. With each step, he continued to wonder what drove him to take the next one. He began thinking that Lily might have been right. Was he taking each step on his own? Was this his path? Or was he simply following what others wanted of him? Was this truly what he wanted?

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys! MasterKnight2142 here!

Been a while, huh? Well, I might be late a day or two (or a few… haven't checked my original "hiatus post" thing :P), but I did make a new chapter! And MAN does it feel good to be writing again!

With finals right around the corner, I can't tell you for sure when I'll have time to write up another chapter. But I'll be working on the story a lot more frequently when I'm finished with this semester of college!

Shout-out to "DocOfDoom", "Just-A-Reader0Love", and "Wilson Farrell" for following/favoriting the story! I hope you guys liked the chapter: you new-comers and old!

That's all I have to say for now! I'll see you all in the next chapter!


	48. Stones Unturned

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 48

Stones Unturned

* * *

(Palando Mountain Range)

It had been a day since the ex-guildmembers had started out on their search of Team Armageddon's Titus and Ignitus Blaine. Since then, they had arrived in the mountains, following a beaten path that looked as though no one had used it in years. Perhaps it was because of the Palando Mountain Pass Hazel had been through during the first few weeks of her old instatement as a pawn to King Judah. It was probably faster and cozier than the climb, seeing as it cut straight through and onto Kerroshia Castle.

Hazel looked on at the inclined road which stretched between the mountains, leading higher and deeper as they went. It was getting colder by each passing second, but it didn't bother a fire-type like her. There were walls along the side of the path, as though it had been carved out with a massive stick by some gigantic child. That, or it use to be some river that had long been eroded. They did manage to keep any wind that may have blown by at a minimum, though it also meant low visibility. Patches of grass edged the pathway before ending at the brown-and-red-layered dirt.

Hailey – who was currently walking behind the charmeleon – seemed to be doing much worse than Hazel, not that she would admit it to the others for even a second. Ever since the drop in temperature, she had taken to the ground next to Hazel's flame. She was actually the reason they stayed between the walls. Though as a result, she would occasionally fly above the walls to survey the land for a possible Armageddon hide-out. If she found nothing, Hailey would fly back to Hazel in a shivering wreck before huddling close to her flame. The charmeleon decided she would expend a bit more energy than normal to keep her flame warm for Hailey's sake.

Tracey was a complete opposite when compared to the staraptor. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying the cold. She took up the front of the group, leading them all with a liveliness about her. It may not have inspired Hailey, but Bob looked happier as a result. The little purple jelly-pile squished up the path close behind Tracey, following her closely like a child to its mother.

"You sure you're doing fine?" Hazel asked the staraptor in a hushed tone. She had to admit, it was very odd being friendly to the staraptor once more after being cold for over a year. But she tried her best, knowing she couldn't blame Hailey for the fears she had.

"It's t-too damn cold…" Hailey finally whispered with a chattering beak.

Hazel nodded. "Do you want to take a quick break?" she asked.

"No," Hailey said. "The s-sooner we find this Team Armageddon hideout-t, the sooner w-we can get off of this mountain…"

Hazel nodded before looking ahead at the glaceon. "Hey, Tracey. Are you sure you don't know where this place is?"

"No clue," Tracey said from ahead, bounding over a sizeable stone in the middle of the path. "I only heard rumors about this place. It was never confirmed.

"By the way, it's been a while since the last aerial look." She stopped in her tracks and looked back towards Hailey. "Would you mind-"

Before Tracey could finish her words, Hazel felt a gust of wind rock her forwards and shake her flame. She brought her arm up to shield her eyes before glancing back, seeing Hailey had already taken off.

Tracey pursed her lips together in a worried manner. "I kinda feel bad for her," she sighed. "Being a flying-type probably doesn't help with the cold atmosphere."

"I'm actually more surprised that she's taking it so poorly," Hazel admitted.

Tracey cocked her head to the side and looked at Hazel with confusion. "Why do you say that?" she asked.

"Flying pokemon are exposed to higher altitudes all the time," Hazel stated. "Take the pokemon of Avis Village for instance: most of the pokemon there are flying-types, and they live in a pretty high-up place, but you never see anyone from there complaining about the cold."

"Hailey's probably just accustomed to the milder climates," Tracey suggested. "I mean, Palando is practically at sea level."

"How's the town doing, by the way?" Hazel asked. "Last I heard, Garth was leaving to be Guild Master of the Alkan Islands. I assume you guys have a new Guild Leader by now."

"Had," Tracey said bitterly. "We're not in the Guild anymore, remember?"

Hazel looked towards the glaceon with a bit of confusion. She was a bit confused as to why she sounded angry. She saw a cold expression on Tracey's face as she looked above, watching Hailey survey the land.

"I didn't really know Garth at all," Tracey said. "But I know he couldn't have been worse than this new one." Tracey stuck her tongue out and shook her head forcefully. "Her name's Athil, and she sucks more than a smoochum."

"That bad?" Hazel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She was mean and strict, and punished anyone harshly if they talked back to her. She even placed a curfew on the guild."

"Ms. Athil was mean," Bob said with a pouting expression. "She didn't like me…"

"Just because you're mentally challenged doesn't give her the right to hate you!" Tracey said defiantly.

Hazel was shocked to hear Tracey say something like that. It was a little too on the nose for the charmeleon, not to mention a bad way of putting it. Although Bob didn't seem to mind at all. Instead, he smiled at the glaceon as if he appreciated the words, knowing she didn't mean anything by it.

Tracey looked up once more towards the blue sky as Hailey's shadow passed over them. "She seemed more concerned with the guild itself than the actual pokemon who came looking for help."

Bob nodded as if agreeing with Tracey, though he had a look as blank as paper.

"Athil called us into the Guild room like Garth had before he left to give an announcement and to take the pledge: that sort of crap. But instead of telling us to help pokemon, she told us we'd be scrubbing the Guild from top to bottom for the next three days."

"Soap tastes funny," Bob said.

Tracey rolled her eyes at the ditto. "Anyways, she was bad news."

"Sounds like a pain," Hazel said.

"It wouldn't have been that bad if she _actually_ wanted to help pokemon." She gave a groan of annoyance as she grimaced. "Instead, it was almost like she wanted to-"

Tracey was cut off as a gust of wind blew through the valley-like path. Hazel covered her eyes instinctually as her tail-flame along with Tracey's ears flapped with the wind. Hailey had landed near them abruptly whilst wearing a deep scowl.

"What's wrong?" Hazel asked, knowing that her fast landing and current expression couldn't have meant something good. She was worried about something.

"Bob," Hailey said quickly, shooting quick glances back the way they came. "Transform into a graveler."

"Okay," Bob said as his body began to glow.

"What's going on?" Hazel urged.

"Hide behind Bob and shut up," Hailey said sternly as she scowled at Hazel.

"Do you plan on answering the question f-" Tracey said before Hailey's scowl cut her off.

"Something's coming," she spat as Bob finished turning into a massive pile of mud with multiple rocks littering its skin. Hailey turned towards Bob and said, "Just lean your head against that wall and don't make a sound.

"Right," Bob said as he planted his face into the wall.

"The rest of you hide behind him," Hailey demanded as she opened her wings. "Hurry!"

The staraptor flapped her wings against the ground and took off into the sky, racing towards the clouds.

"What was that about?" Tracey said as though she was more confused than worried.

"Get behind Bob," Hazel said as she darted behind the ditto-turned-mud-pile.

"She's screwing with you," Tracey said. "There's no way the Enemy could have followed us up here so quickly, and there's no reason for them to be up- HEY!"

Hazel grabbed Tracey forcefully by the shoulder and began yanking her behind Bob. After about a second of resistance, Tracey followed the charmeleon.

"Easy," Tracey said through a grimace, rubbing her shoulder as she observed their tight, shadowed area.

"Quiet," Hazel shushed quietly as she began listening to the world around them.

She listened to the whistling of the wind as it blew through the valley. She watched as the shadows across Bobs body seemed stagnant and unmoving. The chill of the atmosphere was as normal as could be. All in all, there was nothing wrong.

The pokemon sat in unmoving silence for what felt like minutes. Hazel's heart plastered her ribs with forceful poundings. Her breath stuttered with anticipation of the worst. Yet nothing seemed to come.

A few more minutes passed without so much as a sound. The wind seemed to stop blowing through the passage, making it all that much quieter. Hazel began to wonder if the pokemon Hailey was referring to had already passed them by, and they just didn't know it.

"Is he gone?" Tracey whispered at a barely audible volume.

"Shut up," a cold voice said from the other side of Bob.

Both Hazel and Tracey looked at each other with wide eyes and held breaths. They both watched the other with horror, pleading with their eyes an admittance that they had spoken. But it didn't come.

Hazel began to feel a sort of darkness fill in her chest. Her breath became unsteady as her sight began to flash between a shadowy time she once knew and the one she was in right now. The darkness inside her grew, strangling her lungs themselves. She recognized this feeling al too well. There was a ghost near.

"I know they're here," the voice stated. "They're listening to us: waiting for us to leave."

Tracey mouthed a few swear words as she watched Bob's mud-like body as if she could see through him to the pokemon on the other side.

Hazel, however, felt her head grow heavy. Her sight flashed to a single, red eye which stared at her with murderous intent. _No… Why now?_ Hazel asked herself as she began drifting back to that night in the basement.

Her vision flashed backwards in time. She found herself looking up at a shadowy figure with a single, red eye. It began reaching out to her with a white, glove-like hand. Hazel was forced to watch the pokemon through fear. Her life seemed as though it was about to end in that single moment. She opened her mouth to scream as loud as she could for her father. He would be the only one to save her.

Hazel then felt a furry paw being shoved over her muzzle. Her sight came back to her as she was once again pulled back to the present.

Tracey was pressing both paws over Hazel's face as she looked at her with complete fear. Her eyes began darting to the charmeleon and the small holes on either side of their muddy hiding place.

 _I was… I was about to scream…_ Hazel thought. _It's a ghost… It has to be…_ _Which… means… It has to be…_

"I don't appreciate spies," the pokemon growled. "And neither do my companions."

There was a scraping sound from behind Bob. It sounded as though it was getting louder with the passing seconds. He was getting closer.

Hazel's vision flashed once more to the dusclopse in the basement. Hazel racked her brain with her paw, digging her claws into her scales just enough to cause pain. _Stay focused…_

Then, the scraping stopped. "I just want to play with you," the voice said.

Unbearable silence followed. Hazel continued to have flashed of that night through her brain. The need to scream continued to grow, yet she kept digging her claws deeper to control herself. Blood began trickling down the side of her face as she struggled to keep control. It was enough to drive her crazy.

"I know," the voice stated with annoyance. "Shut up!" it roared. "I know what _he_ wants! But I was promised blood! And now…" the voice trailed off. "Well, then what do you suggest?"

Minutes of silence passed once more. Yet all they could do was keep silent and wait.

"Alright, fine!" the voice snapped. "But next time, I kill them! Deal?"

The scraping noise was back, echoing through Hazel's brain like a rock being dragged against glass. It grew ever more distant as the wind picked up once more. The flashed began to fade with the feeling in Hazel's chest. Pretty soon, everything turned back to normal.

Yet none of them made even a hint of moving. Tracey continued to cover Hazel's muzzle, forcing her to breathe through the corners of her lips. Their hearts were beating together unsteadily, and their fear didn't decrease.

"You can come out, now," Hailey's voice said.

Tracey winced and tensed from the staraptor's voice. Her grip grew tight around Hazel's muzzle, sending her nerves in a frenzy. The charmeleon yipped from the pinching feeling. She removed the claws from her head and pried Tracey off her.

"Too tight!" Hazel complained as she rubbed her muzzle.

"What the hell was that…?" Tracey asked fearfully.

A flash of white light covered the two pokemon as their hiding place morphed back into the purple blob. Bob at once tacked Tracey in a hug. His entire body was shaking from fear.

"I've never seen a pokemon like it before," Hailey said. "But it had a rock attached to the end of it and its face was a sort of purple disk, kind of like the pokemon you were describing back at Harley's Diner."

"Akuji," Hazel said as she shut her eyes tightly. Even though she stopped flashing back to that night, images of the dusclopse continued to bombard her brain. "It had to be him."

"So, it was the Enemy?" Tracey said.

"You didn't believe me?" Hailey questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I didn't think the Enemy would be up here!" Tracey snapped defensively.

"I told you that Akuji was looking for Ignitus!" Hazel shouted.

Tracey looked at Hazel for a few seconds before opening her mouth to speak, yet she merely made stuttering noises as if she was flustered.

"Why would I lie?" Hailey said.

"I don't know!" Tracey said defensively. "I thought you were screwing with us!"

"I never screw with anyone," Hailey said, scowling at Tracey.

"Alright!" Hazel said, jumping in between the group. "We're safe, now, and that's what matters." She looked towards Tracey and shot a warning glance. "For now, we need to trust each other. Keep in mind that each of us only want to finish he mission."

"Obviously," Tracey said half-heartedly, knowing by Hazel's look that she didn't really mean it.

Hazel looked down the passageway to her left. A pit of anxiety and fear began to fill her chest, creating an uncomfortable unrest within her. "At least it means we're on the right track," she said. "But it also means Akuji is ahead of us on this one."

"I don't want to see him again," Bob said.

"Me neither," Tracey said, taking a hard gulp. "But we'll probably have to fight him."

"I don't think so," Hailey said with a neutral scowl.

Hazel looked to Hailey for answers, hoping she knew something that they didn't. Tracey, on the other hand, seemed annoyed with the staraptor.

"Guess what, genius," Tracey began harshly, rolling her eyes at Hailey's comment. "Akuji's ahead. We're behind. That means we'll have to fight him to get to-"

"There's a building north of here," Hailey said, cutting Tracey off. She turned to Tracey, looking at her with a simple glance. "Meaning Akuji is going the wrong way."

Hazel smiled brightly at Hailey. "Then we're almost there."

"Keep in mind who we're looking for," Hailey said without happiness. "We still need to be weary, and make sure that we aren't attacked."

"Plus, Ignitus knows you," Tracey said to Hazel.

"Titus knows me," Hazel corrected. "I've never met Ignitus before. But besides that, I'm just… happy we have a win for once." She stood up proudly and looked towards the sun, identifying north was above the wall. "For the past few weeks, I've felt like all I've been doing is constantly fighting without any real progress. I'm just happy that we're getting somewhere."

"Just be weary," Hailey warned. "We still haven't finished our mission. And if Ignitus finds out we're guildmembers – even ex-guildmembers – we're guaranteed to have a fight before we can explain."

Hazel took Hailey's words into consideration and nodded. "Alright," she said. "In that case, we'll watch our backs and be careful."

Hailey nodded in agreement, and the group got to work.

* * *

Getting up and off the path – to Hazel at least – was the hard part, and even that was simple. Bob merely transformed into a tangrowth – a pokemon with what seemed to be living vines – before he lifted both Tracey and Hazel over the path (in that very order) with ease. The wind picked up the moment they touched the unshielded dirt, blowing through Hazel's flame. She shivered from the cold for a second before attempting to hoist Bob out of the pit. Thankfully, all they needed to do was hold his vines before Bob turned white, morphing himself up the mountain to the group whilst also becoming his usual, purple self.

From there, it was a straight walk on the mountainside in the direction Hailey had told them this building was. And after a minute or so of walking, the group found what they were looking for.

Sitting a little further down the mountain on a level-looking area, sat a small, box-like building that had long grass stretching over the walls. Layers of dirt piled on its flat roof like it was an ancient building from long ago. Other than the desolate landscape, there was nothing around the building,

As the group got to the building, they circled it for a few seconds before Tracey pointed out a doorless frame which led inside. The group promptly walked in, Hailey seeming to usher them inside at a quicker pace, yet she tried not to be obvious about it.

Upon entering the building, Hazel was astounded. It was just like the outside of the building, if not worse. Grass had grown through cracks in the tiles which lined the floors. Dirt plastered the walls, floor, and even ceiling. Moss (or maybe mold. Hazel couldn't tell) seemed to be especially happy living in the building, covering almost every inch of the place. The smell of dirt and mold plagued the air, making it difficult for Hazel to breath. And yet with all the overgrowth and overpowering smell, there were shelves which remained intact. They were all lined across the floors in neat rows, each shelf containing vials and tubes which each came in different shapes and sizes. Each one was filled with a different colored liquid. Some vials seemed to have layers of different liquids which had settled over time. Some vials even contained some moss which seemed to take a liking to their respective liquids. It was almost as if this building was a library of liquids.

"Wow…" Hazel said as she observed the room.

"That's one word for it," Tracey said while she held her nose with a free paw. "Another is, 'Yuck'."

"This is the Team Armageddon Hideout?" Hailey asked.

"It has to be," Tracey said. "This is the only building we've found here."

"Regardless, it could still be a different building," Hazel said. "I mean, look at this place. Why would Ignitus make this a base?"

Tracey shrugged. "Why not?" she asked.

"We're wasting time," Hailey said. "If this is the base and Akuji decides to come back…" She didn't finish her sentence: she didn't need to.

"Alright," Hazel said in response to the staraptor. "In that case, split up and look around for a staircase or something. If you don't find that, then look for a secret passageway."

Hailey sighed at Hazel's comment. Obviously, the 'secret-passageway' bit wasn't convincing in the slightest.

"I wouldn't put it passed Ignitus," Tracey said, seemingly excited and happy with the idea of a secret lying in wait. Nevertheless, the three girls – and Bob who followed Tracey – split up and went in opposite directions to scour the place.

Hazel watched the vials as she went, observing them like a scientist would look at something new and unexpected. She viewed each vial, seeing they were all labeled with three words in what appeared to be unown script. Hazel couldn't decipher what the words meant, but she could very well read them: experimentum, perditus, and umbra.

She looked up at the ceiling, seeing the moss and mold was there, as well. It began to make her wonder. _This place must be really old. And all these vials…_ She reached towards one of the triangular vials and grasped the top only for a moment before removing her claws. An impression was left in the layers of dust which covered the vial. _These vials haven't been used for a long time… Which means this can't be Ignitus' work. So, what is this place? And why would Ignitus choose this place as a hideout instead of somewhere more spacious and grander?_

The more Hazel thought about it, the more it felt like Ignitus might not be here, after all. If he was a leader when they picked Team Armageddon's secret hideout, wouldn't it have been more accommodating to the group? Why would they choose a place like this?

"I think I found something," Tracey's voice called out a few rows over from Hazel's current position.

"What is it?" Hazel asked.

"A notebook," Tracey said. "It's talking about…"

"About what?" Hazel called out.

"Well, I don't know," Tracey said. "Something about tests being run… And then it talks about needing to finish something… A war, I think."

"Hold on," Hazel said. "I'll come to you."

"Alright," Tracey said.

Hazel walked to the end of her hallway before looking down each one to her right. After a few walls of vials, she found a wide hallway with a table at the end of it. Tracey was currently observing an open book on the table.

The book was of a sort of leather covering, but the corners were ragged, showing signs of wear. The pages seemed to have water marks all over them, making it a little harder to read, but not impossibly so.

"Anything of interest?" Hazel asked as she reached the glaceon.

"I don't know," Tracey admitted. "I can't understand what it's talking about, anyways."

"Let me take a look," Hazel said before pulling the book to her. She looked down at the pages and began reading to herself.

Year 60, Day 236

It's been twenty days since the last shipment of substances. Tim is optimistic that, this time, we will have what we need to finally leave this bloody mountain. I am not as confident. Component X seems to still have the same result when exposed to just about everything we introduce: base, acid, and compound. And yet even when bringing what findings – or lack of findings – we have before the King, he refuses to cut funding and relocate us, stating this "project" is more useful than anything we could do. I am starting to wonder if he actually has our best interests at heart.

There is no telling what will occur in the future for this project and whether it will even help win the war. It frustrates me that I cannot say whether we will ever find the neutralizing agent we need to stop Component X, let alone recreate the component into a useable weapon. But even if there is a minute chance given all the resources we have been given, I seriously doubt we have as much time as we think; especially since the "Poison Queen" is pushing against our borders more vigorously with each passing day. It will probably take a miracle to finish the project, now.

Hoping with what little confidence I still have that there's an end to this godless war,

Joseph Bartholemule of Project Imperium

Hazel watched the pages with a bit of confusion, only understanding part of what it said. It was too vague to grasp everything it entailed. But the thing that seemed to stand out most to Hazel was the name "Bartholemule".

"What?" Tracey said.

"I'm not sure," Hazel admitted. "This was obviously some sort of testing lab, but I'm not entirely sure what they were testing. It says they wanted to stop something this guy called 'Component X'. It also sounds like they wanted to make it into a weapon to win a war."

Hazel carefully grasped a pretty hefty number of brittle pages in her claws and flipped through the worn book to the end. As she reached the end, a small, open envelope rested between the book's cover and final page. Pages had been torn from the book, leaving enough room for the envelope without creating an obvious gap. It also made sure the last page was one with writing on it.

Hazel picked up the envelope, looking at the emblem stamped into the back. The emblem was obviously the Arvaine symbol of the dragonite skull and crossed spears. She placed the letter to the side and began reading the journal once more.

Year 61, Day 5

It's all over. I can't believe this is what ends us when we're so close to recreating Project Imperium, but we have no funding or resources to continue. Bartholemule's already gone by now: back to his family. He's afraid of what our "new King" is going to do to anyone who had been affiliated with the Armadines during the war, regardless of whether they fought against him. Frankly, I'm as terrified as he is. So, this is going to be my final report before I return to Kerroshia.

Project Imperium worked in our favor once: once. Only once were we able to replicate the weapon that the Arvaines had backing them during the course of the war. And it was a complete fluke: one we were never able to replicate. If we had more time, we might be able to. But as for now, it is an impossibility. There is no way in hell Gunter Arvaine is going to let this base stand if it is ever found, let alone supply the resources needed to-

Hazel reached the end of the page, surprised to find it hanging on that note. It was too abrupt. There had to be more pages: one at the least. Yet they were all gone.

"Anything more?" Tracey asked.

"Well," Hazel began. "I think this base was supposed to be used to make a weapon. And this says they did it, but only once."

"What makes you say, 'A weapon'?" Hailey asked, turning the corner before joining the group.

"This was clearly written during the Great War," Hazel stated. "This letter proves it."

"No way," Tracey said.

"Take a look for yourself," Hazel said as she opened the letter and spread it out across the table.

Tracey peered over the table and began reading the letter aloud.

"'Castle Jarondai; Year 61, Day 1

Dear citizens of the world,

I am King Gunter Arvaine the First, one of the last living descendants of Maxamillian Armadine. I inform you with pride that we have decimated the forces of Hardemlite Armadine.'

"Definitely the Great War," Tracey stated, only needing to read the name of the king from that time period.

"Anyways," Hazel said. "This place was supposed to be developing a weapon to help win the Great War, and they succeeded once. But they didn't know how they did it, so they spent the last moments they had here to try and recreate it. This journal says they weren't able to do it by the time the Arvaines came into power."

"So, this isn't a Team Armageddon base," Hailey said grimly.

"If I'm being honest," Hazel said, shaking her head. "There's too much overgrowth and dust for this place to have been recently used. I seriously doubt this is the base."

"They're here," Tracey said defiantly as she pulled the book towards her.

"Hazel's right," Hailey said, calling the charmeleon Hazel once more. It occurred to her that Hailey had been calling Hazel by her second name ever since their departure from Palando, not that it bothered her. In fact, it felt to Hazel more as a new step in whatever platonic relationship her and Hailey were currently rebuilding.

"There's no evidence of Team Armageddon being here," the staraptor finished.

"And what makes you an expert on tracking, hmm?" Tracey retorted.

Hailey didn't answer Tracey, merely scowling her normal, uncaring gaze.

"I'm telling you; this is the perfect place for Team Armageddon to make camp."

"And why's that?" Hailey asked, finally showing a bit of her annoyance show in her tone.

"This place was here to develop a weapon, r-" Tracey turned towards Hailey and stopped talking. She grimaced and fell to all fours, crouching as if ready to pounce.

Hazel had only a second to turn towards where Tracey was facing before a set of white claws wrapped themselves around her neck, lifting her upwards in its choking grasp. Hazel looked down the black, scaly arm as her horrified gaze set upon red eyes. The three scars across her chest began aching as though watching the charizard caused them to reopen.

"Ms. Phimpledink," Titus said with a cruel gaze.

"Let her go!" Hailey demanded as she spread her wings.

Titus didn't take his eyes from Hazel to face Hailey, as if he considered her nothing more than an inconvenience to be ignored. It reminded Hazel of the brutality he showed in the Alkan Guild. She wrapped her own claws around Titus', feebly trying to pry herself from his grip.

"Get back!" Hazel managed to get out. "Stay… away from him!"

"Let her go!" Tracey roared as she shot herself through the air towards the black dragon. Her tail began seeping water, covering it entirely as though it were some sort of bubble. She flipped through the air, about to hit her mark.

Titus made no move at avoiding Tracey's attack. He moved his arm quickly, placing Hazel in the way of Tracey's attack.

Tracey's jaw clenched with horror as she realized she was about to hit Hazel. The water around her tail exploded, sending the particles every which way. Yet even so, she couldn't stop herself from attacking.

Titus spun on his feet, clutching Tracey's tail with his free hand. The charizard then pried his eyes from hazel for a second before facing Tracey with an open jaw. The glaceon saw down Titus' jowl, noticing a light erupting from his throat. She grimaced and turned, flailing at Titus with her paws, but she didn't have enough reach to do anything to the charizard. Titus sent a stream of fire towards Tracey's face.

Before the heat could even touch the glaceon, a set of red, fiery wings slammed into Titus' face, redirecting his scorching breath towards a set of vials. With the sudden exposure to the heat, the vials either melted, covering the shelves with their contents – solid and liquid –or exploded, spraying the room with glass shards.

Hailey turned around instantly, throwing her white, glowing wings onto Titus' wrist. The attack managed to loosen the charizard's grasp, allowing Tracey to slip free. She dropped to the floor, landing on her head. Before she had time to recover, Titus punted her away from him into the rack of vials. A few fell to the ground, shattering around her.

"This is getting tiresome," Titus growled as he finally set his eyes on Hailey. He bared his teeth for the pokemon to see.

"Stop!" Hazel shouted as she dug her claws into Titus' arm. Yet as she struggled, Titus' grasp tightened around her neck. She opened her mouth as wide as she could, trying to draw in air. But the dragon's grasp was too strong.

Hazel's eyes shot left towards the shelf filled with vials and reached for one filled with a purple liquid, grasping it in her claws. She drove the vial into Titus' face, and with a crash, the dragon let out a roar of pain and anger. Glass and purple liquid were splashed across the dragon's face as he released Hazel to grab at the shards imbedded in his scales. He began dragging his claws across the glass, managing to dislodge the shards from his face, but not before hazel scurried away from the dragon towards her friends.

"Move!" she roared at the others as they tore around the building towards the exit.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Tracey shouted as she darted towards the exit.

"What about the mission?!" Hailey shouted frantically.

"We'll come back later, but he's going to kill you if we don't leave now!" Hazel shouted as she pushed Hailey towards Tracey. The staraptor didn't need any more convincing, taking the initiative to run instead of resist Hazel's shoves.

The three of them ran through multiple shelves, trying to find the exit. Just then, Hazel heard a growl from where they came

"Girl!" Titus roared.

Multiple shattering noises sounded from Titus' direction. Hazel chanced a look between the shelves just in time to see the vials that were crashing down onto the group.

"Watch out!" Hazel cried as the vials fell onto the group of three. Hazel managed to cover her face from the liquids and glass that splashed across her body, littering the floor with multiple colors of chaos. She winced, peering around her at what befell her friends. Tracey and Hailey had managed to clear the shelves, leaving Hazel as the lone victim to the falling chemicals.

She attempted to stand but felt resistance on her ankle. Looking down, she noticed the shelf which had previously held the vials was now pinning her foot to the floor.

"Hazel!" Hailey shouted.

"I can't move!" Hazel shouted at her friends.

"Come on!" Tracey shouted as she leapt towards the charmeleon. As she soared in the air, a black blur moved towards Tracey, grabbing her by the neck, and tossing her towards the glass-covered floor.

Tracey's back slammed into the stone. She gave a wide-eyed cough as the air was forced from her body, but Titus wasn't done. He dove straight onto her – not even hindered by the low space of the room – and pinned her to the glass with a single foot. A scream of pain encompassed the room.

"Tracey!" Hazel and Hailey both shouted. The charmeleon tried lifting the shelf from her body, but it was no good: the other shelves added to its weight, making it almost impossible to move.

Hailey flapped her wings behind her in one, solid, swift movement before rushing towards Titus. She bellowed a warrior's cry before her entire body became bathed in what appeared to be blue fire. The dragon didn't even have to look.

Titus took a step backwards, off Tracey and out of Hailey's attack, before shooting his arm at her neck, pulling her out of the "Brave Bird" attack. Hailey began hanging from Titus' grip like a rag doll gasping for her next breath.

Before Tracey had a chance at getting up, Titus slammed his foot onto her neck, forcing her to cough and writhe in pain. Titus then raised his free hand and clenched it into a fist before bashing Hailey in the side of the head. The staraptor's eyes curled upwards into her head and she fell limp.

"Hailey!" Hazel cried in fear. Her scars began pulsating on her chest as if they were just as afraid of Titus as Hazel was.

She tried moving her leg once more, but she was stuck. Titus' eyes narrowed in on her trapped body. A smile curled in the corners of his lips, sending Hazel's heart into convulsions. Her breath became staggered as she watched Titus pitch Hailey's body like a ball into a nearby shelf. A massive crash erupted as vials exploded from Hailey's body. Even the shelves bent from the force.

All the adrenaline escaped Hazel's body. Feelings and emotions from her childhood came rushing back to her as she watched this monster obliterate her entire team in the most unnatural way possible.

"Now that they're out of the way," Titus began forcefully, "I'm going to ask some questions. You're going to answer them. If you refuse, your friends die. Do I make myself clear?"

Hazel made no attempt at responding – not out of defiance, but because she was petrified.

Titus stood up straight, staring down Hazel as if she were little more than a child who interfered in business that wasn't hers to begin with.

"What brought you here?" he asked.

Hazel made no answer. Titus waited for a few seconds before shifting his weight under Tracey. She opened her mouth as if she were in agony, yet she only let a whimper escape. Upon seeing her friend in pain, hazel managed to find her voice.

"W-we came looking for y-you!" Hazel stuttered in fear.

"Why?" Titus asked coldly.

"It's the Shadow Matter," Hazel said.

Titus smiled at that comment as if it entertained him. "Let me guess," he began. "You feel it in your chest, don't you? And you're afraid of it?"

Hazel opened her mouth, but hesitated: instincts telling her not to give the enemy information. Titus pressed on Tracey once more, eliciting a cry of pain.

"Yes!" Hazel shouted in desperation. "Yes, I'm terrified!"

He smiled even deeper at that comment in almost an evil, calculating way. "Then you've learned more about it," he said.

"Yes," Hazel admitted.

"Do you know how you got it?" he asked.

"N-no," Hazel stuttered.

"Lying gets your friend nowhere," Titus said. "Tell me the truth, or I'll make sure to give her a matching scar."

"Hazel…!" Tracey said in a strained voice. "Don't- Gak!"

Titus pressed even harder on her, forcing Tracey into silence.

"Alright!" Hazel shouted. "Let my friends go and I'll tell you everything!"

"I'm not an idiot!" Titus snarled. "So, talk!"

Just then, an arch of yellow light erupted from Titus' body. He grimaced, shouting through clenched teeth. Tracey was also lit up with what appeared to be electricity. She began shouting in pain, each second that passed growing even worse for her.

Then, it all stopped. Titus fell backwards, catching himself in a kneeling position as his body sparked from the electricity's paralysis. Having stumbled backwards, his foot came up from Tracey's neck allowing the girl to start a coughing fit.

"Peterson!" Titus growled.

Hazel looked towards the exit with shock, seeing a small plusle come bounding into the room towards Titus. He wore a snarl on his face as he darted towards the dragon.

"Damn it, maggot!" Peterson roared.

Hazel looked back towards the sparking dragon as he growled himself. He attempted to stand; yet more sparks flew from his body as he winced from the paralyzing pain.

"Wait!" Hazel shouted as she held her claws up for Peterson to stop. "Peterson, stop!"

Peterson's eyes widened before putting on the brakes, coming to a halt on one of the toppled shelves. He looked at Hazel with shock. "What the hell do you mean, stop?!" he shouted in confusion.

Hazel turned to Titus – who was currently attempting once more to stand whilst bearing his claws – putting on the most confident look she could muster. "We just came to talk!" she shouted.

Titus' lower lip twitched at the words before a smile crawled across his face. "What?" he asked.

"We didn't come here looking for trouble!" Hazel elaborated. "We just wanted to talk."

"That the hell do you mean, maggot?!" Peterson began. "You came all the way up here on the side of a freaking mountain for a cup of tea?!"

"Just hear me out," Hazel began. She looked to Titus with a furrowed brow before saying, "You're after Shadow Matter, right?"

Silence seemed to take a hold of the room. Peterson's face changed from one of anger and adrenaline to a pensive glare while Titus' smile grew even wider with the mention of Shadow Matter as if the topic brought him the utmost joy. "You have my attention," he said.

"Well, I'm the complete opposite," she said. "I have Shadow Matter, but I didn't ask for it, and I'm worried it's putting my friends at risk. Someone told me that you can tell if I'll lose control of it. Is that true?"

"And who said that?" Titus asked curiously.

"Dialga and Palkia," Hazel said, not pulling any punches.

Peterson's face went back to a snarl. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he asked Hazel.

"You've met them?" Titus asked calmly.

Peterson's face changed once more at Titus' response into a confused stare as if his emotions pummeled one another, fighting for dominance.

"They said if anyone could tell whether I'm a danger, you could," Hazel explained.

Titus smiled at Hazel, eyeing her like a cat does a mouse right before it strikes.

"You're scared of it?" Titus asked.

Hazel eyed Titus, knowing that was information he didn't need to know. Although, the charizard's eyes seemed to penetrate her chest as if searching for the truth within the scars.

"So, am I dangerous?" she asked.

Titus looked at her for a few more seconds before scoffing. "You're serious," he stated.

"Am I dangerous?" Hazel asked once again.

"You're foolish," Titus said. "What you have is a gift that makes you stronger than most pokemon in Ganderosa. You don't need me to tell you it makes you a living weapon, and yet you would rather fear it instead of let it mold you."

Titus made another attempt at standing, this time succeeding with only tiny sparks flying from the tips of his blood-red wings. Hazel felt her heart shrink at the charizard's ability to recover so quickly, yet she had a feeling there was no use in even considering the possibility of running.

"Do you feel it, then?" Titus asked. "In your heart?"

Hazel's stone-hard expression faltered into worry for a few seconds as she asked, "Feel it?"

"Does it scare you?" Titus asked.

"What the hell are you two babbling about?!" Peterson roared, obviously frustrated with the topic.

"None of this matters," Hazel said, forcefully shaking her head. "Am I dangerous or not?"

Titus raised his head, only glancing towards Hazel. He stood there, contemplating what Hazel said. He obviously seemed cautious about the notion, though he continued to smile maliciously.

"You've met Dialga and Palkia, then," Titus said. He nodded before crossing his arms. "In that case, I propose a trade."

"What kind of trade?" Tracey asked, standing up slowly infront of Titus before limping to Hazel's side. Her voice was very hoarse, and she had bits of glass in her fur, yet obviously none of it didn't stop her from standing.

"Take me to Dialga and Palkia," Titus said. "Once I meet them, I'll tell you what I can about the Shadow Matter. Deal?"

Hazel nodded in agreement, recalling Dialga had instructed her to take Titus to see the two legendary pokemon in the first place. This worked out for her as much as it did for Titus.

Peterson continued to eye Titus as if expecting him to make a move. Titus walked towards Hazel and knelt down next to her, eliciting sparks from Peterson's cheeks: a warning. However, the dragon merely picked up the shelf which rested on Hazel's foot, allowing her to get free. Hazel quickly stood up before Titus dropped the shelf. The dragon then made his way for the door.

"Take me to Dialga," he said. "Then we'll talk about your Shadow Matter."

Peterson relaxed his shoulders as he stood up straight. Titus stopped at the little pokemon, expecting him to move. Peterson obliged, unwilling to perpetuate the fight that had gone on minutes ago.

"Don't get in my way again," Titus warned. "And after what I did for you the Alkan Islands, you owe me. Got it?"

"Keep telling yourself that, maggot," Peterson said. He watched Titus walk towards the exit of the building, not taking his eyes off him until the charizard was gone.

As soon as Titus was outside of the room, Hazel looked towards the shelf Titus tossed Hailey at to find the staraptor was conscious, standing, and scowling at them. She cradled her left wing in the right, panting in pain.

"Are you alright?" Hazel asked as she walked to Hailey.

"She can wait!" Peterson shouted at Hazel. He stormed right up to Hazel and shoved her leg. "Why the hell are you here?!"

"Hi to you, too," Tracey retorted sorely, sitting backwards to rub her neck with her front paws.

"Shut it, maggot!" Peterson snapped at Tracey who didn't take his comment into much consideration as she was more focused on her neckline. Peterson stomped on the floor at Hazel as if it were supposed to be intimidating regardless of his size. "Titus would have killed you last time! What makes you think he'll cooperate?!"

"He will," Hazel said to Peterson. "I have something he wants."

"Do you know who Titus is?!" Peterson snapped. "No! You're just playing at a game that you have no business being in!"

"I know a lot more than you're giving me credit for," Hazel said. "I bet it's more than you, so why do you think I don't belong here?"

"I'm giving you as much credit as you deserve!" Peterson growled.

Hazel looked towards him with a disbelieving scowl. There was no way he actually knew what she and Titus were talking about before.

"Dialga and Palkia brought your human friend to fight a being called Giratina," Peterson stated coldly. "Giratina created a second world that's twisting our own and creating an essence called Shadow Matter: a substance that's mutating anyone who encounters it. You came here because you were exposed to the stuff and want Titus to evaluate you. Am I close?"

Hazel's jaw hung open at what the plusle said. "How did you-"

"Why the hell do you think Team Armageddon was so insistent on destroying the guild?"

"You all knew about the Guild all along?" Hailey asked, moving towards the plusle. "You knew what Giratina was up to?"

"Ignitus knew from the start because he worked closely with Giratina! He told other pokemon – namely Molan, Titus, and me – just enough information on what the hell's going on in the world so we would help.

"But if you're working with Dialga and Palkia, I guess you know _everything_!" The plusle swung his arms skyward at the last word in a sarcastic manner.

"If you know what we're up against," Hailey began. "Why stop here? Why are you hiding instead of fighting like Team Armageddon did in the past? Do you just not trust Dialga and Palkia?"

"Trust is the reason we didn't work with them before," Peterson stated whilst scowling. "They keep secrets – important, life-changing secrets – from everyone they work with for no damn reason! You can't trust them!"

"We don't have a choice!" Hazel snapped. " _I_ don't have a choice!"

"You think just because you got mutated that you can pull your friends through the mud?"

"We chose to be here for her," Tracey snapped.

"Well, then you're all maggots, after all!" Peterson snapped. He began walking to the exit, mumbling as he went. But Hazel wasn't done yet. She still had one final question.

"Where's Ignitus?" Hazel shouted.

Peterson stopped at the doorway. His paw rolled up into a fist as he stood, breathing slowly. "He's not here," he said.

"He's not with you guys?" Tracey asked.

"As good as his goal was, I wasn't about to sacrifice pokemon to stop Giratina," Peterson said. "So, I stabbed him in the back, toppling Team Armageddon. That was me.

"I have no clue where Ignitus would be, and I don't give a damn. We only came here because it was used to study Shadow Matter during the Great War and Titus wanted the stuff. Other than that, we have no clue."

"What about the rumor that floated around Team Armageddon?" Tracey asked. "The one about if the Guild were ever to defeat Team Armageddon, there was a safe place to hide up in the mountains?"

"It was a lie," Peterson said. "There was no backup plan incase the Guild tried to kill us all. At the very least, Ignitus planned on making anyone who died a martyr to rally more pokemon behind. That's all."

Peterson turned around to look at Hazel, still scowling at her. "You're searching for him, too?" he asked.

"We need him," Hazel said.

"I wouldn't push your luck," Peterson said. "If you can and do find him – and that's a pretty big 'if' to begin with – he'll kill you for convincing me that Team Armageddon was making too many sacrifices. He. Will. Kill. You."

The plusle turned around once more. "By the way, your ditto friend is gone."

"What?!" Tracey shouted. She began looking around frantically for the purple blob.

"Apparently, when Titus showed up, he ran for the hills where he found me. He kept asking about Molan, so my guess is he's out looking for him. And – knowing that little blob – when he does, he's not coming back."

"He left without us?" Tracey questioned.

"Why not?" Hailey asked. "He really doesn't need us to begin with. If he wanted to leave, then I guess he had the right to."

"Fine," Hazel said. She couldn't say that she wasn't a little bummed by the idea of Bob leaving, but at the same time the guy worked for Ignitus before all of this and she didn't know him to begin with. If he left, she was satisfied to believe it was his choice.

"We'll leave when you say so," Peterson said. "But let me make this clear: Titus will kill you when he gets the chance. As much as he wants Shadow Matter, he only left you alive last time to see what it would do to you: use you as an experiment. Once that crap inside of you can't grow any longer, he'll kill you just to see what happens next.

"That's your only warning."

With that, Peterson left the building.

"Dang it…" Hailey moaned as she fell backwards, landing on her feathery behind.

"Hey!" Hazel said in worry as she fell to the staraptor's side.

"What's wrong?" Tracey said, her voice still being a little hoarse, but that seemed to be the extent of the damage.

"He broke my wing," Hailey said.

"That's not good," Hazel said as she reached to her side to pull some bandages from her bag. As she reached down, she found liquids splashed all over her bag, covering it in a foul odor she had been too hyped up on adrenaline to notice until now.

"Dang it," she said as she pulled the lip open, reaching inside to find the bandages. To her relief, the bottom of her bag was still relatively dry, meaning so were the bandages she removed. She then began wrapping them around the staraptor as a make-shift sling.

"We should have been more careful," Hailey said.

Hazel's heart stung at those words. This was her fault, wasn't it? She led them into what now appeared to be a trap laid out for them, hadn't she?

"I'm sorry, guys," Hazel said.

"For what?" Tracey said.

"For leading you all into a trap."

"It's fine," Tracey said. "We couldn't have known it was a trap."

"We'll be more careful, next time," Hailey said.

Hazel smiled at the two. "Alright," she said, finishing off Hailey's bandages. "How does it feel?"

"It won't move as much," Hailey began. "So not as painful."

"What now?" Tracey said. "Is Titus with us or not?"

"Now, we'll wait for Bolt, I guess," Hazel said. "We told him we'd wait for a few days for his family to get situated somewhere else. If he doesn't show up by then, we'll leave."

"And Titus?" Hailey reiterated on Tracey's behalf. "What are we going to do about him? We can trust him to _not_ try and kill us."

"Well," Hazel said as a chilly breeze came in through the doorway, taking her attention towards the exit. "I think one of them know where Ignitus is, regardless of what Peterson says. Keeping Titus for that reason is reason enough.

"On top of that, we need him to clear me…" She felt guilt wash over her body. It was her fault they came here: her fault that Hailey got hurt, and what she said reinforced the idea.

"Then we'll watch him," Tracey suggested. "Take shifts."

"That won't help," Hailey said. "He's strong enough to kill us if he wants to. If he makes a move against us, then we're dead regardless."

"Then we'll just have to be careful about him," Hazel said. "Always be ready for an attack."

"I guess that'll have to do," Tracey said. "And we don't really need to be around him for now, seeing as we're just waiting."

"Agreed," Hailey said.

"Then it's settled," Hazel said. "We'll stay on guard around Titus, wait for Bolt, and if he doesn't show up, then we'll head out for Dialga and Palkia."

"Right," Tracey and Hailey agreed.

"Now that that's settled, I'm going to look for Bob," Tracey said. "I can't believe he just up and left us without saying bye first."

"Don't go too far," Hailey warned. "And if you need help, give us a shout."

"Yes, mom," Tracey said, rolling her eyes.

Hailey scowled at Tracey but continued to remain silent at her retorts. And with a swish of the glaceon's tail, she left the building.

"I'm going to watch Titus," Hailey said as she stood back up.

"Hey," Hazel said, taking Hailey's attention. "Are… we good? You're not mad at me?"

Hailey opened her beak but hesitated. "I'm… not mad at you, no… but I think coming in here like we did was a mistake, and I think it was a bad call on all of our parts."

"Yeah…" Hazel said slowly.

"But we're alive thanks to you," she said.

Hazel looked at Hailey with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah?" she asked.

"Give yourself some credit, sometimes," Hailey said. "You _did_ talk him out of it, didn't you? I mean, he was dead-set on killing us, but now he's agreed to get to Dialga."

Hazel smiled at Hailey. She didn't know how much of that was accurate or how much of a role she actually played in that part, but it felt good to be valued.

"And we all make mistakes," Hailey continued. She smiled lightly. "I mean, last week Dean burned dinner and left the whole guild starving. Bolt nearly challenged him to a fight to blow off some steam while Jess talked about cannibalizing him."

"Dean? Cooking?" Hazel asked with a smile, imagining the machoke in an apron with a wooden spoon.

Hailey's smile began fading, replaced with her neutral stare. "So, stay positive. As the leader of this group, you need to be, so you don't repeat mistakes you've already made. Got it?"

Hazel felt a few tears come to her eyes. She almost felt like crying.

"This takes me back," Hazel said, recalling her childhood days. "We used to have pep talks like this one, too: back when we were kids."

"I remember," Hailey said, staring off towards the doorway, as well.

Hazel knew that was a simpler time: simpler than the crazy world she was in, now.

She began thinking about what lied ahead, considering whether it would get even more confusing and scary. It probably would, what with life-shattering events seemingly everywhere now more than ever. She wondered whether their plan would succeed. Would Dillan be able to find the Amber Amulet? And what then?

Hazel yearned for the simpler times. She wanted more than anything for things to go back to the way they use to be before Giratina and Team Armageddon: back when pokemon helped each other grow and live in the world.

 _My dream… Can I ever go back to fulfilling it? Would I ever go back, knowing the system was there to manipulate Ganderosa? ...Could I?_

* * *

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys! What's up?

I'll make this short for you guys seeing as I ramble a little below. ;)

Shout-out to, "emotheextremo", "Skarmory21", "soulkiller10000", "Akira The Typhlosion", "ChunkyMnky1103", "PatkaticiFatih", "EpicTurtwig", "master guy dude", "RyChu0130", "Zorstaus", and "mgsforlifezzz" for following/favoriting the story! Even in an absence, people like it! Good to know. XD

Anyways, I'm going to say it outright right here. I'm not going to be posting regularly any longer. I went at it for a year, then slumped back due to a workload, and now I'm not doing it at all. To be honest, things have changed in my life over the past few months and dealing with it has been increasingly more difficult. It's why I haven't posted a chapter in four months. Hopefully I'm back to writing, but no promises seeing as I'm still trying to adjust.

To everyone who has waited, I'm sorry it took so long, and I'm sorry I'm not going to have a clear set of dates laid out as to when my next chapter will be released, but the story has fallen some bars in importance to my life, meaning I'm not putting all of my free time into this any longer. It's just what it'll be.

Anyways, thanks to everyone who has continued to stick around for the ex-members of Team Rapture and their fight against the evils of Ganderosa!

I'll see all of you in the next chapter!


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